Iowa

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What Was That Giant Fireball Over Midwest?

Blast lights up sky in several states

(Newser) - Scientists are scratching their heads after a giant fireball lit up the midwestern sky, then vanished. The fireball rattled homes and shook the earth as it streaked across the sky and apparently triggered a sonic boom. Scientists speculate the phenomenon, that also lit up police station phone lines, was a...

Teens at Easter Egg Hunt Find Dead Body

Grisly discovery made in Des Moines park

(Newser) - An Easter egg hunt came to a startling end for two teenagers who accompanied their younger siblings to the event: They found a body in a Des Moines park. The unidentified man didn't appear to be a victim of foul play, police said. "I guess the children who found...

12 Unique Destinations for 2010

National Trust offers up Dozen Distinctive Destinations

(Newser) - Looking for a getaway that's just a bit different this year? Look no further than the National Trust for Historic Preservation 's annual Dozen Distinctive Destinations. The list encourages travelers to, for example, skip Disneyland's Main Street, USA, and instead "travel to Ft. Collins, Colorado, to see the real...

South the Big Winner in New Census
South the Big Winner in
New Census

South the Big Winner in New Census

Northeast, Midwest would lose seats if today's census was used

(Newser) - The South is gaining population and power at the expense of the Northeast and Midwest, according to Census Bureau estimates released yesterday. If House seats were distributed based on the estimates, which are believed to be a strong predictor of the 2010 census results, Texas would be the big winner,...

Iowa Mom Gets Life for Slitting Son's Throat

Kehoe banned from contacting son who survived attack

(Newser) - An Iowa mother has been sentenced to life without parole for slitting her 2-year-old son's throat and leaving him to die. Michelle Kehoe, who expressed profound regret in court, also slashed her 7-year-old son's throat before attempting to kill herself. He survived and testified against his mother. A jury rejected...

Illinois Prison Will Take Gitmo Inmates

 Illinois Prison Will 
 Take Gitmo Inmates 
UPDATED

Illinois Prison Will Take Gitmo Inmates

Prison nearly empty, unemployment brutal in rural Thomson

(Newser) - A nearly vacant prison in a western Illinois town where unemployment is over 10% will be the new home of as many as 100 current Guantanamo Bay detainees. An announcement of the president's decision to acquire the 8-year-old jail is expected today, the Chicago Tribune reports. Gov. Pat Quinn and...

Beer Gets Boozier
 Beer Gets Boozier 

Beer Gets Boozier

States allow drinks up to 16% alcohol to be called beers

(Newser) - States are raising caps on the alcohol content of beer, setting limits as high as 16% by volume in moves to appease the microbrew industry. Alabama and West Virginia raised their limits this year, while Vermont and Montana adjusted theirs last year; and lobbying is under way in Iowa and...

Iowans Recoil at Prospect of Paying for Palin

Conservative group is trying to raise $100K to lure her

(Newser) - An Iowa conservative group’s plan to lure Sarah Palin with a $100,000 speaking fee has annoyed fellow right-wingers. This is Iowa, after all, and most political contenders are happy to come for free. One GOP consultant in the state sees the move by the Iowa Family Policy Center...

Fast-Food Customer Punches Out 'Zombie'

Man's nose broken by attacker freaked out by living dead

(Newser) - A man at a fast food restaurant in Iowa called another customer a zombie and punched him—twice. The victim was slugged in the eye as he stood at the counter to order food near the University of Iowa campus in Iowa City. As he called police on his cell...

Sleazy Middlemen Stiff Homeowners Trying to Refi
 Sleazy Middlemen 
 Stiff Homeowners 
 Trying to Refi 
mortgage meltdown

Sleazy Middlemen Stiff Homeowners Trying to Refi

Foot-dragging 'mortgage servicers' step into role of fox in henhouse

(Newser) - The federal mortgage modification program is mired in trouble, with just 12% of the 3 million eligible loans in the process of modification, the "servicers" that helped create the problem tasked with helping to untangle it, and the Treasury Department falling down on the oversight job. In one...

Red Sox Fan Sprung From Jail—for Game

Judge calls furlough 'compassionate' act for man with few joys in life

(Newser) - Red Sox fandom turned out to be a get out of jail free card for one Iowa man. Randy Barker was serving a 20-day jail sentence for violating a protective order, but his lawyer argued that he should be released long enough to attend a Sox game with his dad...

'Midwest Diva' Aims to Be Next Britney

'I think I can take this all the way to Hollywood,' says Web sensation Leslie Hall

(Newser) - She’s a size 16, loves plastic-jewel-encrusted sweaters, lives with her parents, and marries gay couples in her spare time—but Leslie Hall, a white rapper from Iowa, sees herself as a peer of  “Britney, Rihanna, Beyoncé, we’re all doing the same thing,” she tells CNN. Hall...

Franken Gets Funny Again
 Franken Gets 
 Funny Again 



Franken Gets Funny Again

Senator has crowd chuckling at Iowa fundraiser

(Newser) - As a latecomer to the Senate this year, Al Franken’s been playing it straight—but he loosened up enough to venture a few jokes at an Iowa fundraiser yesterday, CNN reports. Discussing Sen. Tom Harkin’s new post as head of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee,...

Rights Group Films Workers Grinding Chicks Alive

Animal rights group uncovers disgusting practices at Iowa egg hatchery

(Newser) - An undercover video shot by an animal rights group at an Iowa egg hatchery shows workers discarding unwanted male chicks by tossing them live into a grinder, and other chicks falling through a sorting machine to die on the factory floor. Chicago-based Mercy for Animals said it shot the video...

Newbie Farmers Pair With Old Hands

(Newser) - Matchmaking just might save the family farm, the AP reports. States such as Iowa, Virginia, and Washington have started programs pairing would-be farmers with those aiming to retire, in the hopes of beefing up independent agriculture and keeping rural areas populated. "I thought I may never get a chance...

Senators Tweet It Out Over 'Death Panels'

Specter accuses Grassley of spreading false info

(Newser) - Arlen Specter and Chuck Grassley engaged in a very 21st-century sniping match today, ABC's Jake Tapper reports. The 79-year-old Pennsylvania Democrat took to Twitter to accuse the 75-year-old Iowa Republican of spreading "myths about health care reform and imaginary ‘death panels.' " He was referring to comments...

Grassley Feeds Fire of Death Panel Claims

(Newser) - Put Sen. Chuck Grassley in the fear-the-death-panels camp. Asked today at a town hall meeting to debunk that line of attack, Grassley did precisely the opposite, reports the Iowa Independent. "You have every right to fear," said Grassley—who, by the way, is one of three Republicans negotiating...

Add Santorum's Name to 2012 List

(Newser) - The list of Republican presidential hopefuls just keeps getting longer. Former Sen. Rick Santorum will make the first of several scheduled trips to Iowa in October, reports Politico. The conservative Santorum, of course, isn't explicitly calling it a scouting trip for 2012, but he acknowledged he wants a bigger role...

Iowa 911 Now Accepts Texts
 Iowa 911 Now Accepts Texts 

Iowa 911 Now Accepts Texts

(Newser) - An emergency call center in the basement of the county jail in Waterloo, Iowa, today became the first in the country to accept text messages sent to 911. "I think there's a need to get out front and get this technology available," the county's police chief says, adding...

Coach Shot Dead at Iowa School; Ex-Player Arrested

Adult gunman in custody

(Newser) - A top Iowa high school football coach is dead after he was shot by a former player in the school’s weight room—with students nearby today, the Gazette of Cedar Rapids reports. Ed Thomas was shot point-blank in the head; no one else was hurt. The suspect, 24-year-old Mark...

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