Iowa News

After watching Michael Admire’s story in the 10 p.m. newscast, I have a better idea what Pickleball is. It’s like playing ping-pong on a table, or something like that. Whatever it is, the Pickleball Iowa logo knows how to party…

A new study shows steroid abusers often suffer mental health problems in their old age. Hope those home runs and big contracts were worth it…

Sergio Garcia can’t get out of his own way. He’s going to make Tiger Woods fried chicken? Sergio apologized the right way. Now he needs to play the quiet game for six months…

Sergio’s insensitive comments brought Fuzzy Zoeller’s name up again, and not for good reasons. Fuzzy probably thought he was finally past that unfortunate interview from 1997…

Matt Kemp took a social media thrashing for “only” pledging $1000 per home run to disaster relief in his home state of Oklahoma. We shouldn’t be so judgmental that we expect a minimum amount that we approve. Kemp is one of the few athletes who pledged any part of his fortune. He’s now added $250,000, and said he planned that amount all along (in addition to the home runs). Not everyone is Kevin Durant. Oklahoma can use every dollar. Besides, I haven’t forgotten how Kemp treated that ailing Dodgers fan when Kemp had no idea someone was recording…

Andy Fales loves the new cover of Sports Illustrated. Cubs fans are not as excited…

Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway told me today, he’s 100% certain Kirk Ferentz will soon have Iowa back in the top ten. Several people sarcastically replied, “top ten of the Big Ten?”. Greenway said, without reservation or hesitation, he knows Ferentz will turn Iowa around again…

Greenway also said the Vikings shouldn’t give up a potential great home field advantage by playing indoors, but he knows it’s happening. Greenway, the son of farmers, just joined Farm Bureau’s America Needs Farmers. Perfect guy…

Greenway says he respect Brian Urlacher for not wanting to wear another team’s jersey. Urlacher retired after 13 seasons with the Bears. Greenway told me he’d retire a year sooner if it meant retiring a Viking. I like that. There’s just something cool about guys who played for only one team. Think of Marino. Now think of Favre…

ESPN just laid off 400 people. Chris Hassel NOT one of the 400. More than anything it shows you how big ESPN has gotten that it can lay off that many workers. I’m sure paying hundreds of millions for rights fees gets expensive…

The Pacers winning game 1 would not have been the same as the Bulls. The Pacers match-up well with Miami, though the Heat will win the series. Credit LeBron James. That was a big-time move in OT with the game on the line…

My wife and I have 15 graduation open houses to attend this weekend. I’m hoping a couple of seniors are held back. I kid…

Zero and low calorie food labels are appealing to those looking to eat healthier and lose weight.

In many of those products, you’ll find artificial sweeteners, but are they doing more harm than good?

Renee Chiaramonte is a registered nurse at Mercy Hospital. She’s used to taking care of others, but when it came to her own health, that usually took a back seat.

“I was eating a lot of sugar at one point,” says Renee.

Carbonated drinks that helped keep Renee awake during her overnight shifts at the hospital were a necessity.

Renee says, “I was drinking tons of diet pop, I was thinking I was doing myself a favor by not drinking the sugared pop ya know?”

Her addiction quickly spiraled out of control. She would use 500 packets of Splenda a month.

Packet after packet and over the course of several months and years, she says first came weight gain, then joint pain.

“My joints were so sore that I couldn`t open the baby bottles that we had to use at work, I had to have someone help me open the baby bottles,” says Renee.

Then a torn tendon in her knee that required surgery.

She started to suspect all these health problems were the result of a poor diet.

Renee says she felt like she was poising herself, “I realized I was way overboard on my artificial sweeteners.”

What is it about artificial sweeteners that draw in sugar consumers time after time?

Drake marketing professor, doctor Natalie Ross –  Adkins says she isn’t surprised when people like Renee get hooked on particular products, like artificial sweeteners.

“We are habitual people we may not like to think we are habitual people we do things in a habit,” says Adkins.

Marketers take advantage of those habits and use an intricate strategy to do it. From the color scheme of the product,  to where it’s placed on the shelf, marketers know how to reel consumers in.

Adkins says, “People are attracted to things that are eye level so if you go into a grocery store and you look at sugar…. Sugar is down low, but the artificial sweeteners are up high.

It’s a part of a marketers plan to make shopping easy and to have them coming back for more.

When consumers become too comfortable with a product, they don’t realize how harmful the ingredients might be.

Doctors say that this means taking a closer look at nutrition label on the back of the box.

“Anything that says light or sugar free, low calorie, diet any of those products that are marketed as that. I think it’s very well worth the time to look at the label,” says chiropractor Dr. Ann Buenger.

She has been practicing chiropractic’s for more than 10 years, focusing on the total wellness of the body.

She reminds us that artificial sweeteners hide out in a lot of the foods we eat and drink.

So here’s what you, the consumer, need to be on the lookout for, aspartame is the generic term for Equal, Splenda is another name for sucralose and Sweet ‘n’ Low is saccharin.

Experts say… All of these can trigger weight gain, migranes, depression and even cancer

Dr. Buenger says, “They are all chemicals which means they are all toxic to our bodies.”

She says that by drinking diet soda and even chewing gum with artificial sweeteners is like injecting the sugar directly into your veins.

“They`re liquid they`re already in an absorbent form as soon as you take them so your body gets more of the chemical in your bloodstream,” says Dr. Buenger.

Once in the bloodstream the chemicals are then stored in your fat cells. That’s why people tend to gain weight instead of losing weight when drinking and eating zero or low calorie foods.

Developing these symptoms doesn’t happen overnight.

Dr. Buenger says, “Some of the research says that up to 75 percent of the neurons in a particular area in the brain have to have died before the symptoms start to come out.”

It is possible for sweet tooth’s to curb their cravings. You just have to be responsible for what you’re putting into your body.

“I’ve seen a lot of cases of people that have made some huge dramatic changes in their health just by getting rid of these things in their diet, people that have gotten their lives back,” says Dr. Buenger.

People like Renee.

“And now this is 7-years later, I don`t have any joint pain, I’m not on any medicines and I feel really really healthy.”

Since then she has tossed her bulk supply of Splenda and canceled her surgery. She knows the artificial sweeteners were to blame.

“You know it could have been that it was just heeling but definitely I was able to walk better.  I think it was all connected.”

The hundred-plus people who met for a candlelit vigil Wednesday evening at Dayton's Emmanuel Lutheran Church said they hold out hope that authorities will find Kathlynn Shepard alive.

Family, friends and search volunteers joined together to pray for the safe return of a missing Dayton teen Wednesday night. A candlelight vigil was held for 15-year-old Kathlynn Shepard at the Emanuel Lutheran Church.

Volunteers and investigators have spent three days searching wooded areas, walking ditches, and knocking on doors since Kathlynn and her 12-year-old friend were abducted Monday afternoon.

Investigators had their first break in the case Wednesday when they found Kathlynn’s backpack.

Authorities have focused their search on several key areas including the location the girls were abducted from a bus stop along First Avenue Southwest in Dayton. Police say they were lured into a car by 42-year-old Michael Klunder offering them a job doing yard work.

The two were then taken to a hog farm on 400th Street in Pilot Mound marking another important area investigators have been combing for clues. The 12-year old victim managed to escape from that location and ran to this nearby farm house.

Three hours later police located Klunder at another hog farm in Dayton. Police say he took his own life before investigators arrived.

The major break in the case took place in Boone County when a passing grater noticed the girl’s backpacks in a ditch in the 400 block of Kale Avenue. That area became the focus of an intense search Wednesday, but nothing more was found.

Kathlynn’s family later released a statement saying, “We would like to thank everybody who took the time from their busy lives to help search for Kathlynn. To see so much love in our community and the surrounding areas is amazing.  Thank you for all of your prayers and we hope to have Kathlynn home soon.”

The DCI says they are remaining hopeful Kathlynn will be found. “Time is not your friend when you have these kinds of cases and now we’re on day three…We’re still trying to be optimistic and positive that we’re going to be able to find her,” Agent Bill Keitzman said.

The DCI has released this image of Kathlynn getting off her bus the day she disappeared. They urge anyone with any information no matter how insignificant it may seem to call them at 515-573-1410.

Officials are asking anyone who may have come in contact with Klunder between 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Monday to call police.

Klunder has a history of charges. In 1992, he was convicted of two kidnappings and assaults. In the first instance he kidnapped a 21-year-old woman. The next day, he abducted two three-year old girls in Charles City.

He was sentenced to 41 years in prison but was released in 2010. He is a registered sex offender. Because of Klunder’s history, police in Evansdale say they will investigate whether there is a connection between Klunder and the kidnappings of two cousins. Lyric Cook and Elizabeth Collins were abducted last July. Their bodies were found in December.

Evansdale’s police chief tells the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier that he will look into Klunder’s whereabouts at the time of their disappearances.

KATHLYNN SHEPARD KIDNAPPING: The 12-year-old girl who was abducted along with Kathlynn Shepard this week told a local newspaper that the girls got in the kidnapper's pickup truck after he asked if they wanted to earn money mowing lawns.

• 48 photos: The search for Kathlynn Shepard
Interactive map: Dayton abduction, backpacks found
• Suspect Klunder served time for two prior abductions

Members of state and local law enforcement agencies will kick-off the Special Olympics Thursday with a torch run.

Runners from different agencies will each run a portion of the route from downtown Des Moines to Ames where the opening ceremonies for the Special Olympics Summer Games will begin.

The torch will be lit near the Oran Pape State Office Building in Des Moines at 10 a.m. Thursday then follow the following route:

• north on East 7th Street east on Walnut
• north on East 9th Street
• east on Hull Avenue
• north on East 14th Street –through Ankeny
• west on NE 36th Avenue
• north on Irvinedale Drive
• west on NW 118th Avenue
• north on NW 44th Street (R38)
• east on Mortensen Road in Ames
• north on University Blvd to Stuart Smith Park

The torch is expected to arrive at Hilton Coliseum around 7 p.m. and will light the stadium flame in front of Special Olympic athletes and their fans.

Law Enforcement encourages drivers who encounter the torch running group to use caution, follow the direction of escorting police vehicles, and only pass when it is safe to do so.

As lawmakers inch closer to a final deal on education reform one of the biggest supporters of reform announces he is leaving the state.

Iowa Education Director Jason Glass was chosen Wednesday, as the new superintendent of a Colorado School District.

Glass sent out the following tweet after receiving the news:

Tonight, I am so honored to be selected as the next Superintendent of @eaglecoschools! Thank you!

— Jason E. Glass (@jasonglassIA) May 23, 2013

He served as director of human resources for the Eagle County School District from 2007 to 2010 before becoming Iowa’s Education Director.

He will begin his new job July 1.

A Davenport couple faces a big fine for catching too many fish.

According to the Department of Natural Resources Jeremy Nguyen and Chi Hue Tran were fishing the Mississippi River near the casino in downtown Davenport on May 17 when an anonymous caller alleged they were repeatedly catching white bass and returning the fish to their car.

The daily bag limit for white bass in the Mississippi River is 25, with a possession limit of 50 per angler.

The couple was 166 fish over the limit.

They now face three counts each of being over possession for white bass, which carries a civil penalty of $2,500 per count.

If convicted they will pay $8,300 each and could lose their fishing privileges for two years.

IOWA SCHOOLS: Iowa's top education official and a leading advocate for school reform is leaving the state. Jason Glass, director of the state's Department of Education, was appointed superintendent of Colorado's Eagle County school district this evening.

Concerned neighbors in one Des Moines community are working to devise a plan to decrease violence in their area.

The King-Irving Neighborhood Association plans to hold an emergency meeting Thursday to discuss a recent trend of violence at Evelyn Davis Park and find a way to put a stop to it.

The group has invited Mayor Cownie, Police Chief Judy Bradshaw, Councilmen Halley Griess, local churches and leaders of area youth groups to attend the meeting at 6 p.m. at the gazebo in the park. They are also asking for a daily police patrol of the area.

The most recent act of violence happened just last week when two groups of teens began fighting and a 16-year-old fired six shots. No one was hurt, but there were young children playing nearby.

A Des Moines area high school is paying respects to two former students and World War II veterans this Friday.

In honor of Memorial Day, North High School will hold a service for brothers Vernon and Marion Young.

Vernon “Paul” Young was a student at North High School from 1939 to 1941. He was due to graduate in the spring of 1942, but chose to enlist in the United States Navy on December 8, 1941, one day after the assault on Pearl Harbor. He will be presented with an honorary diploma at the ceremony.

North High School also will pay tribute to Paul’s older brother, Marion “Peter” Young. A Marine, Marion was killed in the Battle of Leyte Gulf in December of 1944 when a kamikaze pilot crashed his plane onto the deck of the USS Nashville. Along with Marion,133 other American Service members were killed.

The ceremony will take place at 8:45 a.m. in North High School’s gymnasium.

Motorists in Iowa should be on alert this holiday weekend.

Law enforcement across the state will increase their presence as part of a special enforcement project.

In addition to the extra presence, drivers are also asked to exercise caution because of the increased holiday traffic on the road this weekend.

The event comes to Iowa in the middle of the National “Click it or Ticket” Campaign which runs from May 20th to June 2nd. Officers will be watching for motorists not wearing seat belts and impaired drivers.

The Iowa Legislature on Wednesday approved its standing appropriations budget, a $2.99 billion spending bill that funds a huge chunk of K-12 education in the state and a grab bag of other programs, services and functions.

Former Charles City police chief said he was “stunned” to see Michael James Klunder back in the news and didn't know Klunder had been released from prison. He called Klunder one of the worst criminals he ever pursued.

A new park is coming to the Des Moines metro, but this isn’t your typical place to play ball.

The Des Moines Kiwanis club opened the first Miracle League Park in Iowa nearly five years ago. It’s located downtown by Principal Park and serves more than 200 kids with special needs. This month, construction started on the state’s second Miracle League Park, and this one has an extra component.

The Lust kids like to play ball. Mom Kerry Lust asks her son Brandon, “Do you like to hit the ball?” He replies, “Fun hit.”

But, it’s difficult for the 5 year-old to play on a typical league. Mrs. Lust says, “He has Autism, so he struggles with speech, communication and he has trouble with social skills. And, he has some motor skills problems with catching and throwing.”

Brandon joined the Des Moines Miracle League this season. Buddies help each player during the game and the custom field is flat and free of obstacles. Kerry says, “Miracle League will give him an opportunity where he can play ball just like all the typical kids.”

But, about 240 kids already play on the Des Moines Miracle League and there are plenty more families like the Lusts looking for a place to play closer to home.

Ankeny Kiwanis Club and Steering Committee Member Kerry Walter-Ashby says, “There’s just a huge need throughout Ankeny. About 800 kids have registered with a form of disability. And, when you broaden that out through central Iowa, the number gets up to 3,100 to 3,500 kids with special needs.”

A Miracle League Steering Committee in Ankeny started raising $1.2 million in 2011. The Kiwanis Club and city broke ground last fall, and Seamus Excavating started clearing the land last week. Walter-Ashby says, “It’s a community wide initiative and anybody who would like to participate we will find a way to bring everybody together.”

Plans also include a playground. This one will be all inclusive, so kids of all abilities can play together. Walter-Ashby says, “For example, there will be a component called a sway glider. The first glider that allows kids in wheelchairs to wheel the wheelchair right up into the apparatus and strap themselves in, ride the ride, and kids without mobility issues can push the glider and play alongside with other kids.”

The playground will also feature a sensory wall, swings and components kids of all ages and abilities can enjoy. Kerry says, “It will be great because all three of them can play together.

The group is close to its goal through pledges, but it still needs more cash to start the all-inclusive playground. You can help by donating or by voting. The group is in the running for $25,000 worth of playground equipment through a Facebook contest. You can vote daily through June 15th. Click here to vote and for more information.

Organizers say the field should be finished by fall. They hope to start signing up players this summer.

Lawmakers made a big push to pass some important legislation Wednesday.

The legislative session was scheduled to end May 3, but plenty of unfinished business has kept lawmakers at working without pay for nearly 3 weeks.

Both chambers can cross one main issue off their to-do list Wednesday afternoon they passed an education reform bill. It will increase starting teacher pay, and provide more one-on-one training and improved instruction. “It’s a give and take on both sides, but that being said, this bill has policy, initiatives, and funding which benefits just about everyone,” Rep. Ron Jorgensen said.

The bill now moves to Governor Branstad’s desk for signature.

The house skipped over property tax to discuss education reform, but are now looking at the senate’s version of the bill which they passed earlier Wednesday. The senate’s version would cut $500-million over the next nine years. Currently owners are taxed on 100-percent of the value of their property, but that will drop to 90-percent by 2015. Local governments will also only be able to raise residential property tax by 3-percent, the current cap is 4-percent.

The house has until midnight Wednesday to vote on property tax reform otherwise they will adjourn until Thursday.

KATHLYNN SHEPARD KIDNAPPING: The family of missing Dayton teen Kathlynn Shepard released its first public statement Wednesday afternoon since their daughter was abducted Monday in Dayton after stepping off her school bus.

• NEW: Suspect completed sex offender treatment in prison
• Photo shows Kathlynn Shepard moments before kidnapping
• 48 photos: The search for Kathlynn Shepard
• Interactive map: Dayton abduction, backpacks found
Suspect Klunder served time for two prior abductions

As search and rescue operations wind down and this battered, exhausted city mourns its dead, attention is turning to a long, costly rebuilding effort. Up to 13,000 homes were damaged or destroyed by Monday's tornado. The official death toll remains at 24, with 237 injured.

Grimes will test its storm sirens tonight between 5:30 and 6 p.m. The city tested the sirens Monday, and found only two of the three sirens worked correctly.

The city of West Des Moines is trying to prevent you from being bugged over the holiday weekend.

Trucks will be deployed in the evening hours Friday through Sunday to spray for mosquitos, flies and gnats.

If you see a truck spraying, you’re encouraged to stay a safe distance away.