The Rolling Stones’ “Hackney Diamonds” tour kicked off in Houston on Sunday. And if you haven’t seen the list of openers yet, they’re pretty wide-ranging. Everything from blues to gospel artists.
Gary Clark Jr. opened for them on Sunday . . . Tyler Childers will be at their show in Orlando on June 3rd . . . and Lainey Wilson is set to open their second show in Chicago on June 30th.
Other openers include Lawrence, The Pretty Reckless, The War and Treaty, and Mexican artist Carin León.
PIERRE (AP) — Politicians and dog experts are criticizing South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem after she wrote in a new book about killing a rambunctious puppy. The story — and the vilification she received on social media — has some wondering whether she’s still a viable potential running mate for presumptive Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
Experts who work with hunting dogs like Noem’s said she should have trained — not killed — the pup, or found other options if the dog was out of control.
Noem has tried to reframe the story from two decades ago as an example of her willingness to make tough decisions. She wrote on social media that the 14-month-old wirehaired pointer named Cricket had shown aggressive behavior by biting.
“As I explained in the book, it wasn’t easy,” she said on X. “But often the easy way isn’t the right way.”
Still, Democrats and even some conservatives have been critical.
“This story is not landing. It is not a facet of rural life or ranching to shoot dogs,” conservative commentator Tomi Lahrenco posted online.
Several posters described Noem as Cruella de Vil, the villain from the Disney classic “101 Dalmatians.” A meme features a series of dogs offering looks of horror.
“I’m not sure which thing she did was stupider: The fact that she murdered the dog, or the fact that she was stupid enough to publish it in a book,” said Joan Payton, of the German Wirehaired Pointer Club of America. The club itself described the breed as “high-energy,” and said Noem was too impatient and her use of a shock collar for training was botched.
But South Dakota Democratic Senate Minority Leader Reynold Nesiba considered the disclosure more calculated than stupid. He said the story has circulated for years among lawmakers that Noem killed a dog in a “fit of anger” and that there were witnesses. He speculated that it was coming out now because Noem is being vetted as a candidate for vice president.
“She knew that this was a political vulnerability, and she needed to put it out there, before it came up in some other venue,” he said. “Why else would she write about it?”
In her soon-to-be-released book, “No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward,” of which The Guardian obtained a pre-release copy, Noem writes that she took Cricket on a bird hunting trip with older dogs in hopes of calming down the wild puppy. Instead, Cricket chased the pheasants, attacked a family’s chickens during a stop on the way home and then “whipped around to bite me,” she wrote.
Noem’s spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to questions from The Associated Press about whether the dog actually bit her or just tried to do so, or whether Noem had to seek medical treatment. The book’s publisher declined to provide AP an advance copy of the book.
Afterward, Noem wrote, she led Cricket to a gravel pit and killed her. She said she also shot a goat that the family owned, saying it was mean and liked to chase her kids.
The response to the story was swift: “Post a picture with your dog that doesn’t involve shooting them and throwing them in a gravel pit. I’ll start,” Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz posted on X. The post included a photo of him feeding ice cream off a spoon to his Labrador mix named Scout.
President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign added a photo of the president strolling on the White House lawn with one of his three German Shepherds. Two of Biden’s dogs, Major and Commander, were removed following aggressive behavior, including toward White House and Secret Service personnel. The oldest, Champ, died.
Democrat Hillary Clinton reposted a 2021 comment in which she warned, “Don’t vote for anyone you wouldn’t trust with your dog.” She added Monday, “Still true.”
Conservative political commentator Michael Knowles said on his titular podcast that while Noem could have handled the situation differently, “there is nothing wrong with a human being humanely killing an animal.” He later added: “Fifty years ago, this political story would not have made anyone in most of America bat an eyelash. And the fact that it does today tells you something, not about the changing morality of putting down a farm animal, but about the changing politics of America.”
He later said that the story is “extremely stupid and insignificant” because Noem doesn’t have a chance of being selected as Trump’s running mate.
Payton, who is a delegate to the American Kennel Club and lives in Bakersfield, California, said the situation was a mess from beginning to end.
“That was a puppy that had no experience, obviously no training,” she said. “If you know a minuscule amount about a bird dog, you don’t take a 14 month old out with trained adult dogs and expect them to perform. That’s not how it works.”
The club itself said puppies learn best by hunting one-to-one with their owners, not with other dogs.
When problems arose she should have called the breeder, Payton said, or contacted rescue organizations that find new homes for the breed.
Among those groups is the National German Wirehaired Pointer Rescue, which called on Noem in a Facebook post to take accountability for her “horrific decision” and to educate the public that there are more humane solutions.
“Sporting breeds are bred with bird/hunting instincts but it takes training and effort to have a working field dog,” the group’s Board of Directors wrote in the post.
Payton described Cricket as nothing more than “a baby,” saying the breed isn’t physically mature until it is 2 years old and not fully trained it’s 3- to 5-years old.
“This was a person that I had thought was a pretty good lady up until now,” she said. “She was somebody that I would have voted for. But I think she may have shot herself in the foot.”
By Matt Kelley (Radio Iowa)
Emergency responders are stretched thin after Friday’s severe storms spun off at least 17 tornadoes in Iowa, damaging dozens of homes and claiming a life in Minden.
Josh Murray, communications director for the American Red Cross – Nebraska-Iowa Region, says it was a massive storm system that left a tremendous amount of damage in its wake, in multiple counties.
“All the way from into Nebraska and all the way across through the Des Moines area and a little bit into eastern Iowa, so it’s been busy,” Murray says. “The focus right now is on getting some connections made with those who have been affected, getting them some relief supplies, cleanup supplies, and then setting up some casework that’ll help them get on the road to recovery, so, what are their needs going forward and how can we support those.”
The agency’s big white vans are known as emergency response vehicles, or ERVs, and they’ve all been deployed across the region.
“We’ve been creative by using other vehicles that we have,” Murray says. “We have some vans and things like that we’ve loaded up supplies in to get people around. All of our emergency response vehicles are activated and out there but we’re getting creative and using all our vehicles as much as we can and making sure we can get to where we need to be.”
Many of the Red Cross emergency shelters that were opened in Nebraska and Iowa over the weekend have already closed. Murray says that’s a good thing as they’re designed to provide immediate relief for those who’ve lost their homes, and help them transition to something more permanent. For Iowans who’d like to help with the relief effort, Murray says there are several avenues.
“Go to redcross.org/donate and make a donation. That would help us. That’s really the best way for us to address the needs,” Murray says. “Different areas need different things so instead of providing goods or something that might not be what that area needs, the financial donations allow us to be more flexible with what we need to address, what someone needs in this location compared to another location.”
Some Iowans may want to become more involved in helping their neighbors to bounce back from this — and future — disasters.
“If you want to volunteer, you can sign up. I can’t guarantee you’ll be able to help this time, but you will be ready next time,” Murray says. “We have our trained volunteers out helping right now, but definitely, this will happen again and we’ll need more volunteers, so it’s definitely a good opportunity to consider where you can help for the next time.”
Donations can also be made over the phone by calling 1-800-HELP NOW.
OTTUMWA — On Sunday, April 28, 2024, at approximately 6:56 a.m., the Ottumwa Fire Department responded to a report of a gas explosion at 19 Asbury Circle. Upon arrival, they found a one story residence with heavy fire coming from a side and rear of the house. The front deck was blown off the house along with windows being blown out. The gas meter had a gas-fed fire coming from it. A husband and wife were at the residence at the time of the incident. The husband sustained burns to his lower arms and hands along with light burns to his face. Though startled, the wife was uninjured. Both were checked out by paramedics. The husband went to the hospital by personal vehicle. Extra firefighters were called in. Surrounding homes were checked for the presence of gas and no gas levels were found. MidAmerican Energy and Alliant Energy were called to the scene. Gas bubbling through the asphalt driveway was noticed while fighting the fire. MidAmerican Energy was on scene most of the day locating the source of the leak. Fire crews continued to check the neighborhood for leaks. This fire is still under investigation.
OTTUMWA — In 2016, the City of Ottumwa initiated a water quality improvement project through a program with the Iowa DNR and the State Revolving Fund. Part of this project is the restoration of 9.5 acres of oak savannah in the northern portion of Memorial Park. Maintenance of the oak savannah requires periodic prescribed burns. Fire promotes the growth of native plants and controls the growth of unwanted woody and non-native vegetation.
This spring’s prescribed burn is currently scheduled for Tuesday, April 30, 2024, starting around 9:00 a.m. This date and time is weather dependent and is subject to change. Signs will be set out around the park the day of the burn. The public should be cautious of smoke, which may cause short term visibility issues on nearby roadways, and refrain from performing any outdoor tasks if there is smoke in their area.
The burn will be conducted jointly by the Ottumwa Fire Department, Ottumwa Parks Department, Wapello County Conservation, and the Wapello Rural Volunteer Fire Department.
Zach Bryan is an impressive individual. While many stars of his stature would take a different path to helping people out after disaster strikes (if they help out at all), Zach decided to lend a hand – literally.
Zach was already in Omaha, Nebraska readying for two nights of shows when a line of storms hit the state, causing considerable devastation, especially in the small town of Elkhorn (in the western part of Omaha), that bore the brunt of the EF3 tornado. Instead of “thoughts and prayers” on social media, Zach felt a more “boots on the ground” approach was warranted.
Along with a photo of some of the destruction, Zach wrote on Instagram, “As an American and someone who lived in Omaha for some pretty formidable years of my life, I want to offer some honest prayers and hopes to the communities affected by the tornadoes that tore through them. The band and I are standing with you guys as we are playing some shows in Omaha. I am so sorry to anyone that is having to deal with picking up the pieces of their homes and their lives. Without taking credit from the thousands of people lending a hand who have roots here, we love you so much and we’ll do all we can to help.”
And help he did. While Zach didn’t post pics of his efforts, other people did, showing Zach getting his hands dirty along with the people of Elkhorn (and occasionally posing with someone who wanted a selfie). Zach Bryan – good guy.
Source: WhiskeyRiff
DETROIT (AP) — The NFL draft has a new attendance record after more than 775,000 fans flooded downtown Detroit for the three-day event.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer revealed Saturday at Campus Martius Park that Detroit had broken the record, and the league later released its estimate of the crowd size.
“We have shown the world what the Motor City is all about,” Whitmer said.
While it will take years to know if this week’s picks panned out, there’s no doubt that Detroit made the most of an opportunity to host hundreds of thousands of fans and show 50-plus million viewers the new-look city.
Motown beat Music City’s three-day attendance record of 600,000 set in 2019, when fans filled Broadway in Nashville.
The NFL did not charge fans to attend the event in Detroit, though the visitors and area residents were expected to generate more than $160 million in economic impact at sold-out hotels, packed bars and restaurants, and retail stores in the heart of downtown.
Twenty-plus teams are engaged in talks with the league to host a future draft, which is of particular interest in colder-climate cities that probably can’t expect to get a Super Bowl.
Green Bay is on the clock as next year’s host.
This year’s edition kicked off with a very Detroit opening on Thursday night that included rap icon Eminem on stage with Hall of Famers Barry Sanders and Calvin Johnson, along with current Lions stars Jared Goff, Aidan Hutchinson and Amon-Ra St. Brown.
Chicago, as expected, drafted Southern California’s Caleb Williams at No. 1 overall. The Bears took Iowa punter Tory Taylor on Saturday in the fourth round.
“Hey, you’re not going to punt too much here,” Taylor said Williams wrote to him in a text message.
Williams was the first of a record five quarterbacks picked among the top 10, including Atlanta’s surprising selection of Michael Penix Jr. a month after giving Kirk Cousins a big contract. With Denver drafting Bo Nix out of Oregon at No. 12, a mark was matched for signal-callers selected in the first round.
In all, a record-setting 23 offensive players were drafted in the opening round.
After Nix went to the Broncos, the New Orleans Saints were the next team to take a quarterback when they drafted Spencer Rattler of South Carolina in the fifth round with the 150th pick overall. The string of selections without a quarterback was the longest since 1967.
Teams started out by taking offensive players at an unprecedented rate in the first round — including a record-tying seven wide receivers — without a defensive player coming off the board until Indianapolis took UCLA edge rusher Laiatu Latu at No. 15 overall.
In a sign of the times, a running back wasn’t drafted until Carolina grabbed Jonathon Brooks of Texas with the 46th pick in what was the second-latest pick at the once-coveted position. There was a run of running backs in the fourth round with seven selected, starting with Miami taking Jaylen Wright of Tennessee at No. 120 overall.
Defense was the focus on Day 2, with 20 players on that side of the ball coming off the board in the second round and 17 more in the third.
With the last pick of the fifth round, the New York Jets selected a prospect who didn’t have a snap of college football experience.
Qwan’tez Stiggers planned to play at Lane College in Tennessee in 2020, but returned home that fall due to the death of his father in a car crash and the COVID-19 pandemic wiping out the season.
Stiggers played in a 7-on-7 indoor league in his hometown of Atlanta two years ago. Last season, the defensive back was the Canadian Football League’s most outstanding rookie after making a team-high five interceptions for the Toronto Argonauts.
Stiggers plans to make teams that passed on him regret it.
“They’re going to have to pay all year,” he said.
The Jets also made the 257th and final pick of the seven-round draft, making Alabama defensive back Jaylen Key the player known as “Mr. Irrelevant,” and hoping he has a fraction of the success San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy has had since being the last selection in 2022.
More sons of former NFL players were selected Saturday, including Jeremiah Trotter Jr. in the fifth round by Philadelphia, where his father was a Pro Bowl linebacker, and USC receiver Brenden Rice, whose father is Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, going in the seventh round to the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Chargers also drafted a player with a famous relative, taking Troy running back Kimani Vidal, a great nephew of Baseball Hall of Famer Hank Aaron, early in the sixth round.
In Detroit, the crowd cheered each time the Lions made a pick or when a Michigan player was selected.
The national-title winning Wolverines had the most players drafted, starting with Minnesota moving up to take quarterback J.J. McCarthy at No. 10 overall.
Michigan finished with 13 players drafted, trailing the total of just three schools since the draft went to seven rounds in 1994, including Georgia’s 2022 national championship team that had a record 15 players picked.
By O. Kay Henderson (Radio Iowa)
Speaker Pat Grassley says if Republicans retain control of the Iowa House after the November election, they’ll push to limit tuition increases at the three state universities.
This spring, House Republicans proposed a 3% cap on future tuition increases, but it did not pass the Iowa Senate.
“I think in the past we’ve looked at tuition freezes and the problem is we’ve done those in such short increments that the institutions of higher education have enough reserves that they can withstand it,” Grassley said earlier today. “What we wanted to do is look at a more long term freeze which really should decrease the cost to deliver the education if you have to really sit down and think: ‘Well, over the next five years we’re limited to 3% growth,’ which our bill did, they’re really going to have to make sure they’re more efficient in delivery of education.”
Grassley said it’s about providing a level of financial certainty to students and parents. Tuition is covering a larger share of spending at Iowa, Iowa State and UNI as state support of the public universities has been declining. Grassley said legislators are providing adequate resources to the universities. He also cited shifting money from Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs on the campuses, which are being shut down, to scholarships for students earning degrees in high demand fields.
“We want to put our money into creating the next workforce. We know that’s an issue across the state,” Grassley said. “…That was a better use of the tax dollars.”
Grassley made his comment during taping of “Iowa Press” which airs tonight on Iowa PBS.
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