A Thousand Horses’ single “Smoke,” gallops into the top 5 this week, making the band the first and only new act of 2015 to break top 5 at country radio.
Front man Michael Hobby says, “To know this band’s journey and the side-jobs we all had, the gigs we took for no money, the memories we made while all traveling in one van while we took turns driving overnight for years just to get our sound perfected and the music right, just makes this moment so incredible.”
Listen to “Smoke” here!
The Oskaloosa Girls’ Tennis team lost a tough one Tuesday night at Pella Christian. The Indians dug a pretty deep hole and got down 5-1 after singles play. This position disappointed coach Josh Bandstra, who said they should not have been in that position, as they have a deeper team this year. PC is very strong at the top and they clinched the meet by winning at #1 doubles.
Coach Bandstra credited the girls for bouncing back and making it close. Osky won 4 of 5 doubles matches and ended up losing 6-5. The girls will be in the same boat again on Thursday as they travel to Grinnell for their final Little Hawkeye Conference meet of the year. This meet will be very close.
The JV team was also in action, and won 7-5.
School administrators are feeling the pressure as they try to formulate budgets and deal with teacher contracts while state lawmakers remain divided on the amount of state aid to give schools. Gov. Terry Branstad and the Iowa House of Representatives are standing by 1.25 percent allowable growth to school districts while the Iowa Senate has come down from 6 percent to 4 percent, and about a month ago, 2.65 percent. If the two sides cannot reach an agreement before the end of the legislative session, the allowable growth figure will be 0 percent.
“I think there’s a 50-50 chance to get 1.25 percent,” Oskaloosa Superintendent Russ Reiter said. State financial aid — allowable growth — is vital to school districts to meet expenses such as salaries. Also, school administrators have to look at items such as programs and activities that may be eliminated due to reduced state funding. School districts need 2.25 percent allowable growth to pay salaries, due to the way the salary system is set up, Reiter said. “Over the last six years, we averaged only 2 percent new funding from the state,” Reiter said.
Surrounding states are spending more on education, and Iowa will rank somewhere between 35th and 40th nationally in school funding, he said. Reiter said that teachers, support staff and administrators are feeling the pressure of increasing demands and expectations. The frustration is “where to find the next dime,” Reiter said.“It’s hard to settle with the teachers’ union when we don’t know what we’re going to get,” Reiter said. April 30 was the date that teachers who would be laid off would have received pink slips.
Reiter said one teacher in the Oskaloosa Community School District received a pink slip and there were a couple of other positions that remained unfilled due to the funding impasse, Reiter said. Reiter said that Oskaloosa school officials should have known, by law, the spring of 2014 what funding they would receive for the 2015-2016 school year. That is the third time in six years that school officials across the state did not know what they were going to get, he added.
“We see legislators — Republicans and Democrats — use students as pawns, as bargaining chips, in how to get things done,” Reiter said. “That’s wrong.” Reiter said there is still time for people to contact their state lawmakers about school funding. In fact, Reiter said he just sent another letter to lawmakers about school funding.“I just want the system fixed so we can continue to do our jobs,” Reiter said. “It’s tough making decisions when you don’t know” about funding.
For more on this story, check out today’s Oskaloosa Herald
Republican candidate Mike Huckabee kicked off a two-day tour of Iowa Wednesday afternoon, about 24 hours after officially entering the 2016 presidential race.
“We’re going to go out to every little village, hamlet, town, city in Iowa — all 99 counties — and try to win votes one at a time,” Huckabee says. “I don’t know there’s any other way to do it in Iowa other than the old-fashioned way. Retail politics: it still works.”
Huckabee won Iowa’s 2008 Caucuses and, while many polls showed him a leading contender in 2012, he decided not to run. Huckabee told reporters Wednesday the 2016 Iowa Caucuses are not a make or break prospect for his second try at the White House.
“We want to win Iowa,” Huckabee said. “We plan to win Iowa. We’re going to do everything we can to win Iowa, but if we don’t, I’m not going to go ahead and announce now that we’re done.”
Huckabee’s first stop Wednesday was in Oskaloosa where he toured Clow Valve Company and focused on his call for Americans to acquire the education, training and skills to earn a “maximum wage” rather than settle for a minimum wage job.
“Here in Iowa there are still things being manufactured, being manufactured by people who live here, who work here, who get a good wage here, who get great benefits here,” Huckabee says. “And more companies, I hope, are going to be able to manufacture and make that kind of job available for its people.”
The company makes fire hydrants and other products for water utilities. Huckabee will hold a rally at Living History Farms in Urbandale Wednesday night. Thursday he will make stops in Cedar Rapids and Sioux City.
Gareth Sargent (Fr., Knysna, South Africa, Psychology) proved to be the best new linkster in the league as the 2014-2015 all-Midwest Collegiate Conference men’s golf teams were announced today.
Sargent claimed Newcomer of the Year honors and was a member of the seven-person honorable-mention squad. Five players garnered first-team recognition via a vote by the coaches. He is the first NOY in program history.
Sargent owned a team-best 73.9 stroke average over 23 rounds of competition. A three-time MCC Golfer of the Week, the freshman was in the top 10 on 10 occasions and had three runner-up finishes. All 23 of his rounds were in the 60s or 70s with a season-best score of 68.
Tyler Christians of Grand View and Jack South of Mount Mercy were named MCC Co-Players of the Year, while GVU Head Coach Chris Winkel earned the MCC Coach of the Year laurel.
For the complete listing of the 2014-2015 all-MCC men’s golf teams, go to http://www.midwestcollegiateconference.com/article/1861.php
Five extremely deserving individuals from the William Penn women’s golf program were recognized for their efforts this year as the 2014-2015 all-Midwest Collegiate Conference women’s golf teams were announced today.
Maggie Yang (Sr., Chino, Calif., Biology) highlighted the Statesmen’s list by being named MCC Player of the Year for the second-straight campaign. For the third year in a row, she was joined on the first team by Demi Coertze (Jr., Johannesburg, South Africa, Digital Communication).
Yang is now a four-time first-teamer, while Coertze has three first-team nods. Five players were named to the top group.
Natalie Booton (Jr., Mount Pleasant, Iowa, Elementary Education) and Alexandria Eckenrod (Sr., Mason City, Iowa, Elementary Education) were also both selected to the MCC’s 10-person honorable-mention team. The laurel is the first for both linksters.
Yang owns a team-best 77.5 stroke average in 21 rounds. She posted three tournament wins and had 10 top-ten finishes in 11 events. The senior has managed 16 rounds in the 70s, highlighted by a 71. She was named MCC Player of the Week four times.
Coertze has thus far posted a 78.5 stroke average in 21 rounds. She has tallied three tournament wins, including the MCC Tournament crown, and has 10 top-ten finishes. The junior has managed 13 rounds in the 70s, highlighted by a 73. She was named MCC Player of the Week five times.
“Maggie and Demi are the best 1-2 punch in the region and that just shows by Maggie winning Player of the Year and Demi being the conference tournament champion,” Head Coach Nik Rule said. “They are both very deserving of the recognition after their great seasons.”
Eckenrod’s stroke average entering nationals is 82.2 in 17 rounds. The senior has five top-10 efforts and has finished as high as second. Four of her rounds have been in the 70s with a low of 78 three times.
Booton has an 82.6 stroke average in 21 rounds. She has five top-10 finishes with one tourney win. The junior’s five rounds in the 70s are highlighted by twice shooting a 76.
“Alexandria and Natalie were also a key part of the success this year,” Rule said. “It is really nice to see them get recognized for their hard work. They both improved so much this season and it is nice that the coaches in the conference witnessed that as well.”
WPU Head Coach Nik Rule was also honored, claiming the Coach of the Year accolade from his peers. It is his second-straight award.
“This is a nice honor, but it is really about the team,” Rule said. “We have amazing players in our program and a great coaching staff; this honor really is a reflection on the entire program, not just one person. We are nothing without our entire system working together and it has worked together very well.”
AIB freshman Miranda Keeler was selected as MCC Newcomer of the Year.
For the complete listing of the 2014-2015 all-MCC women’s golf teams, go to http://www.midwestcollegiateconference.com/article/1860.php
On this day in 2002, Merle Haggard won a court order to stop an Ebay auction of a tape of unreleased music allegedly stolen off Merle’s tour bus.
Dierks Bentley’s single “Say You Do” hits the number one spot on TheMediaBase Radio Chart this week, and spends a second week atop Billboard’s Country Airplay Chart, giving Dierks his 13th career chart-topping song.
The song also becomes the third consecutive single from Bentley’s latest album riser to spend multiple weeks at #1 on the charts.
DIERKS BENTLEY’S SINGLE “SAY YOU DO” HITS THE NUMBER ONE SPOT ON THEMEDIABASE RADIO CHART THIS WEEK AND SPENDS A SECOND WEEK ATOPBILLBOARD’S COUNTRY AIRPLAY CHART, GIVING DIERKS HIS 13TH CAREER CHART-TOPPING SONG. THE SONG ALSO BECOMES THE THIRD CONSECUTIVE SINGLE FROM BENTLEY’S LATEST ALBUM RISER TO SPEND MULTIPLE WEEKS AT # 1 ON THE CHARTS.
The Oskaloosa Girls’ Soccer team fell 2-0 to 10th ranked Newton last night. Most of the first half was a scoreless, defensive battle until Newton scored on a questionable penalty kick late in the half, then added another goal off a rebound a couple minutes later to take a 2-0 halftime lead.
Defensively Oskaloosa played strong and aggressive all game including senior Rachel Adams who held the leading scorer in the state scoreless, and as a unit the Indians held Newton scoreless the entire second half. Coach Greg Walter praised the effort and aggressiveness of the team and says they are so close to putting it all together.
Oskaloosa will play their final regular season home game and celebrate Senior Night on Thursday when they host Fairfield.
Story By Jamie Brockman
The Iowa House has passed budget bills that would fund several services including the state’s judicial branch and natural resources department.
The Republican-controlled House voted Tuesday for the bills, which would pay for various state departments in the fiscal year that begins in July.
The chamber voted 56-43 to allocate more than $174 million to the state’s judicial branch. That would keep funding at the same level as last year. Lawmakers voted 57-42 for a bill in support of $42 million for agencies like the state Department of Natural Resources and the state Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. That’s slightly less than last year’s level.
The Democratic-led Senate has proposed allocating slightly more money than the House. Lawmakers are expected to reach a consensus in special meetings.
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