Starting today (Wednesday) through May 31, residents may legally burn yard waste seven days a week from 4-9 p.m.

There’s no escaping it. For the next couple of months, we will be bombarded with claims and counter-claims, filled with truth, half-truth and outright lies. Unfortunately, that’s what election time has become in this country.

If you listen to an election news report in the coming weeks for five minutes and you don’t hear something about same sex marriage, you probably have somehow tuned in a report from Mars. It seems that way too many candidates for different offices have abandoned taking the true high road and have decided to take the easy road in campaign rhetoric. You can usually spot them. They’re the ones whose mouths are wide open, faces beet-red with one or two veins popping out on the sides of their heads. In most cases, they vow to make same sex marriages illegal in this country.

I’ve written in this space before about my beliefs on the subject. I may or may not agree that two people of the same sex should marry, but I do believe that the government should not be making that decision. If two people agree that they want to make a lifetime commitment to each other, the only thing the government should do is affirm that right – not through marriage, which is best handled in a church – but by a civil union document.

The arguments for and against same sex unions seem so simple. But when you get Washington or Des Moines involved, suddenly it becomes very complicated. Unfortunately, that’s how so many of our laws are. For instance, do away with the state and federal income tax and replace it with a sales tax that can’t be tampered with through exceptions by the legislature or Congress and suddenly our state and national representatives could cut their time in Des Moines or Washington by about half.

Why is it that so many of us have to have some cause to become completely insane about? Ask someone who is campaigning against allowing same sex unions how granting this right will be harmful to them and they will say that it harms traditional marriage. With this nation’s high divorce rate, how is same sex union any worse? Ask any of these zealots if they would ever try to tell someone if they should be a Catholic or a Baptist or a Lutheran and they would say that should be left up to each individual’s conscience. So why should same sex unions be any different?

I have a theory about why there is so much talk about this subject on the campaign trail. The candidates whose main goal is to deny this right are not equipped to solve many of this country’s more pressing problems. We don’t know how to solve this nation’s economic problems, but we do know if we prohibit same sex unions, the world will be a brighter place. We might jump on the wacko bandwagon which is still questioning whether our president was born in this country, but we don’t have a clue on how we can bring an end to terrorism.

We all need a project of some kind. It’s one way to give us a purpose for getting up each morning. All I’m saying is our project should not tread on the rights of others. Maybe we don’t have an answer on how we can end our involvement in Afghanistan. But a lot of us know someone who is deployed in that region. Why not channel some of our energy to raising funds and helping to pack care packages for the soldiers? If you don’t have the resources or the time to help in this way, you certainly have a moment to pray for their safe return.

On a lighter note, if you are a conspiracy nut, why not investigate why companies, especially food companies, are decreasing the amount of product they are selling us for the same money as before. A half-gallon of ice cream is now 1.75 quarts. A pound of coffee is now just over 11 ounces and falling. There’s more water in that can of green beans or tuna than there was a few years ago. How’s that for a conspiracy?

If you still insist on participating in this crazy election game, go to rallies or town meetings of legislative or congressional candidates and if there is a question and answer session, ask the tough questions. Ask them about their plan on improving our state or national economy and putting us all back to work. Ask the Congressional candidates what is their plan for ending our war in the Middle East. Ask them if they endorse a simplified revenue system, such as the national sales tax, etc.

If they don’t have a ready answer and insist on returning to the same sex argument, get up and leave.

CITY OF BELLE PLAINE

IS ACCEPTING SEALED BIDS

FOR THE SALE

OF

1994 FORD F250 PICKUP

2WD, NEWER TIRES, BED LINER, 125K MILES

VIEW AT CITY SHED 806 3^RD AVENUE

BID DEADLINE:  MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 20^TH

5:00 P.M., CITY HALL

CITY HAS THE RIGHT TO ACCEPT OR REJECT

ANY OR ALL BIDS.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

PHONE 319-444-2407

August 25, 10:10 a.m. – A stray dog was reported in the 700 block of Ninth Avenue. Eric Doty, Belle Plaine, was cited for allowing his dog to run at large.

August 26, 6:50 a.m. – An attempted burglary was reported at 1005 Eighth Avenue, where a screen had been pried off a window.

August 26, 2:49 p.m. – Colleen Stanerson, Belle Plaine, was arrested at 1309 Seventh Avenue on an outstanding warrant from Iowa County for failure to appear. She was turned over to the Iowa County Sheriff’s Department.

August 29, 1:26 a.m. – No charges were filed as a result of a domestic disturbance at 902 Sixth Avenue.

August 29, 6:48 p.m. – Phone harassment was reported at 510 13^th Street.

August 29, 10:25 p.m. – Reckless driving in the parking lot was reported in the 900 block of First Street. Officers were unable to locate anyone.

August 30, 9:28 a.m. – No arrests were made as the result of a report of a domestic disturbance at 510 13^th Street.

August 30, 11:20 a.m. – Alan Dvorak reported someone had driven through his properties in the 800 block of Sixth Avenue. Anyone who may have witnessed this should contact the Belle Plaine Police Department.

August 30, 11:45 a.m.- Ambulance assist at the Belle Plaine Bowl.

A criminal charge is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

The first full week of the school year means a return to plenty of activities this week. The JV football team travels to HLV tonight at 6 p.m. This is a change from the activity calendar.

Tuesday, the cross country teams are set to travel to IMS for a meet starting at 5 p.m.

The ninth and tenth grade volleyball teams will be in action Tuesday at BGM with Montezuma, starting at 6 p.m. This is a change from the activity calendar.

On Friday, the Plainsman football squad will host Lone Tree for a Parents’ Night contest starting at 7 p.m. Then on Saturday, the varsity volleyball squad swings into action at North Tama, starting at 9 a.m.

As a reminder, due to the Labor Day holiday on Monday, Sept. 6, the Belle Plaine City Council will meet on Tuesday, Sept. 7, at 6 p.m. at City Hall.

Belle Plaine will be the site of one of two Women to Leadership Conferfences in September. The conference will be held Sept. 18, with registration from 9-9:30 a.m. and the conference scheduled for 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Belle Plaine Community Center. A second conference will be held at the Muscatine Hotel Ballroom on Oct. 16.

Rep. Dawn Pettengill (R-Mount Auburn) was challenged last year during debate on the gender balance bill.  “Mandates aren’t the way to go.  Skill development, mentoring and networking are the real solutions and I will do something to address the need that way.” says Pettengill.

In 2009, Pettengill and her Steering Committee hosted the first W2L Women to Leadership Conference.  The feedback was overwhelmingly positive.

Conference topics include leadership development, media relations, image, balance and social networking.  Numerous speakers, panels and skill presentations are on the agenda, with women leaders from all areas of the state confirmed to attend.  There will be many opportunities to network.

Participants are encouraged to bring materials for their particular business or interest to share at those times.

Sponsors of the events are the Iowa Commission on the Status of Women and multiple businesses and organizations, who are participating and donating to door prizes and gift bags.  “The events have received great support from the community and amazingly, this year, we are taking it on the road all the way to the Mississippi,” said Pettengill.  “I am committed to helping all people be engaged and successful, not only women. This is a commitment everyone can get behind.”

The conference fee is $25.00 and includes the conference materials and a gourmet lunch provided by Divine Decadents, Shellsburg.  For conference registration, you can send your name, address, phone, email, number of participants and conference fee to W2L, PO Box A, Mount Auburn, IA 52313 by September 10, 2010.  If you have questions, you can contact Dawn at 319-610-3412 or dawnpettengill@gmail.com.

Belle Plaine City Administrator Bill Daily attended “Rhythms of Revitalization”, the 24^th annual Iowa Downtown Summit held August 24 and 25 in Davenport.

During the summit, prominent downtown development experts from across the U.S. provided training sessions designed to help attendees acquire practical information and ideas, and learn strategies for historic preservation-based commercial district revitalization that is relevant to rural, mid-sized and urban communities.

Daily attended sessions on marketing and child friendly downtowns presented by national, Midwest, and local experts in downtown development.  Daily was also a guest presenter on Re-inventing Your Downtown in relation to Belle Plaine’s pending Façade Master Plan Project.

“Iowa has been at the forefront of the move to revitalize city cores as cultural and entertainment hubs and retail centers,” said IDED Director Bret Mills. “This year’s summit gave city officials, economic development professionals and others with a stake in downtown revitalization a chance to share their best ideas and success stories necessary to move Iowa forward.”

“I have been attending the Downtown Summit for five years now and I must say that it is the best conference I have found in relation to downtown revitalization.  It certainly was an honor to be invited to share with people from across the state the efforts and accomplishments that Belle Plaine has achieved over the last many years.  This Summit gives me the opportunity to continue to build a network of professional resources that can assists us with our downtown revitalization efforts.  I would encourage anyone that has a sincere interest in downtown to take advantage of this opportunity and attend the Summit, it’s open to all,” stated Daily.

The Summit was sponsored by Iowa Department of Economic Development’s Iowa Downtown Resource Center (IDRC), and the Federal Home Loan Bank, Des Moines, with additional conference contributions provided by MidAmerican Energy.

The IDRC coordinates the Main Street Iowa program, provides fee-based services to all Iowa communities, and has an extensive resource library on downtown revitalization tools and techniques.  For more information, visit www.iowalifechanging.com/community, e-mail downtown@iowa.gov, or call 515.725.3058.

The coaches will tell you that it’s a long season and one game does not a season make. But Belle Plaine football fans still had plenty to be pleased with as they saw their Plainsman football squad roll to a 36-15 victory over Don Bosco Friday at Waterloo’s Sloan-Wallace Stadium.

The Plainsmen lost several talented players to graduation after last season and several of the players back for this season were called on to take on different or additional duties from in the past. But plenty of them were called on to show what they could do with positive results. Eight Plainsmen carried the ball and two rushed for over 100 yards each. They scored on the ground, through the air and via the field goal. Nineteen players recorded tackles, four were in on quarterback sacks and Belle Plaine had one interception and two fumble recoveries.

Coach Todd Bohlen was happy with the fact that a lot of different players had plenty of playing opportunities. The Plainsmen have introduced a new defense this year and the players seemed to grasp it well, with junior Cody Chekal leading the team in tackles and freshman Nick Pippert finishing with five tackles, including two for loss and one sack.

The coach said that the first Don Bosco score came against several defensive reserves and there were several freshmen and sophomores on the field for Belle Plaine on a Don Bosco kickoff return that went for another score.

The first score of the year came with 9:47 left in the first quarter when Cooper Northrop capped the opening drive with a 27-yard field goal to give the Plainsmen a 3-0 lead. After the kickoff, the Plainsmen recovered a Don Bosco fumble on their first play from scrimmage and Northrop went in from nine yards on the next play, then kicked the extra point for a quick 10-0 lead.

Later in the quarter, the Plainsmen added another score after a 10-play, 89 yard drive when Devon Parr scored from a yard out. The kick made it 17-0 at the end of the first quarter.

The only score of the second quarter came with 2:01 remaining in the half on a nifty 41-yard pass play from Logan Baburek to Northrop. The two point conversion try failed, but the Plainsmen had a 23-0 advantage at the half.

After the Dons were unable to sustain a drive at the start of the second half, the Plainsmen added another score with 8:23 left in the third on a 29-yard pass from Baburek to Brayden Morrow. Northrop’s kick made it 30-0.

Don Bosco finally got on the scoreboard on its next possession when with 6:26 left in the quarter, Jake Hogan scored on a 22-yard run. Tony Becker’s kick made it 30-7.

Early in the fourth quarter, Northrop intercepted a Don Bosco pass and three plays later, raced 62 yards for the last Plainsman touchdown of the night. The two point attempt failed. Then on the ensuing kickoff, Austin Schmitt raced 88 yards for the Dons’ final score. He also ran in with the two-point conversion for the final margin.

Northrop had just six carries but picked up 135 yards. He also caught three passes for 68 yards, finishing with three touchdowns, one field goal and three extra point kicks. Kyle Janss finished with 18 carries for 115 yards. Lance Hinschberger had one carry for three yards, Brett Hampton had two for one yard, Parr had 10 carries for 78 yards and a touchdown, Ben Ehlen had one for 11 yards, Dustin Drexler had one for two yards and Baburek had one carry for minus nine yards. Morrow had one catch for 29 yards and a touchdown.

On defense, Cody Chekal had 10 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and a fumble recovery. Barr had nine tackles and half a sack. Reed Petersen had three tackles, inclduing 1.5 for loss. Zach Snyder had five tackles, Hinschberger finished with four and a half tackle for loss and half sack. Devon Conway had eight tackles, Janss had one, Drexler had three, Hampton finished with five, Northrop had two and an interception, Tyler Williams had one, Chad Olson had four with a fumble recovery, Blake Chekal had five, James Johnson had two with a half tackle for loss and half sack, Brent Stull had three tackles, Nick Pippert had five with two for loss and one sack, Ryan DeRycke and Reece Kimm each had one and Ehlen had one with a half tackle for loss.

The Plainsmen open their home season Friday night against Lone Tree for Parents’ Night. Lone Tree has some good athletes, Bohlen said. They lost to Highland Riverside in their opener, 26-13, but finished with 200 yards in rushing, led by Levi Rietzler’s 15 carries for 140 yards.

Belle Plaine                17              6                7                  6            -                    36

Don Bosco                     0             0                7                  8            -                    15

BP                     DB

First downs                                              14                        12

Rushing                                                     40-331              46-149

Passes                                                        4-8-0                  0-3-1

Pass yds.                                                    97                         0

Punts                                                           1-40                     5-29

Fumbles                                                     3-2                        3-2

Penalties                                                    5-55                      9-59

As many as 60 vintage vehicles will make a stop in Belle Plaine Saturday morning during the third annual Iowa Lincoln Highway Association River to River Motor Tour. The group will leave Cedar Rapids Saturday morning, stop at the Youngville Café and then travel on to Belle Plaine, where they are scheduled to stop at Preston’s Garage.

The group then travels west on to State Center for a lunch stop. The final destination is the Loess Hills area.

It’s an old sports cliché, but in many aspects this is the beginning of a new era for the Belle Plaine football program. The Plainsmen enter the 2010 campaign this week in a new district, in a new division, facing seven new opponents. If not already, very soon even their locker room will be new as remodeling at the junior-senior high school is nearing completion.

Coach Todd Bohlen’s squad has been assigned to Class A this season. Last year, the Plainsmen were a Class 1A team. Gone are recent opponents like West Branch, Pekin and Eddyville-Blakesburg. But the other six teams in the Plainsman district are old friends and old rivals, as all seven teams in the district are also members of the SICL Conference.

It’s also a new era as the Plainsmen must replace much of their skill positions on the offensive side of the ball. The starting quarterback and leading receivers and ball carriers were seniors last year. But several of the players who will be called on to step up and fill those positions this season are very familiar with the system. And Bohlen says there are several veteran linemen who will help build a strong foundation on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.

Seniors Zach Snyder and Reed Petersen will provide a lot of bulk and experience on the line. Logan Baburek will get the call at quarterback, Devon Parr is at fullback, Cooper Northrop could be a prime receiver and Kyle Janss, who saw some action in the latter stages of several games last season, will get a more prominent role in the offensive backfield this season, the coach said.

This year’s team is down a bit in numbers, with 12 seniors, eight juniors, 11 sophomores and 11 freshmen and the coach said some freshmen and sophomores have a good chance to see some varsity playing time, including sophomores Lance Hinschberger, Brent Stull and Ryan DeRycke and freshman Nick Pippert. Juniors Brett Hampton and Dustin Drexler will also have a chance to see more action this season.

The injury bug has hit the Plainsman camp already this season, with Keegan DeMeulenaere going down with a knee injury on the first play of last week’s scrimmage and Brayden Morrow nursing a bad shoulder. Both players will be out an indeterminate length of time, the coach said.

There will also be a bit of a change in the coaching ranks this season. Assistants Justin Northrop and Ryan Ridout return, joined by for Plainsman and Hawkeye Kyle Spading. He replaces longtime assistant Dennis Kurriger, who retired from coaching after last season.

This year’s schedule has some competitive balance, as there are four teams who finished below the .500 mark last season, but two teams who are rated in the preseason rankings. With just seven teams in District Six, the Plainsmen start the season with three non-district games. Friday night, they travel to Waterloo’s Sloan-Wallace Stadium to face Don Bosco. The Dons finished 1-6 in their district last year, 1-8 overall. Bohlen says they have just 31 players on their roster.

Their home opener is next week when they host a Lone Tree team that had a 2-4 district record and a 3-6 overall mark. The third week, they travel to Lisbon, 4-3 and 5-4 last year. Their first two district games are against two teams they faced (and beat) last year, Iowa Valley, which finished at 1-6 and 1-8 and HLV, 3-3 and 5-4 a year ago.

In the sixth week, the Plainsmen host Lynnville-Sully for homecoming. The Hawks were 0-6 and 1-8 a year ago. The next two games are on the road against rated opponents. BGM, 5-1 and 8-1 last year, is rated fifth in one preseason poll. North Mahaska was 4-2 and 7-2 a year ago and is rated 11^th this season. The regular season ends the next week with a home game against Montezuma. A school the Plainsmen have played several years ago in football.

The Plainsmen will be seeking their third straight trip to the playoffs after finishing last year with a 7-3 overall record, 5-2 in the district. One preseason poll has the Plainsmen rated seventh in Class A. Of course, like most coaches, Bohlen doesn’t put a lot of stock in preseason polls, waiting to see how his squad will perform beginning Friday night.