Winners

When will the pundits learn that team records are meaningless when Iowa State and Iowa clash on the football field? Last Saturday’s big game was proof that the Cyclones’ disappointing 0-2 start and the Hawkeyes’ inflated 2-0 record meant nothing as the host team from Ames upended the visitors and the 17-point spread by odds-makers in a stunning 15-13 victory on the strength of five field goals by Bret Culbertson.

Jonathan Narcisse and Patty Link, two candidates who promised more parental involvement in Des Moines schools, were elected to the school board last week. They edged out incumbent Marc Ward, who blamed low voter turnout (6.2 percent) for his loss. At the very least, Narcisse’s presence on the board should make for some interesting meetings. Narcisse, who lost a bid to serve on the board in 2005, has been a vocal opponent of the district and says he’ll demand more accountability.

A strong corn crop from Iowa’s fields is good news for farmers and the Iowa economy, and for customers in 52 countries around the world. The Iowa Corn Growers Association reports that a bumper crop of Iowa corn — an estimated 875 million bushels, or almost one out of every five bushels for the 2007 market year — went to oversees markets. Experts say a growing demand for corn for food, feed and fuel continues to drive the market as sales are up 9 percent from last year and up 150 percent from 2005.

Olivia Sandbothe, a Roosevelt High School senior, became only the third student in the history of Des Moines Public Schools to be recognized by the National Forensic League as an Academic All-American debater. Sandbothe is a member of Roosevelt’s debate team. She achieved a number of academic and debate credentials to earn the award and is among 350 students honored nationwide.

If you want to ride your motorcycle without a helmet and risk serious injury or death, that’s your right as an Iowa motorcyclist. It now seems doubtful that the Iowa Legislature will debate the issue of requiring motorcyclists to wear helmets. Too bad the Legislature didn’t have the same spine when it came to seat belt laws — with the exception of children, that is.

Losers

It’s a free country — ours that is — and if a presidential long-shot like Rep. Dennis Kucinich wants to trash the Iraq war in the halls of Congress, so be it. But conservative pundits also have a right to criticize the congressman for denouncing American policies while on enemy soil as Kucinich did while visiting Syria last week, when he said “Americans have an increased understanding today of how wrong the war was and is, and I think that they’re looking for a new direction.” His remarks enraged conservatives who used words like “traitor” and “treason” to describe Kucinich’s actions. Certainly words like “foolish,” “irrelevant” and “Hanoi Jane” apply.

Speaking of those from the left putting their foot in their mouth, MoveOn.org went overboard when it ran an anti-Iraq war ad in the New York Times with the headline “General Petraeus or General Betray Us?” Earlier in the week, Petraeus recommended that the United States military should wait to pull troops out of Iraq, prolonging our presence there. President Bush decided to follow the general’s advice, provoking additional public backlash about Petraeus’ recommendation. But shooting the messenger, as MoveOn.org has done, only sets back efforts to end the war.

Every year, before the big game with Iowa State, the University of Iowa has a “Beat State Week.” As part of it, Iowa has a corn-on-the-cob-eating contest. This year, Phil Jones, a university vice president, banned it. It encourages gluttony, he told the Iowa City Press-Citizen. Gluttony might be a deadly sin, but the drinking at Iowa is what’s really deadly. Jones should worry about that.

The plot continues to thicken for West Des Moines City Councilman Brad Olson. Last week, he was arrested on a felony warrant issued for him for the alleged theft of a 2004 Ford F-150 pickup that disappeared from Dewey Ford in Ankeny three years ago. The arrest is the second for Olson in a month and the latest in a series of problems that threaten his political career, including an investigation as to whether he resides in the ward he represents, as the law dictates, and an arrest for allegedly stealing $460 worth of prescriptions from Hy-Vee.

With millions of dollars tied up in NBA rookie Greg Oden, it looks like the Portland Trailblazers are getting the short-end of the stick for their investment of the former Ohio State center. The No. 1 pick of the 2007 NBA draft will miss the 2007-08 season after undergoing microfracture surgery. Oden was found to have torn cartilage during exploratory surgery on his right knee — one of many red-flag warnings in Oden’s pre-draft physicals. CV

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