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May 8, 2008: Yesterday, photojournalist Jonathon Gregg and I came in early for a trip to Ames.  We were working on a story about researchers turning corn stalks into asphalt.  It's really interesting.

I encourage everyone to click here and watch the story and think about what it could mean.  Already a few people have commented on the story saying we should use cement instead.  I don't disagree, but I do caution that idea.  Currently, cement needs to be made at very high temperatures.  Therefore, making it nearly negates any energy savings.  This new bio-mass asphalt requires a relatively low heating temperature.  That means it can save a lot of energy, plus researchers say they can use the other bio-mass by-products to produce the heat.

It's not a cure-all solution though.  Part of the problem is harvesting the bio-mass.  It's very bulky and taking hauling it around in trucks isn't efficient at all.  The researchers say that's a minor problem, but one that needs to be answered to make the product viable.

One of the hardest things I had to overcome with this story is that it has nothing to do with ethanol.  I know it's corn and oil talk, but this is not related to ethanol at all.  I found it was hard to get people to understand that, myself included.

May 5, 2007:  If you're reading this entry, I hope you're on a lunch or dinner break.  Or, at least don't let your boss read the headline.  I don't have to worry, I get paid to write and investigate this kind of stuff!

The District Technology Cord. at Lisbon schools called me this afternoon.  She told me about a contest two of her students entered with SONY.  The seniors at Lisbon made a movie and submitted it, they happened to make the final three.

Now, they need your vote.  I'm writing to try and get you to go here http://www.techinmotioncontest.com/  and vote for them.  I won't say which video is theirs, but you'd be wasting your time if you voted for anything but #2.  Or, so I'm told.

April 30, 2008: Today I am following up a story with a family that had to be rescued when their car went into a river.  Last week a pizza-delivery driver and two sheriff's deputies in Anamosa jumped in to save the family of six.

Today, we're being told the father, who was driving, is facing several citations following the crash.  One of which is not having enough seat-belts and car seats for the people in the car.  The father drove, the mother was in the passenger seat and there were four kids in the back seat, ages two to four.

Since the crash, many people have said commented on the website saying others should just let the family be and move on.  Now with this, is that still the case?

April 29, 2008: So I filled my car up today, it wasn't as bad as I was expecting.  Although, that just means I didn't need to fill up as much as I thought I did.

So, we report on the need to save gas or be more efficient in how we live.  Does anybody listen?  Is anybody really changing their ways?  I'm not sure.  People tell me they are, but many times I don't believe them.  I sometimes think they tell me that just to feel good about themselves.  Or, they figure they made the life-style change once and figure that's enough.  Accurate?

My wife and I just purchased two bicycles from Northtowne Fitness in Cedar Rapids.  I plan on riding to work every possible day this summer.  I'm hoping to start sometime this week!

I am waiting to see if this will reduce my bills at the pump this summer.  I hope so but I'm doubting it.  That's because I plan on a lot of traveling this summer to visit friends and family.

Later this week I hope to investigate if, because of the gas prices, more people are using public transportation in the corridor.  Or, if people are just taking the hit to their wallet with the gas prices and giving up.

April 29, 2008: I think I can finally say I am healthy again.  Without getting into the specifics of it, I went home last week with a fever of 103.  My wife said that was really high, I just knew I felt "out of it."

A few things for everyone here, Chris Earl joined the team as our new morning and mid-day anchor.  He joins Ashley on the set.  I'll let his bio tell you more.  Welcome Chris!

Tonight I'm working on a story about Alan Edmondson and his family.  His daughter Molly was murdered by Kyle Marin in April of 2006.  This is the first time Alan has wanted to talk about what he's been going through.  And he did it with great timing.  This week he and his wife are giving out two $1,000 scholarships to students at Columbus Community Schools in Columbus Junction.  You can catch the story here at 10 p.m.  It'll also be on KCRG.com later tonight and tomorrow.

April 16, 2008:  Today I am going to cover the VA TECH candlelight vigil at Cornell College in Mount Vernon.  Wednesday marks one year since a shooter killed dozens of students on the Virginia campus.  At the vigil, people plan on sending a message about gun control at gun shows.  What's interesting about this is that the shooter at VA TECH had nothing to do with gun shows.  I am interested in hearing what the people from the protest, which is organized by the Brady Bill Campaign, will have to say about the connection.

We'll have the whole story tonight at 10.  Until then, what do you think?  Even though there is no direct connection, is this a good chance to bring up the debate?  Or, should the people at the vigil leave the VA TECH massacre to only signify the events of that day, and focus their efforts on gun control for another time?

Let me know, if you leave a good comment, I might put it on the air tonight at 10.

April 16, 2008:  I have failed to update my blog in a few weeks.  I apologize for that.  It seems that every time I went to write something, I was called out to breaking news or a change in stories.  So, here we go again.

First off, I want to thank Les and Diane Seeley from Marion for letting me come over and talk to them about their stolen L-P tank from their grill.  After photographer Jonathon Gregg and I shot the story, we joined them for a burger hot off the grill.  I wanted to resist for journalistic reasons.  But I caved.  I decided the story wasn't going to benefit them, and having one of their delicious burgers wouldn't change the story.  I should say, Les can really cook a good burger.

Speaking of grilling, I'm trying to think of what I want for my birthday.  It's coming up in a few weeks.  I told my wife that I would like anything having to do with my Weber Grill.  I think I'm losing my patience when it comes to having some fun outside.

Here's the Senate's Cold Weather Rule resolution they passed on Tuesday night.

A Resolution requesting the Iowa utilities board and Iowa's energy utilities to voluntarily extend the moratorium on utility disconnection through April 14, 2008.

WHEREAS, Iowa's rate-regulated utilities reported for February 2008 218,360 accounts that were past due and owing $36.5 million, which is the second=highest monthly total reported owing since 2000; and WHEREAS, in 2007, these utilities disconnected 6,742 households in April, 8,119 in May, and 8,080 in June, and these statistics lead to an expectation that a record or near=record number of disconnections will occur in 2008; and WHEREAS, in 2007, Iowa's low=income home energy assistance program (LIHEAP) served 85,692 households and is projected to serve between 85,000 and 90,000 households in 2008 through April 15, 2008, with an average assistance payment of approximately $400; and WHEREAS, the extended forecast for early April is for continued cold weather, placing at risk the health and safety of low=income families whose home energy utilities are disconnected;

NOW THEREFORE,

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE, That the Senate requests the Iowa utilities board and Iowa's energy utilities to voluntarily extend the utility disconnection moratorium, which would otherwise end after April 1, 2008, through April 14, 2008.