Winners

Never at a loss for words, Republican Iowa House Minority Leader Christopher Rants nailed it on the head when he said this about State Auditor David Vaudt’s review of the budget approved by House and Senate Democrats: “The auditor’s criticisms of the Democrats’ budget echoes what House Republicans have been saying since early 2007. Democrats who campaigned as conservative, pro-business candidates came to Des Moines and became big-spending liberals. The auditors’ criticism is further proof that while the Democrats claim to have approved a fiscally sound budget, the truth is that they went on a spending spree and tried to hide it from the taxpayers.”

Many Iowans, churches, corporations and relief organizations are pitching in to help residents in Parkersburg recover from the devastation of an EF5 tornado that killed seven people and destroyed at least 350 homes last week. Officials with the National Weather Service say it was the worst tornado to hit Iowa since 1976. But as is the case when help is needed, Iowans are lending a hand to help those who have been displaced by the natural disaster. Target, for example, donated $20,000 to the Salvation Army’s efforts in Iowa and Minnesota, to meet the needs of emergency responders and residents. The Salvation Army’s emergency disaster services team is also helping serve more than 1,500 meals to emergency workers, National Guard troops and residents. Of course, the need for assistance will continue for many months long after the tragedy fades from news headlines. In addition to making donations to the Salvation Army, the Butler County Emergency Operations Center is collecting names and contact information from people who want to volunteer to help tornado victims. Those interested can call (319) 267-9111.

The Polk County Health Department was awarded two grants for the early detection of breast cancer. The health department will receive $171,950 from the Susan G. Komen Foundation and $25,000 from the Calendar Girls. Officials say the money will be used to provide services for an increasing number of women at-risk for breast cancer, including funding for the “Care for Yourself” program which arranges at a low cost or free clinical breast exams, mammograms, pap tests and pelvic exams to eligible women.

Serena Williams may have defeated her at the French Open last week, but Ashley Harkleroad claimed a public relations advantage over her American rival by appearing on the pages of Playboy magazine that hits the shelves next month. The 23-year-old Harkleroad is the first tennis player to appear in the magazine — nude, that is. “I stay in shape and try to stay fit, so like I said, I’m just trying to represent a female athlete and her body. That can be sexy too, you know,” she told Reuters. Call it love at first sight.

Here’s some encouraging news for do-gooders everywhere. Nineteen-year-old Andria Baker of Michigan made her father keep his promise that if she didn’t miss a day of school from kindergarten to high school graduation, she would get a new car. So after notching her 13th year of uninterrupted classroom attendance with her final day at Constantine High School last week, her father presented her with the keys to a new $17,000 Pontiac G6, complete with an “O DAYS” personalized license plate.

Losers

If you think motorists are the only ones struggling with high gas prices, ask your mom-and-pop gas station owner (if you can find one) whose pumps are so old they don’t display prices higher than $4 per gallon. To help alleviate the problem, three Democratic lawmakers have asked Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey to help hundreds of small town gas stations across Iowa by granting an extension to Iowa motor fuel retailers who need to upgrade or replace their current fuel pumps to be able to compute prices more than $4 per gallon. Iowa law requires that all gas stations and convenience stores that sell gas display their prices accurately or risk being fined. Many retailers using unmodified pumps say they have to wait about four months to receive their equipment.

The Bush White House is upset that former Press Secretary Scott McClellan wrote in his new memoir that President Bush relied on an aggressive “political propaganda campaign” instead of the truth to sell the Iraq war, adding that the decision to invade pushed Bush’s presidency “terribly off course.” Gee, what a revelation. Hey Scott, that information might have been handy a few years ago.

New York lawyer Richard Roth is suing Delta Air Lines for $1 million, saying his family vacation turned into a nightmare after they were stranded in an airport for days, treated disdainfully by airline employees and forced to spend $21,000 on unused hotel rooms in Argentina and replacement clothes. Roth said he filed the suit after being rebuffed several times by Delta about getting reimbursed for the frustrating series of events. Get in line, Dick. CV

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