So remember how I told you about our Mean 18 series a while ago? Well tonight you can catch me at the Dubuque Golf and Country Club trying out the Par 3, 190 yard, hole number 7. It’s all on KWWL’s SportsPlus tonight.
For now I’m going to post some pictures from the adventures and I’ll leave it up to you to watch and see how I did!
Here I am interviewing that Golf PRO out at Dubuque Golf and CC. He’s telling me all about the hole and the best ways to play it.
Here’s a look at the #7 hole marker. I played from the men’s tee.
Here we are getting artsy with the shot.
Doesn’t look that intimidating does it?
Be sure to watch tonight at 10 and see how I did up against a PRO…playing Men’s tees.
Today’s lesson: NEVER say its a slow news day. You’ll pay for it later. I have barely had a moment to breath today but I wanted to take a moment to share with you an event going on tonight in Dubuque.
It’s the 13th Annual Relay for Life.
Here are some pictures from this afternoon’s set up.
The event takes place at Dubuque Senior’s Dalzell Field. Check it out tonight from 6:00 pm to 6:00 am.
Here is the survivor tent! You know my mom’s a survivor! And there are plently of people I know who are probably gonna be at this tent!
here are some of the 100’s of luminaries that will be lit during the remerance ceremony at 9:30.
Katie Metz is a girl that is near and dear to my heart. Died 2 years ago from brain tumor. Her family is wonderful.
So rememeber how I was sore from golfing the other day? Well my body has a new reason to ache!
It’s called a weighted hula hoop and it supposed to help you stay fit and trim your waistline. Apparently just 10 minutes a day will firm your abs and take inches off your waistline (sounds awesome as summer approaches). But this revolutionary idea has raised over $40,000 for Resurrection School in Dubuque.
For just $15 Cindi Haugen thought it’d be easy and quick to make several of these hoops and sell them around Dubuque. Well apparently its grown all over. You can find them everywhere! They’ve made more than 4,700!!!
If you watched tonight’s story I referred you to my blog if you’re interested in getting one. You can call Cindi at 563-588-4193 or e-mail her at haugenhouse@aol.com
They sell three, four and five pound hoops. It’s pretty crazy that something so simple could raise so much money. That money is going to help purchase 50 news laptops for students a Resurrection.
UNBELIEVABLE! Perhaps the best part about all of this is that the hoops not only raise money…but they keep you fit. And encourage activity. It’s funny though - I was never good at hula hooping when I was little. But these weighted ones are almost easier to get spinning…at least I think. But I am sore. Just from spinning and shooting my stand-up for tonight’s story.
None the less - try it out before you bash it. haha Only cause I had to do the same before I bought the whole idea. They also have arm hoops…which I dared to try given my soreness from golfing.
Be sure to check out my story tonight. It’s interesting and certainly…if anything…shows the power of one community.
Have a great night!
Lauren~
Here Cameron Haugen shows off his skills.
This is Cindi in class at the YMCA. I’ve always been too scared to take this class. But I might just have to check it out! If the elementary kids can do it…so can I!
Spend the afternoon/evening out at Mud Lake Campgrounds Guess what…it’s 4 days before the actually weekend and the place is already full. At capacity! Some people have been camping for a week already. You see the campsite has a 14 day rule. You can’t stay there for more than 14 days. That’s all in an effort to make sure people aren’t “living” there. None the less there are plenty of people who are already there…waiting and holding a spot for the weekend.
I can honestly say that I have never been camping…ever. To be honest, growing up my family’s idea of camping was staying at the Motel 6 instead of the Holiday Inn. haha. But I would like to try it sometime. Maybe over the 4th of July. Got any good ideas for me?
Mud Lake is pretty beautiful actually…and it’s days like today that I think I would enjoy camping.
The places looks out onto the MISSISSIPPI and over at the Bluffs in Wisconsin. It’s a beautiful sight. Check it out sometime.
Also what I learned today is that it only costs $16 per night to stay there. That’s economical! Sounds like a cheap weekend to me.
So how are you spending you’re Memorial Day weekend? Let me know if you think it’s newsworthy! I’m always looking for a unique Saturday story.
For now…check out my story at 10…see what campers and park rangers had to say about this weekend!
Happy Tuesday to you! I am writing on this BEAUTIFUL DAY wishing that I called in sick (which I would never do) so I could be out on the golf course!
Sunday afternoon I brought my clubs out of hibernation. I headed over to Derby Grange in Dubuque, got a large bucket of balls and hit for about an hour. I was surprised by my ability to pick up right where I left off last year. Not that it says much, given my inconsistencies in my golf game. I think I would be lying if I said I enjoyed golf 100% because of the of golf. When I watch people like Zach Johnson or Tiger Woods I find myself thinking ”wow I could do that” or “they make it look so easy!” but truth is every attempt I make at being Johnson or Tiger usually ends up with making on or two holes at PAR! Sometimes if I’m lucky I’ll get a birdie. I actually started playing golf back in high school over at Twin Pines in Cedar rapids. It was literally a mile from my house so I’d go over there with friends and with my dad. We’d usually spend time at the driving range. But on the rare occasion that I’d play 18 holes I’d usually loose my patience by the 10th hole and hope for the best. Truth is I really just enjoy the sun, a cold beverage and the company involved in playing golf…oh and I love driving the golf cart.
Don’t get me wrong, I love it when I hit a good long drive…or a put rolls my way! But most of the time I enjoy the company most. I even worked at a golf course one summer in Memphis - my favorite part was the FREE golf! I had the chance to go out anytime I wanted. But the course was narrow and surrounded by lots of water and creeks. Needless to say I lost a lot of ball that summer. But I gained even more from working at the golf course.
As for the driving range - I did it all wrong. Apparently I should have worn my golf shoes (flip-flops were a bad choice) because they will help me when I actually play. You’re supposed to practice like you play. I should have remembered that from my years of track and basketball. Secondly I forgot to stretch! Well I stretched but not good enough. I am still sore today. Every time I reach to pick up the camera my muscles remind me of my lack of proper stretching. haha But I shall return next week for another try. Perhaps maybe play a round somewhere in Dubuque.
Anyway - the purpose of this blog - aside from telling you about my love for warm weather and golf - is to ask you what you think are the toughest holes in the Tri-States.
I’ve only golfed 2 courses here, in the 6 years that I’ve lived here. Bunker Hill and Meadows in Asbury. I am hoping to hit the links at all the courses this summer. Wish me luck…I need a golf companion.
BUT this is where you come in. Tell me where you think I should challenge myself - or perhaps follow a PRO around because they might be better at it then me.
Leave comments below and also visit our sports page. Scroll down to KWWL Sports Headlines and you’ll see the Mean 18 box. Fill it out, in addition to your comments below and let us know where we should go. I am telling you, I WANT A CHALLENGE!! So let me know where to go. Of course if you know any other tough holes in our viewing area let me know too. I’d love to check them out. It’s my mission to attempt to play off the ones you recommend!
Bring it on!! And enjoy this warm weather. If you’re skipping work to gold…just don’t tell your boss. Call me so I can do a story on you!
As many of you probably know, yesterday was the 1 year anniversary of the raid at Agriprocessors in Postville. Jamie Grey, Ron Steele and myself had the opportunity to spend the day in Postville to commemorate the 1 year anniversary. I took dozens on pictures which were somehow lost on my blackberry memory card! I am just continually having problems with this phone. But that’s for another blog entry.
Anyway, so yesterday I left Dubuque at about 1:30 and headed up HWY 52 to Postville. Ran into some construction near Guttenberg. Once I got past the construction, the all too familiar drive to Postville was certainly underway. It seems like I’ve been up there 15 of 20 times in the last year; maybe more. I haven’t actually counted but I can say that I’ve seen the place at it’s best and it’s worse. The worst was during Christmas time. The weather was cold and people were struggling to survive. Now that spring is here and the weather is warming…there appears to be a new sense of hope in Postville.
I can say that yesterday I was touched by the amount of people present at the vigil inside St. Bridget’s Catholic Church. The place was packed with people, there was even an overflow of people outside.
Here is a video of the procession into the church.
And another angel of the procession. Here are people directly effected by the raid.
I took pictures (as I said before) but unfortunately they don’t exist anymore! But I can tell you how the day went. I arrived in Postville just before the vigil started. Immediately I met up with Ron, Jamie, Jenn, Matt, Nate and our director Nick. We had the Satellite truck set up with two ground cameras and a mast camera on the truck.
That’s a view of what the Nick had to deal with inside the truck. He was in charge of punching up cameras for the control room back in Waterloo.
During the 5:00 pm newscast Jamie Grey and Ron Steele were live from St. Bridget’s with a LIVE interview from Maryn Olson. She’s on the Postville task force and has dealt with the media since the beginning.
Which reminds me…we were advised NOT to bring helicopters to the scene on Tuesday. It brings fear into the young children and to the people of Postville because on the day of the RAID ICE officials used helicopters to watch over the town. Unfortunately one news crew didn’t get that memo and there was a helicopter over the town at about 3:30. I am not sure who it was but I saw fear on so many people’s faces. They were worried and it scared them. This was the first time I’d noticed the fear on people’s faces since last year. It was interesting to see them react and certainly reminded me how much of an impact this raid had on people.
Here is Nick in the LIVE Truck working his magic and communicating with the Waterloo newsroom and control room.
Here you see Photographer Matt Haupert running the camera for Ron and Jamie at 5:00 PM
After the 5 we reset for our 6 PM LIVE shot - this time involving two cameras. I took pictures but don’t have them to show you. Even our Internet director, Jenn Jarvis, was running a camera on the ground. It was a full team effort.
Just about 6 pm the hundreds of people inside the church marched outside and onto the street for a peace march to Agri.
Here they are marching to Agri with signs. It was a relavitely peaceful march, simply making a statement about Immigration laws. Many people here dissagree with the way the government has both enforced and enacted Immigration laws. The town of Postville is an example of those laws. And no matter what you think about them…it’s clear they have come sort of effect on the larger community.
Here you see members of clergy blessing the grounds of Agri and praying for the future of Postville. Everyone was praying and participating. It was moving to see all different races and religions unite in one place for a common goal.
Of course while all of this was going on…there was a threat for rain. It happened to come right at the end of the peace march, just as everyone was leaving. Following the march, a dinner at Turner Hall. the rest of the night was relatively calm. Very few people outside and most with their families.
I headed back to Dubuque to edit and go live from the bureau. It was a long day, but certainly a day worth being a part of. It was moving to see how people reacted and how everyone united in Postville. I talked to people from Chicago and Minnesota as well as right there in Postville.
When it was all said an done KWWL was there all day. Bringing you every angle of things going on that day. Jamie Grey started off the coverage at noon. She brought you the Jewish parade and celebrating which happened to fall on the same day as the anniversary. Then at 5 we brought you the vigil and the impact the raid and faith had on the town. At 6 we brought you a recap of the days events (including a press conference from Postville officials), a story on the soccer team, and a live interview with the new mayor.
Then we wrapped it all up for you at 10. Bringing you the response from walkers in the peace march. Yes we were Postville content heavy BUT it was one of the largest immigration raids in US history and in Iowa history. It was worth giving that much coverage. And it meant a lot to the people of Postville to have some people there remembering what happened a year ago.
When it’s all said and done, yesterday was a good day in the news biz. We used every inch of technology to bring you the latest from Postville. Whether it was via satellite truck, the internet, twitter, pictures on our blogs or whatever else you may have seen, we brought you the latest.
Of course now that’s all over and it’s on to a new day. I’m headed into work here pretty soon. We’ll see what I come up with today. If you have any story ideas don’t hesitate to send me an e-mail at lsquires@kwwl.com
Today is the 1 year anniversary of one of the largest immigration raids in US history. As you’ve probably seen, there are plenty of stories from Postville and today we’ll be there LIVE with coverage at noon, 5, 6, and 10.
One of the stories you will see at 6 is a sign of progress.
We’re talking about the Postville boys soccer team. You see this team has been playing at the JV level for years but this year is the first time EVER in school history that they’ve played at the varsity level. Last Thursday the boys hosted Decorah and I was there.
You know after the raid many students were left with more questions than answers. Many of then had frees and held back in fear. For many, the game of soccer is keeping them in school and following their hopes and dreams.
Below are some pictures from the game last week. I encourage you to watch tonight at 6. These 18 guys are leading the way when it comes to setting and example for the town.
Here coach Jacob Rasbeck is giving the guys a pep talk.
It’s Rasbeck’s first year as head coach but he knew what he was up for, especially after the raid last year. It was his goal to make sure the guys were working hard.
Here the guys are warming up before the game.
Here coach is talking to one of the 5 hispanic students. They speak Spanish to each other and many of the students are bilingual.
This was the scene just before the game.
Watching these kids play and seeing their proud parents sitting in the stands, I realized it wasn’t about the final score or who many goals they could get passed the Decorah goalie. All that really mattered was that they were out on that field, playing a game they love. When they’re on the field…for a moment it seems like everything’s okay.
I’m headed to Postville this afternoon, stay tuned for more on KWWL news tonight at 5,6, and 10.
So I may have lived in Iowa most of my life but NEVER in my life have I heard of such a thing: morel hunting.
It was brought to my attention back in January when someone told me that I should do a story about it. Morels are honeycomb like mushrooms that are rare and only come once a year. They sell for $15-20 a pound they are so rare. And let me tell you…today I learned first hand why.
So I come into work this morning and sit in our morning meeting (over conference call). I am all dressed for work and in no shape to go wander through the woods. But I propose this morel hunting story as an idea because it’s so new to me I wanted to know more about it.
With that, they assigned me to find someone and do a story about the rarity of these fine fungi. haha. So it was back to my house to change into some jeans and tennis shoes. Keep in mind I’m about ready to go into the woods and shoot video. So I drove out to the Althaus Farm (they have acres wooded land).
Morgan (my intern from Loras) and I hoped on the back of a 4-wheeler and headed into the woods with Laurie Ready.
2 hours later we walked away with 6-8 morels and a sunburn! But man was it fun! I didn’t actually ever discover one on my own, but it was so fun to follow them around and try to find them.
Let the adventure start at the top of the hill. I watched as Laurie walked by every tree and looked for the honeycomb like mushroom.
Here we’re looking for morels…with no luck.
At last we find one…and several more to follow.
Jackpot!!!
But it doesn’t stop there. After the whole hunting experience we headed back to the Althaus house and fried up some good cooked morels.
Good until I thought about what I was actually eating…fungi. Then I got grossed out. I thought about how we had just hunted these guys. Except they already had dozens from yesterday. They had soaked them overnight in salt water and then put them in eggs and covered them in cracker crums. Good stuff. After you fry them of course.
Now I googled morels and learned that they have a small amount of toxins in them. But those are lost once they are cooked. You should never eat them raw. AND…it says if you mix them with alcohol you can experience slight poisoning. I’m not making this up. Check it out.
Anyway, today was one of those days where my intern, Morgan, reminded me something. How cool is it that this is my job? I mean you ask most people what they did at work today…they probably didn’t go hunting for mushrooms in the woods with some lifelong hunters! haha
All in a days work. Hope all is well. Have a great weekend!
Lauren~
Today is a special day! You see…when I was in Memphis this weekend I was celebrating with my mom. She’s 5 years cancerfree now…as you may remember from my earlier video.
BUT while I was there I took the opportunity to interview her and my dad about the 5 year journey and I put together a story for Buddy Check 7.
It airs tonight at 5:00 pm. BUT I couldn’t help but post some of my “web extras” here before then. Obviously there are way too many stories to tell in the length I have for a TV story. So I’ve included some extra stories of strength and perseverance.
Here my mom explains the turning point for her during her cancer treatment. It’s pretty powerful how much friends can help you along in the process. She tells it well.
This is my dad explaining why he NEVER take’s off his LIVESTRONG BRACELET! It’s touching and explains a lot about him.
Here is some behind the scenes shots of me interviewing my mom. Let me tell you, it was weird interviewing her…asking her questions that I already knew the answers to.
And here are my lovely parents with our dog Scottie.
