Last night I attended a book signing from the authors of Postville U.S.A. Mark Grey, Michele Devlin and Aaron Goldsmith made a stop in Dubuque last night to talk about a book they wrote…a book which certainly didn’t turn out as expected.

12 years ago the three started the process of writing the book. Goldsmith actually lived in Postville for more than 10 years. The three started the project when they saw how much national media attention Postville was getting. It was a melting pot and becoming a model for diversity across the United States. When Agriprocessors came to town they brough more jobs but with more jobs came a completely different demographic. As pay dropped for positions in the meat packing plant many local people got jobs elsewhere. Then they started hiring immigrants. The fact that Agri is a kosher plant meant that the business brought a large hassidic jewish population. The town grew in population and quickly became known for it’s diverse population. People from more then 35 countries have lived in Postville; a town known as Hometown to the World.

As you can imagine what started as a lab of sorts about diversity in small town America…turned into a totally different story after the immgration raid in May 2008. So the three continued to write the book, it just took a different course then expected.

Last night they said their book takes an inside look at what happened in Postville, from multiple angles. The three spent a significant amount of time there, living working and learning.

In my time KWWL I have covered so many different stories in Postville. Each time with a different focus. But everytime I’ve visited there I’ve seen a new story that hasn’t been told. There are so many angles and so many things to talk about. This book seems to dive into that and take you beyond anything I could do from visiting Postville.

Check it out.

Lauren~

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Had a wonderful Sunday morning with about 100 golfers out at Waverly Public. It was the 4th Annual Brooke Walton Memorial Golf Tournament to raise money for the Waverly Shellrock Dollars for Scholars.

I played in it last year with a team from KWWL and this year we played again. You can see our team above. It was a perfect day for golf. Although I can’t say any one of us played out best game…we had fun. Finished at -1. Last year we did significantly better and took home Vikings tickets (which would be much better this year now that Favre is playing).

Anyway, I never knew Brooke. Her 23rd birthday would have been Saturday. It’s weird though because we are the same age. And to think that someone my age died so young…well it’s sad. She died while she was on spring break in 2006. So…it makes me think about how precious life really is. I know I say that frequently on my blog but it’s so true. Sometimes we complain about work and all that we have to do. Sunday was a nice refresher to me. There are many people out there that could and did make a huge impact on people before their life was cut short. So it’s up to US to live eeach day to the fullest in honor of them.

Anyway, it was an honor to play for the cause. Not sure how much money we raised and I am completely jealous of the guys who won the Vikings tickets! Below are some pictures of my team:

Here you can see that my camera came along for the ride. I shot a story on the event.

Our score card…Nick in the background.

Nick admiring his drive.

Scott driving the golf cart.

All in all it was a great day. Check out the story I put together after interviewing Brooke’s uncle and dad.

Have a great day!
Lauren~

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I love wine. What a great way to start a blog entry right?  haha.  But it’s true.  I don’t drink it often enough actually.  Mostly cause some wines give me migraines.  BUT I do love learning about the different kinds of wine and how they are made.  I like to hear about what makes them different from each other.  So as you can imagine getting up at 7 am on a Saturday was no hassle for me when I found out it involved wine.

Saturday morning dozens of people gathered at the Stone Cliff Vineyard for the annual grape picking experience (as I’ve decided to call it).  Wine lovers from around the tri-states had the opportunity to pick the fresh grapes with Bob and Nan Smith (the owners) followed by an afternoon of grape stomping, food and wine drinking.  Seems fun right?!  Well beyond that I also talked about the growing industry (no pun intended) that is WINE.  Wineries in the Midwest are growing in numbers to the point where we are right in line with those in California.

It turns out vineyards in the Midwest can’t grow Riesling, Chardonnay, or Cabernet.  They are known for their fruit wines.  Which I am a big fan of cranberry and raspberry wines.  So you’re probably wondering why you always see locally made Riesling, Chardonnay or Cabernet?  Well they use the California grapes and blend them with local grapes to give a unique taste that you can’t find anywhere else.  Which is why vineyards are popping up all over the Midwest.

I found a website that shows the number of wineries across the United States.  There are more than 50 in Iowa, 70 in Illinois and 20 in Nebraska.  YUM!

Don’t those grapes look delicious. Needless to say I had several other stories to shoot before they started the grape stomping, wine drinking festivities so I wasn’t able to have any. But I’ve been craving it ever since. I think as I write this blog I am going to go get a bottle and have some with dinner.

Anyway, I wanted to share all this with you because I was surprised to see the growing industry in Iowa and the Midwest. I think I wanted to tour the Midwest wineries someday. Wouldn’t it be fun?

Of course Stone Cliff isn’t the only winery in the Tri-States. Park Farm Winery is another one I’ve tried and enjoyed. Click on the links above to see all the wineries in Iowa and Illinois. I know there are plenty to check out in Galena. I just haven’t made it over there yet to try them.

Have a great Monday!
Lauren~

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If you haven’t noticed lately…we’ve had a lot going on here in the Tri-States. Yesterday was probably one of the busiest days we’ve had here in the bureau in a long time. It was one of those days I wish we had a whole newsroom staffed right here in Dubuque.

The day went a bit like this:
11:30 a.m. - the Chamber of Commerce held a Health Care Reform Forum (thats a mouth full!)
12:00 (noon) - The Dubuque City Council held a special session to vote on items associated with the Smarter Sustainable Dubuque partnership with IBM
2:30 p.m. - The formal annoucement of the parnership between Dubuque and IBM.
4:00 p.m. - Members from the President’s cabinet tour the Millwork District to learn more about ways Dubuque, Denver and Chicago are going “green” and becoming sustainable. They want to help cities like Dubuque who just need more funding.

Here they are outside the Voices Warehouse.

Here they are inside Voices.
6:00 p.m. - People and their pets picket at the North Grandview Dog Park closing. The city council will vote on the decision Monday night.

There are more than 100 people there…and at least 50 dogs.

7:00 p.m. - Crime Task Force meets with the public to discuss ways to combat crime in Dubuque.

So as you imagine this bureau was busy yesterday. And although I wish I could have focused on one story to bring you the most in-depth, it was impossible to choose which story had the most importance. SO…we did virtually all of them. It was a busy day!!

Jamie took most the stuff in the morning and I took over the afternoon evening shifts.

It was a crazy day! But we survived and managed to get all the information to YOU, the viewer. Hope you noticed how busy it was.

Now it’s on to Friday’s events. Covering the Sleepout at Washington Park and then the Cascade football game.

Lauren~

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I’ve always enjoyed going to art galleries. There is something very sophisticated about stepping into a gallery with art on display. It’s like stepping inside the minds of very creative people. I particularly like modern art and mixed media. There is often many ways to interpret what is actually being said through the art.

Anyway - this weekend marked the opening of this year’s Voices Warehouse exhibit title: Momentum.
This year’s gallery features 11 regional and national artists that bring their “voices” to the old warehouse. It’s located downtown at 1000 Jackson Street. YOu can’t miss it…right in the “Millwork District”

I found article on the Telegraph Herald’s website explain this year’s artists:

* John Badger, of Galena, Ill., formerly of Dubuque: Mixed media on paper, was part of the abstract expressionism movement of the early 1970s at Cal State-Long Beach Art School.

* Aaron Butcher, of Dubuque: Mixed media, uses spontaneous mark making, sketches and collage to create funny, weird characters.

* Benjamin Funke, originally from Bury St. Edmunds, England, working on a master of fine arts at the University of Notre Dame: Mixed media, criticizes the ideas of stardom.

* Glen Jennings, of Chicago: Video installation, explores the hypnotic effects of motion with video editing and graphic If you go

* Adam Nilson, originally from Beloit, Wis.” Audio-video installation, he has a wall finish and mural company in Milwaukee, where he produces soundtracks for paintings.

* Tim Olson, grew up on a farm near Marathon, Iowa, works as an artist and graphic designer in Dubuque. Painting and installation, he defines himself a cartoon-expressionist, a regionalimist and a naive-messyist.

* Jessie Rebik, teaches art at Clarke and works as an artist: Painting, uses figurative photo-realism to expose human vulnerability, encouraging empathy and acceptance.

* Andy Roche, originally from Dubuque, lives in Chicago: Video installation, had a solo show at Gallery 400 in Chicago last year. His group, Black Vatican, records for Locust Music.

* Mikhail Rosenberg, a Russian-born, Chicago artist: Video installation and designer with a background in industrial design.; uses oil paintings, illustrations, installation art, graphic design and other work for social commentary.

* Miklos Simon, Hungarian-born, Chicago artist: Mixed media, his installation work builds on the environmental art movement, exploring waste and the dependence on toxic materials.

* Luke Tweedy, Iowa City artist: Poster art/ink on paper, he draws “creepy cartoons,” band posters and CD covers.

I haven’t had the change to check it out…I was at a wedding this weekend when they had their premiere party. BUT I recommend you check it out. The warehouse also has a tone of events these next few weeks. I found them on the website:

Saturday, Sept. 19: Gallery hours, 1-5 p.m.; Penny Arcade, theatrical performance art, 8 p.m., $10.

Sunday, Sept. 20: Gallery hours, 1-5 p.m.; Fever River Puppeteers’ show and storyboard workshop for children, 2 p.m., freewill donation.

Friday, Sept. 25: Glimmer of Hope Fashion Show, benefit for Riverview Center, 7 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 26: Gallery hours, 1-5 p.m; Chicago Short Film Brigade, film series, with musical guest Alma Sub Rosa, 7 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 27: Gallery hours, 1-5 p.m.; children’s art and gallery talk with Elizabeth Roberts, 2 p.m., free.

Friday, Oct. 2: Dubuque Main Street’s Fall into Art Gallery Tour, with musical guest Feast of Mutton, 5-10 p.m., free.

Saturday, Oct. 3: Music by Tortoise with Prefuse 73, 8 p.m.; $25 at the door, $20 in advance at iowatix.com or Moondog Music. (I listened to their music an I really like them…I think I might have to check them out when they come to town! It’s the kind of music that kinda makes you groove and feel relaxed all at the same time).

Anyway, there you have it. YOu don’t need big cities like Chicago and Madison (no offense) to have “big city” events and attractions like Voices Warehouse. It’s one of my favorite places. CHECK IT OUT and you’ll see what I mean.

Cheers,
Lauren~

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Golf is a game about patience and practice. Neither of which I have much of…when it comes to golf. I like attempt to hit the heck out of the ball and get up to green as quickly as possibly. I rarely practice before I hit. I feel like my best shots come when I just step up and hit. Otherwise I over think it and wind up loosing a ball…or 4. I’ll be the first to admit I am NOT a good golfer, but I will also admit that I am not bad. I can hit the ball…I can putt…and every once and awhile I manage to PAR a hole. But I never thought I could make myself look so bad. Based on this week’s Mean 18: Par 4, hole #15 at Timberline Golf Course in Peosta.

The picture pretty much sums up my reaction. You see this hole looks easy. Straight…and simple. BUT…there are woods to your left and right and a water hazard at the bottom of the hill…right in front of the green. Not to mention the fact that it’s a downhill shot. So if you land in the wrong spot you’ll roll into the woods (I know from experience). On this particular day…the green was fast because it was really foggy and a little bit of morning dew was left on the green. I know it’s an excuse but you’ll understand!

So I met Dick Specht out at the course Thursday morning. He was on his way to a PRO-AM tournament so this was his warm up.

His first shot set him up nicely to be on the green in two. And guess what…he was. Me on the other hand. First drive was straight but not very far. When we found my bright orange ball he told me not to hit it towards to woods…we’d loose it. Yes we’d loose a bright orange ball. And we did. I hit it right into the woods. So don’t go hunting with me. I will NOT see your bright orange outfit! haha.

Anyway…we couldn’t find the ball so I dropped. Automatic stroke. So after 4 strokes I managed to get the ball to the edge of the fairway.

On to Specht’s second shot. Right to the green. YEP! He’s a PRO. Then I had the challenge of hitting over the water and still landing on the green. I overshot it, but got it over!!! YES! When it was all said and done I made it on in 6 and had a 4 putt. So if you’re good at math you’ll notice that is a 10….on a PAR 4!!!

Here’s what the hold looks like.

And the water that stands between you and you’re final score. Intimidating right?

I swear I’m not that bad of a golfer. I played the hole again…after I turned the camera off…and I played it in 6. Take my word for it…or watch it:

And please don’t judge!! I’m going to play 9 this afternoon, prepping for the Annual Brooke Walton Golf Tournament in Waverly next week! Should be fun!

Hope you had a wonderful weekend! Also…I’ve started to learn how to play Fantasy Football (mostly cause I don’t understand why so many men get into it….and check there stats all season). I am finding that it makes it much more enjoyable to watch NFL football games. Looking forward to tonight’s game. Tom Brady returns to football! And he’s my quarterback.

Have a great Monday!
Lauren~

ps - did I mention I shot that story myself. I shot myself golfing…it was very interesting.

Posted under Dubuque, Golf

You know I just can’t help but get goosebumps when I think about September 11th, 2001. It doesn’t matter how many years ago it was, I remember almost exactly where I was…exactly.

It was first hour at Xavier High School. I was in my religion class with Dr. Drey. Just before the bell rang for second period, Mr. Kennedy (the religion teacher across the hall) came over to our classroom and told us to turn on the TV. He said something crashed into the World Trade Center in New York. We turned on the TV in our classroom and moments later the bell rang. It was very surreal because right as the bell rang, the second plane hit. Our entire classroom gasped at the sight. Walking through the hallways to my next class word had spread about what had happened. No one knew why or what. At this point they weren’t sure if it was an accident or intentional.

By the time I reached my second class the teacher decided it was appropriate to watch the news as it happened. We spent the rest of the period watching. I remember seeing the tower fall, I remember seeing the people on the ground covered in washes and debris. We prayed for the people in New York and later that day we had a prayer service for all those who had died. At lunch they rolled at TV into the lunch room and people were glued to it. We were all watching what happened, wondering what would happen next. There was fear and uncertainty in everyone’s eyes. I remember once school got finished I headed home and continued to watch the coverage. At this point almost all the networks including MTV and VH1 had switched to network coverage, wall-to-wall non stop coverage from New York. People on TV were sending out missing person reports. Everyone was looking for everyone. I remember how much I couldn’t wait to see my sister and parents. All I wanted to do was hug them and tell them I loved them. It was a very emotional day. Watching from my house in Cedar Rapids I never felt so helpless. Thousands of people went to the red cross, donated blood, thousands more went to churches and prayed for those who lost their lives.

It was absolutely one of the most unbelievable things I’ve even witnessed. I’ll never forget where I was, I’ll never forget what I felt and every September 11th I think about all that was lost that day and I remember how much our country hurt that day. 8 years later I see how strong it’s made us…how many people have come together. And I take this time to remind us all to say something to the people who matter most in our lives. It’s moments like September 11th that show how fragile life can be.

Where were you on September 11th, 2001?

Lauren~

Posted under Dubuque

And here are some pictures from the Hempstead vs Wahlert game Friday night at Dalzell Field:

Here you have it…FULL MOON looking down on Dalzell.

Hempstead at the 20 yard line…they scored after this…they won 24-21. It was a close game and Wahlert truly gave them a run for their money. The game was determined in the last 2 minutes.

The band playing at halftime.

The pit playing at halftime.

It was a good weekend for football!!!

Lauren~

Posted under Dubuque, Football, Pictures

Loosing someone close to you is never easy, but for the community of Guttenberg, loosing former student, friend, classmate and football player, Stephen Shannon in Iraq meant finding a way to remember him forever.

Friday night Clayton Ridge took on MFL-Mar Mac in their first home game in 2 years. They played on their brand new field, Stephen D. Shannon Athletic Complex. The field is one of the nicest high school football fields and tracks I’ve ever seen. The pride the town has in it is ever more amazing. Friday night marked the formal detication of the field. The Shannon family spoke, there was music and sky divers and the game was played on the field for the first time.

Here are some pictures I took of the new place:

Here is the 3 level press box and the new track.

Here is the wall of donors.

The memorial of Stephen D. Shannon.

Clayton Ridge Eagles mascot carved in the ground.

So there you have it. A very classy field worth visiting if you’re passing through Guttenberg.

Lauren~

Posted under Dubuque, Football

As promised here are some businesses and organizations I found on Twitter.  They all have Eastern Iowa Connections:

Dollar Dish
Main Street
Dubuque Humane Society
Dubuque County Clean and Green
Grant Hills Motel
KustomByKris
PaulsonElectric
Dubuque Airport

Sports and Colleges:
Iowa Hawkeyes
ICubs
Iowa State University News
Iowa State Cyclones
University of Dubuque
Loras College
Coe College

These are only a few things. But I also wanted to share with you a twitterview I had with Amber Mussman, Public Relations Counselor.

She wrote:
I work for Henry Russell Bruce (HRB), a strategic marketing/advertising and internet marketing firm. We have been around for 36 years, so we have a lot of experience in a variety of marketing and communications plans.

I’m a Public Relations Counselor for HRB and I spend a great deal of my time working with the media to help tell my clients’ stories. One thing I have discovered since I began using Twitter last year is that it is a great tool for connecting with the media. I am able to reach out to them one-on-one, pitch story ideas, act as a source or point them in the direction of a source, and establish a relationship on a whole new level. It’s amazing!

It’s also opened the door for new clients. I find that it’s another way in which I can network, virtually “shake hands” if you will, and get to know potential clients. I have made a few new business deals this way, and I know current clients are now using Twitter themselves to connect directly with their potential customers.

One company I’d suggest talking to would be Panchero’s. I’m not sure if you follow their story at all, but they actually hired a social media manager last year and have managed to build quite a following on Twitter.

When I asked her about Twitter replacing advertising or possibly ruining the advertising business she said:
I don’t think Twitter is replacing advertising. I think social media of all types is great when integrated into traditional media. You can’t throw out the traditional completely, but you should absolutely consider repurposing some of the money you may normally spend on things like newspaper advertising into money for internet marketing/social media marketing.

The Web has transformed the way we do almost everything, from communicating with our families to buying products to deciding who to hire. I believe it’s imperative that a company (or a brand, if you will) sets aside resources to listen to what their target audience or consumer is saying online and to engage that consumer in some way. Sometimes Twitter is the best place to engage them, sometimes it’s with a Blog or another social networking site. Most importantly, it all needs to work together and in conjunction with stellar advertising.

So the short answer is no, Twitter is not replacing advertising. It is, however, allowing the consumer to have instant access to a brand in a way that was never possible before. And in today’s world, where we have almost everything at our fingertips online, the consumer demands that type of accessibility.

Brands should take advantage of the opportunity to discover what is important to their consumer, to listen to what matters to them, and figure out how they can use that information to build a better product. It is also an amazing customer service tool! Reach out instantly when someone complains—see how easy it is to turn an unhappy customer into a raving fan.

Interesting!  So check out Twitter.  Join for yourself…follow me at KWWL and see what its all about.  It’s a revolution.

Lauren~

ps GO HAWKS!

Posted under Dubuque