Ice Storm Takes Heavy Toll On Trees

CEDAR VALLEY

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 27, 2007 THE COURIER

CAU.THE

COURIER Questions concerning issues are taken on a special Courier pho ne I ine at

234-3566 Questions are answered by Courier staff and staff al Ihe Waterloo Public Libray-

Q. Are the AT&T phone card prices per minute going up when calling from a 319 number to another 319 number? A It depends whether it is a pre-paid card or a post-paid card. According to Amanda Ray, spokeswoman for AT&T, federal regulation changes effective as of June 2006 have made pre-paid phone cards subject to access fees, and in-state access fees are typically more expensive than stateto-state fees. Ray said that effective now, customers who purchase pre-paid cards purchased from AT&Ts Web site "will be ' charged higher rates for instate cards in some states." She added that retailers will soon stock pre-paid cards that list these higher rates. Ray also noted that AT&T was not the only company that was affected by the new regulations, and that it is "an industry-wide issue." Post-paid cards have been subject to these access fees for some time, so the rates on these cards should be the same. . Q. How many American service men and women were killed in Iraq from Iowa? A. Rfty-two lowans and people with ties to Iowa . have died in Iraq or Afghanistan from combat, illness or accident since the war began in March 2003, according to the Des Moines Register. Q. The Courier stated Rep. Pat Grassley voted against the anti-bullying.bill. What was his rationale for voting this way? A. Grassley said he didn't support the bill because he didn't feel the categories of protected students listed in the bill would cover all students. He said schools already can establish their own anti-bullying policies without the law. "The bill doesn't have any teeth," Grassley said. Q. Did Krispy Kreme of Cedar Rapids announce a reason for closing their Cedar Rapids location? Is there another Krispy Kreme located in the state of Iowa, and what is the closest to • Waterloo? A According to an article on KCRG.com, Krispy Kreme in Cedar Rapids closed because customers were buying their doughnuts off site, and this hurt the business of the store. Two other Iowa Krispy Kremes are listed on the company's Web site. The closest location store is 93 miles away from Waterloo in the Des Moines suburb of Clive. The other Iowa Krispy Kreme is in Davenport, 113 miles away from Waterloo.

Corrections A Call the Courier answer iri Saturday's Courier about how to order Courier photos online needs clarifying. The answer stated that photos are $25 each. But there actually is a pricing structure: A 4x6 is $9.95; a 3x5 is $8.95. a 5x7 is $12.95, an 8x10 is $18.95 and an 11x14 is $1955. Ah answer in Saturday's Call the Courier said that leap years come every four years. A caller pointed out that is riot always true. Centennial years — ones that end in 00 —: have the extra day onty if they are evenly divisible by 400. For example; U>00 and 2QOO were leap years, but 1900 wasn't, arid 2100 wont be

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Ice storm takes heavy toll on trees •

'- • ' • ' : . ' • ' • . ' : . , - , • By AMIE STIFFEN

Courier Staff Writer

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WATERLOO V A phone kept ringing in the background as Drew Collins tried to add up the calls Planetary Tree Service had received during the weekend It was at least 35, he said. Maybe 50. The final verdict? A lot Tve lost track," Collins said "IVe got people calling and not even taking estimates. They're just saying,'Do it'" The' Evansdale-based tree removal service normally snowplows a little in the winter. However, this weekend's ice storm and winds of up to 30 miles per hour busied its crew of seven mostly in hardest-hit west Waterloo to remove trees and branches from yards, porches, roofs and cars. "We've had thunderstorms that knocked down a bunch of trees, but not this bad that I remember," said Collins, whose business has been open seven years. "This is probably the worst storm since IVe been in business." Others in the tree business echoed his concerns, but disagreed on the extent of the damage. Rob Foxen, the third generation to own Black Hawk Tree Service in Waterloo, said the freezingrain-tumed-blizzard "really wasn't even that bad of a storm" when it came to falling tree branches. "It seemed like more damage was done on the power lines, snapping the poles," Foxen said. While Foxen couldn't recall the last bad storms, Waterloo city forester Todd Derifield could. They were June 17 and June 29, 1993, where the soil became so saturated from massive downpours that trees were "just heaving left and right"

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Trees or branches down? Here are soirfe options:. ' • Call the city.ln Waterloo, the Forestry Department will pick up large brush that has fallen on the right-of-ways within one to two weeks, for callers with branches on thsir cars, they'llrespondquicker. ' City of Waterloo Forestry Department—29T-437Q • Haul it yourself. If you're able, Waste Management is allowing anyone to bring branches anrj brush to the compost site east of Easton Avenue 24 hours a day unit! Friday Waste Management — 291-4553 • Call a professional. If it's large, on your own property or touching a power line, it's best to call someone who's licensed and insured Planetary Tree Service — 234-2563; Black Hawk Tree Service — 433-0138, J^f'^-^*, MidAmerican .$ ' " Energy Company — 800-799-4443. COURIER Graphic

The city has three forestry crews and sometimes the street RICK CHASE / Courier Staff Photograpfior department out clearing brush along city rights-of-way — Mitch Baruth, front, and Josh Thorpe, top, of Planetary Tree Service, work on the six-hour job of taking streets, sidewalks and other down a free in the front yard of Dave Knipp on Sunrise Boulevard in Waterloo. The tree was damaged in Saturday's ice storm. byways. He hasn't even begun to think David Fuchs of Sherman Nursabout the 52 parks and golf ery in Charles City reported courses. "Including parks, we're figuring "minimal" damage to his young WATERLOO (AP) - Rep. Braley and neighbors about a month's worth of work," trees. "There's nothing here large Bruce Braley, D-Iowa, used chain saws to remove Derifield said, noting most nonknows firsthand the effect the branch, a spokesman emergency callers can expect the enough to damage," said Jack Meyers of Meyers Nursery. "You of the winter storm that top- said. city to respond within a week to get to those 60-70-foot trees and pled trees and power poles. Braley's family also were two weeks. A 40-foot tree branch affected by the storm. This weekend alone, he's gotten a 30-mile-an-hour wind, that hurts them." snapped under the weight A nephew and his family "a couple hundred" calls. of ice and fell on Braley's lost power to their home Those in the tree growing busiWaterloo home Saturday, and were staying with relaness came out of the storm none Contact Amie Steffen at (319) 291-1405 or causing minor damage. tives, the spokesman said. the worse for wear.

Braley gets hands-on experience with storm

[email protected].

Farmers work round the clock to protect livestock By MATTHEW WILDE Courier Staff Writer

HUDSON — Farmers are working overtime to make sure their pigs and cattle remain healthy in the aftermath of one of the worst winter storms in decades. . Thousands of Northeast Iowa farms are still without power today, more than three days after the lights first went dark- This could be deadly to livestock since most farms today rely on electricity to pump water, heat and ventilate buildings, run milking machines and automatic feeders. Tm going on a 24-hour-day right now" said Brent Hansen on Monday afternoon, whose family operates a dairy and milk bottling business near Hudson. Hansen's Farm Fresh Dairy is using a rented, stationary generator to provide at least partial power to me farm The family' owns two generators, but both suffered mechanical failures. A nearby dairy farmer, one of the fortunate producers with power, let the family borrow his tractorpowered generator until the rented unit arrived on Monday.. . State agriculture officials say the region's livestock is in relatively good shape since most farms have portable electric generators or farmers are sharing them with each other. However, an undetermined number of. hogs died in Franklin and Winneshiek counties due to the weekend storm when the roofs on two confinement buildings collapsed due to heavy snow. Farmers in southeast Iowa also reported to the state a

tractor-powered generator — the most popular among farmers since there isn't an extra engine to Jay Hansen, left, and Dean . maintain — running at his home Emme check the farm and two stationary gaspowered generators at two other breakers before farms keeping hog buildings powering up a operating properly. generator being Since early Saturday morning, rented by Delagardelle figures his tractor Hansen Farm already has consumed more Fresh Dairy in than 100 gallons of diesel fuel At Hudson so they well over $2 a gallon, he will pay can continue more for electricity for that one their milking and bottling generator for a few days than . operation during most homeowners pay for a few the power months. outage from the However, Delagardelle said the weekend ice expense is worth it when it comes storm. to the health of his animals. "In confinements you have to keep the air moving," he said, by," Hinrichs said. referring to the buildup of potenHe purchased a generator in tially dangerous fumes. "It would the early 1980s, following a storm be a total disaster (without generthat left the farm without power ators)." for several days. A neighbor was State ag officials said they are kind enough to share a generator receiving reports of producers then, but the experience was needing generators to provide enough to convince him to buy power to buildings and water his own. supplies. Producers needing genHinrichs didn't like spending erators should call the Center for thousands of dollars on a piece Agriculture Security at (515) 281of equipment that's rarely used, 5798. but he said if cows don't get Producers who have suffered milked in a timely fashion, it can livestock deaths or other emerruin an animals' mammary sys- gencies should call their local tem. sheriff's office or emergency "A lot of farmers don't have a management agency or the agrihuge investment like dairy cattle, culture desk at the State Emer(a generator) is like an insurance gency Operations center at (515) policy," Hinrichs added. 323-4267. Keeping farms in power, at least partially, will hit farmers hard in Contact Matthew Wilde the pocket book. Tom Dela- at (319) 291-1579 or gardelle of rural Dunkerton has a [email protected]. SCOTT MUSSELL/ Courier Staff Photographer

limited amount of calving deaths due to cold buildings without electricity. "If you have a generator you're in pretty good shape. If you don't, you're not," said .Caleb Hunter, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship spokesman. Unlike decades ago when the wind pumped water and animals were fed by hand on small family farms, today's larger operations rely on electricity. Owning a generator is a necessity, farmers say. Keeping automatic watering and reeding systems on is the only way to satisfy thirsty and hungry animals in many cases. Making sure ventilation fans and heaters are working is also critical for the health of livestock in confinement buildings that are buttoned up tight in the winter.

FEBRUARY 27

1897: Marian Anderson, singer, was bom in Philadelphia. The oldest of the three daughters of Annie and John Anderson, Marian grew up with her

Livestock experts said animals can go about 12 hours without water and several days without food. Cows being milked can't go quite as long. But even though most farms have a generator, it's nowhere near business as usual Morning and evening chores, especially on dairy farms, that normally would take a few hours are taking twice as long. Due to the amount of power needed to run equipment, farmers can only do one or two tasks at a time instead of several. Dairy farmers like the Hansens and Dwight Hinrichs of Tripoli have to milk and then feed animals. The Hansens also have to figure in processing and bottling milk, which takes plenty of power as well "It takes twice as long to do everything ... but we're getting

mother and sisters in her grandmother's house after her father's early death. Anderson began singing as a toddler. Her talent was obvious and herjoy in singing led her to join the Union Baptist Church junior choir at the tender age of 6. She scrubbed floors to pay for her first formal singing lessons/and her incredible voice led the members.of the choir to help raise money so she could further her training. The Philadelphia Choral Society also gave benefit performances to raise money so that Anderson would be able to study with renowned voice coaches Agnes Reifsnyder and . Giuseppe Boghetti. .When she was 28, Boghetti entered her in the New York Philharmonic's voice competition, where she won first place in a field of ! B t S A OAHI GRFN

300 contestants. She debuted with the Philharmonic later that year, but left for Europe soon after, when it had become clear that racism in the United States was preventing her from developing her craft. She received rave reviews after her London debut in 1930, and then toured the Continent, performing in Italy, Austria, Germany and Scandinavia. With the support of Europe's . music community behind her, Anderson returned to the United States to perform in 1935. She became the first black person to perform in the White House, at the invitation of President Franklin D. and Eleanor Roosevelt. Stiil, she faced unabated racism in some quarters. In one notable incident in 1939, she was denied the use of a concert hall simply

C O U R I F R I IBRJWAN

because she was btack. However, Anderson rose above it all and continued to perform beautifully. In January 1955 at the age of 57, she became the first permanent African-American member of the Metropolitan Opera Co., and performed the role of Ulrica in Verdi's "Un Ballo" in Maschera at her debut there. Anderson won numerous awards throughout the years — the Presidential Medat of Freedom in 1963, the National Arts Medal in 1988, and a lifetime achievement award from. the Grammys in 1991, to name but a few. Anderson died at the home of her nephew in Portland, Ore., on April 8,1993. v 1ffr Charlotte Ray, first black fernafe lawyer, graduated Harvard University _

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