Iowa Governor Chet Culver made a trip to 42N country on Wednesday to give a speech at the groundbreaking of a local solar cell training center. Before departing the Cedar Rapids airport for Hiawatha, the Governor took a few minutes to talk with the 42N editor and a small crowd who gathered to watch a vintage B-17 take off.
Timing is everything in politics. The governor arrived just a few minutes after the B-17 "Aluminum Overcast" left for a 30-minute ride for its paying customers - including a WWII vet who last flew on a Flying Fortress in 1945. Those who helped a dozen or so passengers on a dream flight waited around until the plane returned. It was a captive crowd for the Governor, this being an election year.
After a few minutes he and his entourage left for nearby Hiawatha. What he missed within 30 minutes of his departure was the return of the B-17 and more importantly, the return of the body of a USAF Captain who was recently killed in Afghanistan. David Wisniewski's body was returned to Iowa City for ceremonies before eventually being flown to Arlington National Cemetery for burial on August 23.
Had the top state executive's staff been more attuned on the events of the day, the Governor could have attended the receiving ceremony just one hanger away by delaying the groundbreaking ceremony an hour or so. The Governor did order US flags in Iowa be flown at half staff on Saturday to honor Captain Wisniewski.
An USAF transport plane landed at the 42N's airport today along with a jet fighter escort. Most likely the transport is the advanced security support for Vice President Joe Biden's (D) visit to Cedar Rapids on Tuesday, May 17th. The VP will be in town to join Iowa Governor Chet Culver's (D) re-election announcement tour of the state. The two politicians and other party officials will be at a ceremony in Green Square Park located in downtown Cedar Rapids. Most national politicians visit Iowa and Cedar Rapids in particular during the campaign season. June's 2010 primary also opens the 2012 presidential election season here in Iowa.
Its been well over a decade since the last airshow at the Eastern Iowa Airport. These political trips by high ranking officials allows chance sightings of one of the nation's finest military transport jets and the security detail that protects all. Know that.
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Its about iconic as it comes - Iowa farmers harvesting gain from fields and delivering crop to storage bins. This 42N scene is from just north of Coggon, Iowa (42.27N, 91.52 W) on Highway 13.
Yesterday (11/8/09) corn and soybeans fields north of Coggon teamed with harvesters, grain trucks and support crews. By taking advantage of the near summer-like conditions of the past two days, the area farmers hope to get a crop in before winter snow and other wet conditions prevent further harvest.
Today Iowa Governor Chet Culver authorized additional propane deliveries to Iowa so that grain can be dried to help prevent spoilage. Didn't know you needed a governor to authorize something for your own business. Know that.
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