A state legislative panel has voted to block a rule that would’ve banned the use of lead shot by dove hunters. Tuesday’s action will allow hunters to use lead shot when the inaugural dove hunting season opens September 1st. Representative Clel Baudler, a Republican from Greenfield, is not on the legislative committee but requested to testify before his colleagues. “This is nothing but an anti-hunting issue,” Baudler said. “I hope you’ll do the right thing and stop this rule from going into effect.” Baudler believes the Natural Resource Commission overstepped its authority when it approved the ban last month.

“We have a situation here in Iowa with the Department of Natural Resources…it appears, from the hunting community, to be very anti-hunting,” Baudler said. Other hunters testified that lead shot is toxic to wildlife and that using copper or steel ammunition is an easy alternative. Liz Garst of Coon Rapids is a former chair of the Natural Resource Commission.

“If we hunters persist in saying we’re exempt from the environmental problems of lead, we hunters are going to get a black mark in the public’s eye,” Garst said. She pointed to research that shows increasing lead poisoning in bald Eagles. But lawmakers say it’s up to Iowa Legislature to review the data and decide if the rule should stand. The legislature must now repeal the ban on lead shot during the next session, or it goes into effect for the 2012 dove hunting season.

(Radio Iowa)

Hunters who plan to pursue doves this fall will be allowed to use lead shot except on wildlife areas that require the use of non-toxic shot for hunting any species, except deer and turkey, which are listed on p. 16 of the Iowa Hunting and Trapping regulations booklet available at more than 800 locations in Iowa and online at www.iowadnr.gov/hunting<http://www.iowadnr.gov/hunting>. The correction in the regulations booklet is on p. 3 under the heading Highlights or Changes to the 2011-2012 Hunting and Trapping Regulations that states: Hunters are required to use non-toxic shot to hunt doves. The non-toxic shot requirement was discussed during the Administrative Rules Review Committee Tuesday that placed a session delay on it to allow the Iowa legislature to address the requirement.

     DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Barnstormers say Mike Hohensee (HOH’-ehn-see) has been hired as head coach.  The Arena Football League team said in a news release Tuesday that Hohensee also will be director of football operations.  Hohensee is familiar to AFL fans: He was head coach of the Chicago Rush for almost 10 years. He also has worked for AFL franchises in five other cities.  Hohensee takes over immediately for interim head coach J.T. Smith, who had replaced John Gregory when he resigned in May.
     The Des Moines team finished the season with a 5-13 record, missing the playoffs.

The Atlantic Golf & Country Club/Nishna Hills men’s golf mixer scheduled for tonight at the Atlantic Golf & Country Club has been cancelled due to wet grounds.

w/ Jim Field

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     PITTSBURGH (AP) – Ryan Doumit (DOH’-miht) went 4 for 4 and hit a tiebreaking three-run home run to lift the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 6-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night.  Doumit’s homer in the fourth inning off Jake Westbrook (9-7) snapped a 1-1 tie and helped Pittsburgh break its three-game losing
streak. The switch-hitting catcher matched a career high with his sixth four-hit game.  St. Louis, which had won three of its last four, fell six games behind Milwaukee in the NL Central. The Brewers beat the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday night.  Xavier Paul, who homered, and Neil Walker each had two hits for the Pirates, and James McDonald (8-6) pitched 5 2-3 uneven innings to end his three-start winless streak. McDonald allowed two runs and six hits while walking two and striking out four.

     KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that high school outfielder Bubba Starling and the Kansas City Royals agreed late Monday night to a minor league contract with a $7.5 million signing bonus.  The person spoke on condition of anonymity because terms of the deal were not disclosed.
     The signing bonus is payable over three years because Starling is a two-sport athlete. There was some question whether he would sign with the Royals before the deadline or play quarterback for Nebraska, where he had received a scholarship offer.  Starling was the fifth overall pick out of Gardner, Kan., a short drive south of Kansas City. The 18-year-old was widely considered the best high school prospect in the June draft.

     HOUSTON (AP) – The Chicago Cubs recalled left-hander Scott Maine from Triple-A Iowa on Monday to fill the empty roster spot after starting pitcher Carlos Zambrano was placed on the disqualified list.  Maine is 0-0 with a 10.29 ERA in seven games this season. He last pitched for the Cubs on May 30 against Houston, allowing three
runs in an inning. For his career, Maine is 0-0 with a 4.95 ERA in 20 games.  The Cubs were left with an open roster spot when they placed Zambrano on the disqualified list Saturday. He cleaned out his locker and left the team after giving up five home runs and being ejected Friday in Atlanta. He did not return to the team Saturday.
     The Cubs said Zambrano would not receive pay or be allowed to participate in team activities during the 30-day suspension.

     CHICAGO (AP) – Embattled Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano says he’d like to pitch again for Chicago and was simply frustrated when he told club personnel he wanted to retire after his most recent start.  In his first public comments since the team banished him following another meltdown, Zambrano told Comcast SportsNet Chicago
in a phone interview Monday that he wants “to keep pitching for the Cubs.”  Zambrano cleaned out his locker and talked about retiring after giving up five homers and being ejected from Friday night’s 10-4 loss to Atlanta following two inside pitches to Chipper Jones. He says he intended to be at the ballpark the next day, but his agent
Barry Praver told him not to “because we were in the middle of discussions with the union and the Cubs.”  The Cubs placed Zambrano on the disqualified list Saturday and
said the right-hander would receive no pay and have no part in team activities for 30 days after the latest in a long line of incidents.