KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Romeo Crennel joined a long list of Chiefs dealing with illness and injury on Thursday.  Kansas City’s coach was hobbling around on crutches after having fluid drained from his left knee. Crennel said it’s been bothering him “off and on” all season, and it barked enough Wednesday night that he visited a doctor, who drained a significant amount of fluid.

Crennel said he plans to coach from the sideline as usual on Sunday at Denver. If the knee is still bothering him, he’ll move up to the press box. Running back Jamaal Charles and linebacker Tamba Hali were back in the building after missing practice Wednesday due to illness. Others who have missed practice this week include center Ryan Lilja, defensive end Tyson Jackson, left tackles Donald Stephenson and Branden Albert, tight end Tony Moeaki and wide receiver Terrance Copper.

The first significant snowfall of the season last week had area snowmobilers out enjoying their machines and hoping for more snow to keep them active. Cass County Recorder Joyce Jensen says before you begin your next adventure in the open, you should be aware the State of Iowa has made some changes in snowmobile registration, license renewal, titling and assignment of liens.

Jensen says her office uses the Recreational Vehicle and Vessel Registration, or RVVRS (pronounced “Rivers”) System. She reminds snowmobile enthusiasts that registrations for your machine or machines are due no later than the end of this month. Jensen says registrations are due by December 31^st, if you want to avoid a penalty.

In addition she says, there are some new requirements when it comes to using snowmobiles on public land. Jensen says all snowmobiles, regardless of owner residency status, used on public land, public ice, and designated snowmobile trails in the State of Iowa, must display and IDNR User Permit.

User permits are required in addition to a valid registration. And, Jensen says also the State requires insurance cards or proof of insurance in order for snowmobiles to be used on the highways. There are new rules as well, regarding the use of snowmobiles for“Water Skipping.”

She says you are welcome to come into the Cass County Recorder’s Office to pick up a booklet containing information on all the new changes, which Joyce and her staff will go over with you. She says she hopes to see all snowmobile enthusiasts in her office over the next few days to get their registration up-to-date and go over the new rules.

w/ Jim Field

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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Houston Rockets coach Kevin McHale says he’s unsure of first-round draft pick Royce White’s future with the team.   White, a former Iowa State star, has been away from the team all season while sparring with the Rockets on how to treat his anxiety disorder. White has been vocal about the situation on Twitter, but has given no indication about when he will rejoin the team.

McHale was asked before the game against Minnesota on Wednesday when White would return to the team. He seemed genuinely puzzled, saying “that’s a good question. I don’t know.”  McHale is still getting back up to speed following an extended absence to deal with the sudden death of his daughter.

He says “as crazy as it sounds, you’re just kind of going with the guys who are there.”

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – An illness running through the Kansas City Chiefs the past few weeks kept running back Jamaal Charles, linebacker Tamba Hali and left tackle Donald Stephenson out of practice Wednesday. Coach Romeo Crennel said that Hali and Stephenson were sent home soon after arriving at the team’s practice facility. Charles was sent home a short time later.

Last week, wide receivers Jon Baldwin and Josh Bellamy, defensive backs Brandon Flowers and Neiko Thorpe and defensive tackle Jerrell Powe missed time due to illness. Safety Eric Berry and guard Jeff Allen have also been sick recently. Defensive tackle Tyson Jackson, left tackle Branden Albert, center Ryan Lilja, wide receiver Terrance Copper and tight end Tony Moeaki missed practice due to injuries Wednesday.

The Chiefs (2-13) finish their season Sunday at Denver.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – The joke running through Jacksonville these days carries the same punch line as the one in Kansas City:  “Our team is so bad it can’t even stink in the right year.”  The Chiefs and Jaguars will vie for the top pick in the NFL draft in separate games Sunday. But the value of “winning” the race to the NFL’s worst record is debatable in a year without a clear, franchise-changing prospect.

The Chiefs and Jaguars are both 2-13, but the Chiefs hold the tiebreaker for the No. 1 pick because of their weakness of schedule. The only way Jacksonville can take it is by losing to Tennessee and Kansas City beating Denver. That would give the Jaguars the worst overall record.

The Iowa basketball team is enjoying a break from games after going 11-2 to open the season. Coach Fran McCaffery says his team has stayed resilient in the face of a tough early schedule. “You know we had six games in nine days, a trip to Mexico and then we come back and we go right down to Virginia Tech…and then we had the in-state rivalry games. You know a lot of teams play rivalry games, and most of the time it’s one,” McCaffery says. He says multiple rivalry games take an emotional toll.

“That’s very difficult on a team, you get rev’d up to play Iowa State, we have an emotional win and then we have to turn right back around and do it again. I don’t know if anybody realizes how difficult that is, and what an incredible accomplishment that was” McCaffery says. He says he is pleased with their resiliency, their unselfishness, their depth and leadership.

Iowa returns to action New Year’s Eve to open the Big Ten season against Indiana.

(Radio Iowa Sports)

The Iowa State football team arrived in Memphis Wednesday in preparation for the Liberty Bowl on New Year’s Eve. The Cyclones also had their first practice at Rhodes College the same day. Cyclone Coach Paul Rhoads said there are various events scheduled for the team through the week along with the practices.  “The schedule by the Liberty Bowl is very accommodating, there are certain things that we’re involved with, but we practice in the morning to try and avoid those,” Rhoads said.

Today (Thursday) there’s an event that has them switching around the schedule. “So we’ve got to practice in the afternoon and have meetings in the morning, so there’s that kind of adjusting that you have to do. But our maturity I think will be able to handle that,” Rhoads said.

One event will have some players visit the St. Judes Research Hospital, while Saturday night the players will attend an NBA game between the Memphis Grizzlies and the Denver Nuggets. The teams will wrap up practices with a walk-through and photo session at the Liberty Bowl Stadium on Sunday. Then it’s the game against Tulsa on Monday at 2:30 Iowa time. The 6-6 Cyclones got one of their victories against Tulas in the season opener in Ames. Tulsa went on to win 10 games and had only two more losses.

(Radio Iowa Sports)