Outdoors: New contour maps reveal lakes’ secrets

New high-tech contour maps are providing more accurate information in attempts to catch fish and restore lakes.

Data have been collected through the use of special sonar equipment on 44 publicly owned lakes in the state, said fisheries biologist Mike Hawkins of Spirit Lake.

Hawkins said contour maps of Iowa lakes have not been made since the 1970s, when they were hand-drawn. Many lake beds have changed, and in some lakes new structure has been added.

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As economy slows, some locals hope for the best

Raymond Porco said he's thankful he has a paycheck.

His wife just lost her job in the financial services industry. The dollar's low value alarmed him greatly on a recent trip to Mexico.

And he's worried about his ability to fund his 9-year-old twin daughters' college education.

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Your Office Coach: Reprimand calls for intense focus on goal

Q. On her recent performance review, my sister was rated "below expectations." Her boss said she took too long to complete a major project. However, this really wasn't her fault.

During that time, she had a lot of computer problems. Also, management changes created some confusion, and her co-workers weren't very cooperative. But she still got a bad review.

Now she's on three months' probation with a warning that her current project must be completed on time. It's not clear what will happen if she doesn't meet the deadline.

I don't think this is fair, because many things are out of her control. And the rules seem to be different for her. My sister tries hard, despite getting little cooperation from others. I feel that "below expectations" should be for people who goof off all day.



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Eighth-grade girls from St. Gregory�s and Maryville Middle school participated in a job shadowing experience March 19.

This is the 16th year the event has been sponsored by the Maryville branch of the American Association of University Women. Job Shadow Day started as a response to an AAUW-sponsored study and report titled �Shortchanging Girls, Shortchanging America.� One of the missions of AAUW is to promote lifetime education and self-improvement for girls and women. �Job shadowing is an opportunity to encourage young women in our area to pursue as much education and training as possible,� said Bridget Brown, the event�s co-chairwoman. �It also influences young women to think about their futures and to take steps to accomplish their career goals.� The 54 eighth-graders were matched with a professional woman in the community based on student essays about careers they would like to learn more about.


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Coach's Speech Impediment No Obstacle

This is the life Jeff Walz has chosen.

First impressions mean everything. Opinions are sometimes shaped by slick sound bites.

This is his world, where players seek affirmation, where media members demand explanation, where fans want sideline entertainment.

Walz is the University of Louisville's women's basketball coach.

And he stutters.

Sometimes, painfully so.

"I know the words I want," said Walz, in his first season after serving as Maryland's chief assistant for five years. "Sometimes, it just takes me a little longer to get them out."

The spotlight has grown larger - No. 4-seeded Louisville, reaching the first Sweet 16 in program history, faces No. 1 North Carolina today in the NCAA Tournament South Region semifinals - creating a potentially uncomfortable situation, one filled with microphones and flood lights.


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Facing a travail with panache

Today is a good day for Tracy Ayers.

But then, every day is a good day for the Manhattan Middle School theater and dance teacher.

It's not that she's always happy or feeling well; she has metastatic malignant melanoma -- an advanced form of cancer with a low survival rate -- and she recently endured the hardest week of an aggressive four-week biochemotherapy program that left her sick, tired and weak.

But she's alive, and she's learned her tumor is shrinking.

"I have this overwhelming gratitude for people and life and family and sunshine," she said.

And the 39-year-old mother of two said she's never been panged by the question, "Why me?"

"Why anyone?" she said. "I try not to let my mind go negative."

That philosophy -- along with Ayers' energy, openness and grace as she struggles for her life -- have carried into Manhattan, although she's had to take medical leave.


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LWR: Florida's largest green community

In 2003, the idea of green building confused consumers who often pictured a land of futuristic homes.

"People didn't understand. They were thinking it would be dome houses or grass roofs," said Bob Sisum, director of builder programs for LWR Communities.

Risking the chance of confusion and countering it with education, Sisum introduced the idea of green building to attract a niche market and raise the bar in quality building at Lakewood Ranch. The Ranch is now the largest green community in Florida.

The Green Gallery at the Lakewood Ranch Information Center offers an educational and interactive self-guided tour of a green home's features that save money and also look attractive.

The display offers comparisons of different kinds of insulation, flooring and tile made of recycled materials and energy efficient appliances.


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