The Des Moines Register from Des Moines, Iowa • Page 1

MEN'S BASKETBALL OPENER, 3C -j OF I STUDENTS BUY MORE TICKETS flt FIND OUT WHERE THE CYCLONES MIGHT GO 'BOWLING' Dtdttus faster A DM The Newspaper Iowa Depends Upon 0 DesMoinesReister.com Trice 50 Cents in Stores and Coin Racks November 14. 2005 sramsmMamtmsssssssmmsM ISU POSTSEASON FOOTBALL, 3C BOUND FO WSmS! IOWA TOWNS BEGIN TO PICK UP PIECES leveloner Ikpt im Deep Disaster: Vilsack declares emergencies for two counties Fright: Many saw the effects of powerful twisters up close srar esi pDami With former DOT chief Mark Wandro involved at every step, the plan moves more quickly than similar projects About the series A Des Moines Register investigation of land deals leading to construction of a driver's license station in Ankeny found close ties among developers, politicians and a nonprofit aviation expo. Coming Tuesday Then-Department of Transportation chief Mark Wandro agreed to purchase the driver's license site at Bill Knapp's suggestion with no public input after rejecting bids for a new station and extending a lease with Dennis Elwell at the existing station. The Ankeny station will cost the public more than would have other proposed locations that Wandro rejected. DAVID PETERStWTHE REGISTER In Stratford: Kim Runyan is comforted by a friend Sunday as she clutches family photos that were found near her mother-in-law's home, which was leveled by a tornado Saturday.

Runyan's mother-in-law, Lucille Runyan, was killed in the storm. By TIM HIGGINS and BERT OALMER REGISTER STAFF WRITERS Copyright 2005 Des Moines Register rid Tribune Company Just south of Ankeny on a six-lane stretch of Interstate Highway 35, drivers are pointed to a brand new road with a name rich in suburban promise: Corporate Woods Drive. The drivers who turn east off the interstate, though, encounter common farmland rather than gleaming buildings. One of the few structures in sight is a remnant of failure at the site: a mock aircraft carrier labeled the USS Expo, a prop for a scale-model air show that flopped in the 1990s. When the expo sank, the $23 million Corporate Woods interchange surfaced rapidly to the benefit of developers who bought the land at a bargain price.

A Des Moines Register examination of the road's fast development shows ties among government officials and those same developers, who were kept in the loop as the interchange was planned and their land skyrocketed in value. For example: Developers Bill Knapp, Dennis Elwell and their associates were included in private communications about the interchange's planning, including a private meeting at Knapp's office with officials, including Mark Wandro, who was then the state transportation director. While he was an assistant engineer for Polk County, Wandro was an initial advocate of the How to help Find out where you can send donations to help the storm victims. Page 8A Damage report Read about cleanup efforts in many of the towns hit by Saturday night's tornadoes. Page 9A Not unusual Tornadoes in November are surprisingly common, a meteorologist said Sunday.

Find out what causes them so late in the year. Page 9A By JENNIFER JACOBS, TIM HIGGINS andJULI PR0BASC0-S0WERS REGISTER STAFF WRITERS As a tornado exploded windows and tore open the front door, a wicked gust propelled Stratford resident Dorothy Krejci, 81, from her living room into her dining room. She landed under a table and huddled there as the back walls and the roof ripped away. Her possessions were sucked outside. "All I did was pray," Krejci said.

An 82-year-old neighbor two doors away, Lucille Runyan, was the only person to die in the string of central Iowa tornadoes Saturday evening that destroyed at least 52 homes. Runyan was the first recorded fatality from a November tornado in Iowa history. Krejci's most serious injury was a badly bruised arm. She wore a sling Sunday, and tiny specks of grit clung to her hair as she watched her husband search for family photos. Across the tornado zone Sunday, Iowans See TORNADOES, Page 8A 4tt A J75i interchange in the months before Knapp and Dwell bought the expo land.

The interchange project rose rapidly on a list of metro area road projects to win big grants. The city of Ankeny spent more money than Polk County officials deemed necessary for cosmetic upgrades at the interchange. Wandro assisted in the process. The site won't be barren for much longer. Knapp suggested to Wandro that the state build a new driver's license station there, and Wandro authorized the purchase of seven acres with See INTERCHANGE, Page 4A HOLLY McQUEENTHE REGISTER In Gilbert: Trevor Jensen of Boone walks Sunday past a shed that was damaged in a Saturday tornado.

Jensen was keeping some of his belongings in his father-in-law's shed during a move. Role in cutting farm subsidies may affect Nussle's campaign have sought to limit the political fallout of the budget cuts in rural America. The reduction in payments to grain and cotton Iraqi woman admits role in Jordan blasts KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS Amman, Jordan An Iraqi woman confessed on Jordanian television Sunday that she tried to blow herself up at a crowded wedding party at a hotel in the Jordanian capital last week, but the explosives vest she wore under her dress failed to detonate. Three other bombers killed 57 people and injured more than 100 in three nearly simultaneous bombings at luxury hotels on Wednesday. The terrorist group Al-Qaida in Iraq later claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Articles, Page 14A Nussle would have an effect," said Gary Edwards, a corn grower near Anamosa. "Most farmers wouldn't even notice that." Overall, the package of spending cuts would total $50 billion over five years and includes reductions in spending for Medicaid, the health program for the poor; student loans; and food stamps. The biggest impact in Iowa is likely to be in the increase in the cost of student loans and the reduction in state aid for child-support enforcement. The effect on Nussle's See NUSSLE, Page 1 0A Federal spending trims are on the table as the House Budget panel leader and Republican runs for governor. By PHILIP BRASHER REGISTER WASHINGTON BUREAU Washington, D.C U.S.

Rep. Jim Nussle has an unusual entry on his resume as he's running for governor of Iowa: He's in charge of passing a package of budget cuts that will reduce farm subsidies. But Nussle, the chairman of the House Budget Committee, and fellow Republicans farmers $212 million over five years is less than the cut proposed by the Senate. The House would cut only one form of subsidy to farmers and by just 1 percent. The Senate wants a 2.5 percent reduction across the board in farm payments.

"If it's a 1 percent cut, that's all it is, I don't think that See some of Duffy's cartoons online: OesMoinesRegister.comduffy WEATHER INDEX Editorials 12A Ken Fuson 13A lowaLife 1E Letters 12A Lotteries 2A HIGH 50' LOW 34 Printed with SOY INK FOR DELIVERY CALL: (515) 284-8311 (800) 365-4692 A GANNETT NEWSPAPER Business Career 1D Comics 5E Crossword 4E Dear Abby 3E Richard Doak 13A "4090 1 Movies 6E Obituaries 5B People in the News 2A TV Guide 4E Workbytes 1D Mostly cloudy, chance of showers late Details, Page 6B Copyright 2005 Des Moines Register and Tribune Company llfctPMfeaA ft.