On August 2, 2009, the "Des Moines Register" reported that Branstad might run for the Republican nomination for governor. On October 7, 2009, Branstad filed papers to run for governor in the 2010 election. According to a poll taken in September 2009 by "The Des Moines Register", he had a 70% positive rating from Iowans compared to Governor Chet Culver's rating of 50%.
On June 8, 2010, Branstad won the Republican primary election in Iowa; on January 2, 2010, he won the general election.
On December 8, 2016, Branstad accepted President-elect Donald Trump's nomination of him for the post of United States Ambassador to China (PRC).
Branstad was confirmed by the United States Senate on a 83-12 vote on May 22, 2017, and was succeeded as Governor of Iowa by Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds once he resigned to take up the ambassadorship.
Branstad announced his resignation on September 15, 2020. He left the ambassadorship on October 4, 2020.
Ford Expedition
The Ford Expedition is a full sized SUV that can carry up to nine people. This SUV debuted around 1997 as a replacement for Ford Bronco. The vehicle is used by EMS, by law enforcement and by fire department agencies.
Chironex fleckeri
Chironex fleckeri, commonly known as sea wasp, is a well-known, lethal, venomous species of Box jellyfish. It lives in coastal waters from northern Australia and New Guinea north to the Philippines and Vietnam. Humans can easily be killed by its sting. It is considered the most lethal jellyfish in the world because of the numerous incidents resulting in injury or death to humans.
2010–2011 Queensland floods
The 2010–11 Queensland floods were a series of floods in Australia which began in December 2010 and ended in January 2011. The majority of the floods were in Queensland including its capital city, Brisbane. The rain also caused floods further south in central and western Victoria. at least 90 towns flooded. A huge area of Queensland, the size of Texas and France combined, was flooded. The floods forced thousands of people to leave their homes. At least 70 towns In Queensland and over 200,000 people were affected. Three-quarters of the state of Queensland has been declared a disaster zone. The 2010–2011 floods have killed 35 (not 30) people across Queensland since November and 14 are still missing. More than 20 people have died in flash floods between Brisbane and Toowoomba.
The floods were caused by heavy rain from tropical cyclone "Tasha" that joined with a trough during a La Niña event. La Niña is an unusual weather pattern, which brings wet weather to eastern Australia. The 2010 La Niña was the strongest since 1973. This caused heavy rainfall across Queensland. December 2010 was the wettest on record, with 107 places getting their highest rainfalls ever. The state average rainfall level of 404.7mm was much bigger than the old record of 369mm set in 1975. 2010 was also recorded as the state's wettest spring since 1900 and Australia's third wettest year. Flooding started across parts of the state in early December. On 28 December a monsoonal trough crossed the coast from the Coral Sea, bringing very heavy rain from the Gulf of Carpentaria to the Gold Coast.
About 300 roads were closed, including nine major highways. Many places, including Condamine and Chinchilla were flooded several times. Coal railway lines were closed and many mine sites flooded. The floods have caused fruit and vegetable prices to rise as crops have been destroyed. The wet conditions have also led to a large number of snakes seeking safety on the higher ground or in houses with people. Saltwater crocodiles and sharks were seen in some flooded areas of towns.
The flooding forced 8,000 people to leave Theodore, Queensland Theodore and other towns. The military transported people by helicopter to an evacuation centre at Moura, Queensland. The total evacuation of a Queensland town had never happened before.
Emerald, Queensland was cut-off by road on 29 December as the Nogoa River rose. The next day, the river level rose above the 2008 flood peak level of . At the peak of the flooding, 80% of the town was flooded, the worst the town ever experienced. 1,200 people from Emerald were listed as evacuees.
Rockhampton had nearly a week to get ready for the flood peak from the Fitzroy River, which flows through the centre of the city. The airport was closed on 1 January. A metal flood barrier was set up to protect the buildings. An evacuation centre was set up at the Central Queensland University. The Bruce Highway leading south out of Rockhampton was closed to traffic. The river reached just short the of the predicted maximum.
The Port of Gladstone cut back its coal exports because the coal piles at the port were too wet and further coal deliveries could not be made by rail. The Goonyella railway line which is used by a number of coal mines in the Bowen Basin was closed for one week and shipments of grain were also stopped.
The towns of Gayndah, Queensland and Mundubbera, Queensland when the Burnett River flooded on 28–29 December. The river peaked at at Mundubbera. This was the highest river height since 1942 and flooded more than 20 houses. Downstream at Gayndah, the river peaked at with floodwaters reaching two houses. Both towns were isolated for several days and there was major disruption to the drinking water supply and local agricultural production.
Bundaberg had its worst flooding in 40 years, after the Burnett River flooded the city. Floodwater forced 300 households to leave their homes .
Ford Flex
The Ford Flex is a full size crossover which is manufactured by Ford Motor Company. Its styling was based on the concept of the Ford Fairlane. The vehicle made its debut in 2007 at the New York International Auto Show. It replaced the Ford Freestar as well as Ford Taurus X and began sales in June 2008 as a 2009 model. It was facelifted for the 2013 model year and ended production in 2019.
Rod Blagojevich
Rod R. Blagojevich (born December 10, 1956) was 40th Governor of Illinois beginning January 13, 2003 and ending January 29, 2009. He succeeded George Ryan, who would also be arrested for non-related charges. Blagojevich was the first Governor of Illinois to be impeached while in office and the first Democratic politician in over 25 years to face such charges. In February 2020, President Donald Trump ended Blagojevich's prison sentence four years earlier.
Blagojevich was born in Chicago, Illinois, the second of four children. His father, Radislav, was an immigrant steel plant laborer from a village near Kragujevac, Serbia. Blagojevich graduated from Chicago's Foreman High School after transferring from Lane Technical High School. He began boxing at a young age.
During 2002, Blagojevich campaigned for his party's nomination to become governor. Blagojevich won a close primary campaign against former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris and Chicago Public Schools Superintendent Paul Vallas, who ran well in the suburban collar counties of Chicago. Blagojevich finished strongly in Southern Illinois, winning 55% of the primary vote downstate, enough to win a primary victory by a thin margin.
In the general election, Blagojevich defeated Topinka and the Green Party's Rich Whitney, outspending Topinka $27 million to $6 million. He attempted to tie Topinka to former Republican governor George Ryan's corruption. Blagojevich won re-election.
He was arrested in December of 2008 on federal corruption charges, including conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. Blagojevich was later impeached during January 2009, convicted and removed from office on January 29, 2009. On December 7, 2011, Blagojevich was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison. He is held at Federal Correctional Institution, Englewood in Jefferson County, Colorado.