The Good
Helping a cause is important, especially when it touches many lives. Thousands of motorcyclists from across the Midwest are expected to join in the second annual Ride for the Cure on Oct. 3 to help fight breast cancer. Bikers will gather on Oct. 3 at Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino for a 9:30 a.m. departure. The pack will travel along U.S. Highway 6 until they reach the Newton Speedway. There, riders will complete a lap of the 7/8 mile track. Not only a good cause, but the group will also be working toward setting two Guinness World Records — the largest organized motorcycle ride and the largest human pink ribbon (pink bandanas will be sold for $1 and used to create the pink ribbon).
Who says football is worthless? Last week, Ukraine defeated Portugal 5-4 to take home the Milan 2009 Homeless World Cup, the annual international football tournament that gives people who are homeless the opportunity to change their own lives. According to officials, 77 percent of players experience a significant life change — no longer using drugs and alcohol, but rather finding jobs or education, repairing relationships and moving into homes.
The Bad
What a difference a decimal point makes. The University of Notre Dame accidentally paid ex-catering employee Sara Gaspar $29,387 on April 17. Notre Dame says Gaspar was to be paid only $29.87, but was overpaid because of a typing error discovered in late May. Now the university has a lawsuit against Gaspar, accusing her of unjust enrichment, fraud and conversion. Gaspar thought “finally something wonderful had happened,” referring to the check she received and has since spent on a new car and other bills. Gaspar says in court documents that she called the school’s catering department three times about the payment, but didn’t hear anything back until a threatening phone call in June. We now understand why the university’s nickname is “The Fighting Irish.”
There was a time when Homecoming Week meant school spirit and toilet paper in the trees. Over the years, school officials have unfortunately changed their mind when dealing with this harmless fun. Knoxville High School canceled most of its homecoming activities last week, punishing students after a group of unknown “vandals” coated the school windows with some of the most dangerous stuff out there — condiments. Nearly every window, along with the front door of the building, was covered in eggs, ketchup, mustard, cooking oil and Crisco. Oh the horror! The principal asked those guilty to come forward and accept responsibility, but, surprisingly, no one did. The school still played its home football game, but that’s about it. We’re sure students were highly offended by the racial undertones mustard can portray.
The Ugly
It was supposed to be Annie Le’s big day — her wedding day — but it was nothing close as law enforcement officials found the strangled body of the 24-year-old pharmacology student in the basement wall of an off-campus medical research building. Raymond Clark, a Yale University lab technician, was taken into custody last Thursday when he was apprehended at a Super 8 motel in Cromwell, Conn. New Haven Police Chief James Lewis says the murder was an instance of “workplace violence.” Clark’s court date is scheduled for Oct. 6, and he is being held on $3 million bond.
Cut! Looks like the seedy side of Hollywood has already infected the Iowa film industry. Last week, Iowa’s economic development director, MikeTramontina, suddenly resigned after informing state leaders of a number of financial abuses including only providing receipts for two of the 18 film projects that have taken advantage of the tax break. On Monday, Vince Lintz, deputy director of the Iowa Department of Economic Development, turned in his resignation and Gov. Culver fired Iowa Film Office manager Tom Wheeler, who was in charge of negotiating tax-credit deals with movie makers. The tax credit, which was dubbed “Half-Price Filmmaking,” allowed producers to obtain as much as half the budget in transferable Iowa income tax credit certificates. Gov. Culver has requested that all future expenditures for the movie tax credit be suspended until questions can be answered. CV
