The Good
Forget about searching for Saint Nicholas across the globe. Several local businesses, churches and homes are using tracking technology in a cause to bring smiles to children in need this upcoming holiday season. Operation Christmas Child, the world’s largest Christmas project, allows residents to pack shoebox gifts for children in more than 100 countries suffering from natural disaster, war, terrorism, disease, famine and poverty. Donors can follow their boxes to the destination country where it will be hand-delivered to a child.
Some good news for The Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority (DART). Last week, DART was awarded a $210,000 grant from the Iowa Department of Resources Reduce Iowa’s Diesel Exhaust program. The money will be put to good use, as DART plans to install clean diesel engines in 12 of its buses. Those engines will reduce diesel emissions by up to 90 percent and improve the fuel economy by 15 percent. DART was selected by the DNR from nearly 50 applications. It’s good to see DART buses leaving a positive footprint, rather than running over them.
The Bad
Time is of the essence for farmers. Iowa’s harvest is almost three weeks behind schedule due to this month’s rainfall being approximately four times greater than a normal October. Iowa’s corn harvest is the latest in 42 years. The longer crops stay in the field, the more vulnerable they become. Soybean pods left on the plants too long can pop open, spilling beans onto the ground. Corn stalks can weaken through moisture-induced rotting diseases. Iowa needs one final blast of warm fall temperatures before the snow season begins.
Looks like Mayor McCheese isn’t a fan of hip hop.
Last week in the overly clean and proper state of Utah, four teenagers were charged with disorderly conduct after rapping their McDonald’s order at the drive-thru. The teens say they were imitating popular YouTube videos that feature numerous customers rapping their McDonald’s order. The employee wasn’t having it and told the kids they were holding up the line. The teenagers claim there was no one behind them, and that they ultimately left without buying anything. The employee called the cops, saying she felt her safety was at risk. Officers tracked the teenagers down at a high school volleyball game and issued them citations. Talk about super sizing nothing into something.
The Ugly
What are people smoking in Carroll? Two brainless criminals were easy to find last week after an attempted burglary. A witness called 911 to report two men with their faces painted black trying to break into an apartment. Soon after, officers pulled over a car matching the description and discovered the two occupants, Matthew Allan McNelly, 23, and Joey Lee Miller, 20, inside with permanent marker scribbled all over their faces. The two geniuses figured out a way to hide their identities cheaply in these tough economic times. Both were charged with second-degree attempted burglary, and McNelly was also charged with driving while intoxicated. The lesson here, kids — huffing markers can cause brain damage.
It’s a sad story all around, resulting in two deaths that didn’t have to happen. The body of Paul “Jud” McKinney was found dead last Friday of apparent suicide at his Winterset home. The case is being investigated as a possible carbon monoxide poisoning. McKinney, 80, faced spending the last years of his life behind bars after being suspected in a hit-and-run that killed Mark Grgurich, 54, on Aug. 30 near Cumming. Suffering from macular degeneration (a deterioration of eyesight), McKinney was scheduled to attend a pre-trial court hearing on Nov. 17. He faced charges of leaving the scene of an accident, obstruction of prosecution by destruction of evidence and failure to maintain control of a motor vehicle. The death highlights Iowa’s growing needs to address both older drivers and bicycles on rural roads. CV
