The good
Ten immigrant students from Marshalltown and members of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (CCI) participated in “March for America: Change Takes Courage” last Sunday in Washington, D.C. The event, in which more than 100,000 participated, called on Congress and the current administration to pass comprehensive immigration reform and the “DREAM ACT,” which makes college more affordable for all students, regardless of immigration status. In Marshalltown, Hispanic students have a 37.3 percent dropout rate compared to 11.3 percent for white students.
Amidst all the hype of the UNI men’s basketball team making its way among the top 16 teams in the nation, the Iowa Hawkeye wrestlers came home with yet another national championship. That’s three in a row and a total of 23, if anyone is counting, which, based on news coverage, most media organizations apparently are not. The Hawkeyes won three individual titles along the way (freshman Matt McDonough, senior Brent Metcalf and senior Jay Borschel) and earned the team crown by the largest victory in the past five years, keeping the trophy in a state with tens of thousands of fans who continue to herald the sport. Too bad so few others notice.
The bad
One Des Moines criminal had a wild and crazy weekend that ended in a strip club parking lot. Last week, Scot Davis, 52, caused havoc all over the city, beginning on March 18 at All in the Family, 4413 Fleur Drive. Davis allegedly had several beers and left the bar with a female. He returned a short time later with a rifle and demanded all the money from the cash register. Davis allegedly fired one round and chased the bartenders before leaving with more than $1,000. But being a smart criminal, Davis had handed out business cards to patrons at the bar before the incident. Officers were unable to find Davis until March 20, when employees at the Outer Limits, 6560 N.E. 14th St., called Polk County deputies after bouncers had thrown Davis out of the club around 1:30 a.m. Davis refused to leave the parking lot and was arrested on a warrant for first-degree robbery. While searching Davis, officers also found cocaine in his possession. Eat your heart out “Weekend at Bernie’s.”
A report by the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) found that the number of HIV diagnoses rose 18 percent in 2009 compared to in 2008. Increases were found in all exposure categories, including through heterosexual contact and injecting drug use. The 127 new diagnoses were 19 more than in 2008. The report also found that 55 people had progressed to AIDS within the same year as their HIV diagnosis in 2009.
The ugly
If you thought getting hit with pepper spray was bad, wait until one of these suckers explode next to you. India has created the newest hot weapon — chili. The seeds of the bhut jolokia chili, known as the world’s hottest chili, have been ground into a powder and placed inside grenades. The potent explosion will be used for crowd control, dispersing and subduing enemies in hiding. When deployed, the grenade showers the targets with a dust so spicy that in trials, subjects were blinded for hours and left with breathing problems.
“Take a bite out of crime” has a whole new meaning. New York City police are looking for a man, described as a male Hispanic in his 30s, about 6’0,” 180 lbs., who attempted to rob a cab driver with a pistol and his fangs. That’s right, after the man pulled a gun, the cabbie struggled with the suspect and appeared to have the upper hand. But the suspect attacked the cab driver, biting him ferociously on the neck and back. The attacker escaped, but was unable to take the cab drivers’ money. CV
