The good
Why not live in Des Moines? Our city was recently named the best place for business and careers by Forbes magazine. The metro’s low cost of living and doing business, educated work force and employment growth landed the city — which was ranked No. 7 last year — on the top of the list. Des Moines beat out Provo, Utah (No. 2), Raleigh, N.C. (No. 3), Fort Collins, Colo. (No. 4), and Lincoln, Neb., (No. 5). In 2009, Marketwatch, another financial publication, ranked Des Moines the No. 1 place in the nation for doing business. Forbes also ranked cities on income growth, crime, cultural and recreational opportunities, and percentage of subprime mortgages.
Various reports have stated that approximately 25 occupied homeless camps have existed in the metro area, until last weekend. A large number of these homeless camps were cleaned up last weekend with the help of 140 volunteers. Joppa, a local homeless outreach organization, is in its second year helping to organize spring cleaning in the camps. Volunteers cleared about 10 tons of debris. Joppa founder, Joe Stevens, believes there are at least 80 unsheltered individuals in the area now.
The bad
Looks like an Urbandale man was trying to “pump…you up.” Des Moines narcotic officers recently raided an alleged steroid manufacturing operation in Urbandale and seized more than 100 vials of liquid steroids. The bust was tied to an earlier arrest of Dale Douglas Kinkade, 31, of 12116 Ridgeview Drive, Urbandale, who was charged with possession with intent to deliver steroids, manufacturing steroids and carrying a weapon in a vehicle without a permit. Narcotic officers reported Kinkade was allegedly buying steroids from China and the Philippines and was having them delivered to a post office box in West Des Moines. Officials stated that narcotics officers from the Waterloo-Cedar Falls area drug task force developed a suspect on their end, leading to Kinkade’s arrest.
A Hamburglar copycat? James Patterson, 45, was sentenced to more than two years in prison for stealing thousands of dollars in meat from a Minnesota trucking company. Patterson, along with his wife, pleaded guilty to theft by fraud, money laundering and conspiracy. Patterson was also ordered to pay more than $375,000 in restitution. He may have grilled himself into the big house.
The ugly
Here’s yet another reason why people should not have dogs with violent tendencies as pets. Police in New Port Richey, Fla., say a pit bull terrier mauled a 7-day-old baby boy to death. According to officials, the baby’s 16-year-old mother didn’t discover her son was dead until a neighbor knocked on the door, waking her up around noon. The mother answered the door and then turned around and discovered her son’s fatally mauled body. The dog belonged to the baby’s father and was taken away by county animal services. We’re not sure if the dog should be put down, or the mother. Probably both.
So much for good Samaritans. Last week in Los Angeles, Calif., an unidentified nurse was carjacked after she tried to help an accident victim. While she was filling her car with gas, she saw a car hit a utility pole, which then fell on a nearby pedestrian. The nurse ran across the street to help, but then Deserie Guzman, 28, hopped in the nurse’s car and started the engine. When the nurse ran back, Guzman hit the gas, dragging the nurse along until she fell, hit the pavement and blacked out. Guzman sped off toward the freeway, hit another car about a mile away and tried to flee on foot but was later apprehended. The nurse suffered minor injuries, but the pedestrian who was hit with the traffic signal pole tragically died. CV
