The good
Hot air balloons weren’t filling the National Balloon Classic Field in Indianola, but rather more than 25,000 music fans as the 2010 Lazerfest reached record numbers. Organized by Des Moines radio station KAZR-FM “Lazer” 103.3, this year’s festival featured two main stages that allowed smooth transitions for the one-day event that showcased 16 bands including Godsmack and Rob Zombie. Officials reported that this year’s Lazerfest was the largest festival crowd in Iowa since the Iowa Jam in the 1970s and 1980s, along with a couple of Lollapalooza stops in 1990s. With so much success since the event’s resurgence in 2007, expect more great rock for years to come.
Approximately 170 members from The Downtown Church, 323 E. Locust St., will take a week off of work and serve the metro through their “Mission in the City” campaign. From Monday, May 24 to Friday, May 28, volunteers will serve breakfast to people arriving to work in downtown, collect trash from people’s homes and wash cars in the area. “Mission in the City” will culminate with a free concert by Christian artist Phil Wickham at 7 p.m. on Friday at the Simon Estes Amphitheater.
The bad
Marijuana sales just went up in smoke. Last week, three indoor marijuana-growing operations were discovered in Montgomery County. Investigators raided the home of Gary Clark Jr., 27, of Elliott, on Tuesday, and followed up on Wednesday raiding the Red Oak homes of Jason Cornelison and Richard Jenkins, both 39. The men were charged with manufacturing marijuana. Additionally, Jenkins was charged with manufacturing methamphetamine, and Cornelison was charged with possession of methamphetamine. Officers found more than 1,400 plants with an estimated street value of $1.5 million. Local stores may want to cut back on Cheetohs as a result.
Innocent until proven guilty doesn’t always hold up to its saying. Zhao Zuohai, an alleged murderer, was released from prison last week after the man he supposedly killed in a hatchet fight reappeared 10 years after the incident. Zuohai confessed to the killing, but not after reports indicate that he was forced to drink chili water and officials set off fireworks over his head. Zuohai even narrowly escaped being executed for the crime. While in prison, his wife left him for another man, and his four children were given to other families for adoption.
The ugly
Graduation wasn’t the only thing happening at Drake University last week. Andrew George Brooks, a student at the school, had his right middle finger bitten off in a bar fight last Friday morning at The Dublin, 2307 University Ave. Officers were able to speak to Brooks after the incident at Mercy Medical Center, but he was uncooperative, only stating he was in a fight near the bathrooms. Officers identified a possible suspect, but no charges have been filed as of press time. With all the fights, underage drinking, alleged drink tampering and sexual assaults over the past year, we’re wondering if the Drake neighborhood misses the days of dealing with simple noise complaints.
A Pleasant Hill police officer who crashed his police vehicle on April 1 and was charged with misdemeanor drug possession has been fired. Former Sgt. Daniel Edwards, who is suspected of stealing drugs from the department’s evidence room, was dismissed the same day state law enforcement officials announced he faced additional charges of third-degree burglary and operating a vehicle while intoxicated. State investigators confirmed Edwards was under the influence of methamphetamine at the time of the wreck. CV
