The good
She won’t receive the 15 minutes of fame that singer Susan Boyle experienced, but Molly Boyle still has plenty to be happy about. The third-grade educator was honored last week with the 2011 Teacher of the Year award. Boyle, 37, has worked in the Waukee school district since 2001 and taught for 15 years. Boyle’s accomplishment highlights the Iowa Department of Education’s annual award, which has been awarded to a teacher in the Des Moines metro in five of the past seven years. Congratulations, Mrs. Boyle.
Congrats to WHO-TV’s “SoundOff” for celebrating it’s 700th episode last weekend. The show, which has been going strong for nearly 14 years, included a number of hilarious clips featuring host Keith Murphy, original co-host The Round Guy, B-Ross and current co-host Andy Fales. Even the new guy, Chris Hassel, shined with a couple characters he’s created over the last few years. As Murphy said, “before ‘Around The Horn,’ before ‘Pardon the Interruption’ or ‘Sports Nation’ there was SoundOff.’ ” Let’s hope they’ll be around for another 700 episodes. Thanks for the laughs guys!
The bad
You might as well take a dip in the toilet. Iowa’s state park beaches continue to struggle with high fecal bacteria levels, as warnings have been administered numerous times to a number of beaches this summer. High sample readings (past the swimming limit) were discovered at eight beaches including Clear Lake, Pine Lake, Big Creek, Backbone, Emerson Bay, Lake Anita, Prairie Rose and Lake Keomah. The high fecal readings mean there is presence of organisms that can give people a number of nasty symptoms including skin infections, diarrhea and stomach sickness. Officials recommend not swallowing lake water and bathing after swimming. Or you could just stay away from the poop water.
Massive flash flooding has wreaked havoc on Iowa residents and businesses, particularly in the Lake Delhi and Lakewood areas. The news isn’t any better for those in northeast Iowa after Gov. Chet Culver announced last week that Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has denied eligibility for public assistance. On July 24, the Lake Delhi dam was breached, washing away the nine-mile lake behind it. The Lake Delhi Recreation Association, which has provided a recreational opportunity for visitors, had hoped to receive millions of dollars in federal money for dam repairs. It looks like that won’t be happening. Dam(n).
The ugly
Prepare yourself, as this could be one of the most disturbing items and ugly we’ve ever reported. A Georgia grandmother took her young grandson to a weekend getaway at the Wyndham Gardens hotel in downtown Atlanta, but the fun trip soon turned horrible. The room appeared clean, but when Grandma woke the following morning she discovered her grandson had found a used condom, with semen still inside it, and had it in his mouth, chewing on it. She pulled the condom out of his mouth and called management. Days later, the child developed a fever and had open sores inside his mouth and on his tongue. The boy is being tested for STDs, but the family is still awaiting results.
It’s too often we hear about miners trapped far beneath Earth’s surface. Last month’s incident (Aug. 5), which is still ongoing, has left 33 Chilean miners trapped 4.5 miles inside a winding mine that is approximately 2,300 feet vertically underground. Rescuers have contacted the miners, who are trapped inside a mineshaft shelter the size of a small apartment. Officials indicate the miners have stretched a 48-hour food supply into rations to last them 20 days, eating only two spoonfuls of canned fish, a half-cup of milk, half a cracker and a little canned peach every two days. Each man is believed to have lost 18 pounds so far. Officials are working to send glucose enriched mineral water and medicines, as well as other foods, in plastic tubes down the hole. Since the mine is unstable, rescuers plan to dig a new shaft to help the trapped miners escape — the only problem is that it could take 120 days to reach them. CV
