The good
A group of 14 cancer survivors with central Iowa ties joined about 20 others on a trip to Nepal to climb Mt. Everest last week as a demonstration that adversity can lead to personal growth. For 10 days they will trek up 18,519 feet to the South Base Camp and Kala Patthar peak. Then they will journey another 10 days back down, returning back to Iowa April 26. The "Above & Beyond: Cancer Survivors Trek to Everest" event is not only a unifying celebration of the individual survivors, but also of the cancer fighting teams sponsoring it including The Richard Deming Foundation, The American Cancer Society, Livestrong, Mercy Cancer Center, The World Tri, YMCA, The Iowa Clinic Foundation, Medical Oncology and Hematology Associates, and Bras for a Cause. Check out photos of the trek at www.theworldtri.com online.
We like pie, too. Last week, Drake University students joined forces in hopes to break a Guinness World Record. Nearly 700 students filled the Drake University Olmsted Center parking lot to participate in the world's largest custard pie fight. The previous record included 671 participants, so even though it hasn't been verified by Guinness, it looks like they'll be going into the record book. Students will have to submit proof to the Guinness authorities before the record can be confirmed. The event took place at 2 a.m. and was part of the alcohol-free program, Dogtown After Hours.
The bad
A Des Moines man was stabbed to death early Saturday morning after a fight with local man Oscar Ibarra, 20. Police do not yet know why the two men were fighting, but by the time cops arrived, Patrick D. Wilson, 42, had been stabbed multiple times and was unresponsive. They found him just before 4 a.m., north of E. Dunham Street and S.E. Eighth Street. He died in the hospital from the injuries. Ibarra was later arrested and charged with first-degree murder. He's being held at the Polk County Jail with a $500,000 cash-only bond. Sad.
Republican Tim Pawlenty is going to have to put up a heck of a fight to get to the White House, and were guessing this isn't going to help his momentum any. Last week, one of his staffers, Ben Foster, 24, was charged with public intoxication and trespassing after Ankeny police found him in a yard. Foster, who had been staying in Johnston with Republican state lawmaker Erik Helland, thought he had made it home. But Foster was really in Ankeny trying to get into the home of Stacy and Kevin Steward. The Stewards called police and reported a drunken man trying to enter their house. When officers arrived, they found Foster outside and took him into custody. Foster was placed on a two-week unpaid suspension. We don't think this was what Pawlenty had in mind for yard exposure.
The ugly
Every week we continue to be shocked by what horrible things some people will do. Marlin Dallas Lane, 29, just moved to the top of the worst list. The Marshfield, Mo., resident was charged with first-degree sodomy and first-degree rape of a 2-year-old girl. According to officials, Lane raped the girl almost 18 months ago, but nothing was reported because the girl could not verbalize what happened — that is until a doctor diagnosed the little girl with genital warts. An investigation was launched, and detectives obtained Lane's medical records, which showed he had been diagnosed with genital warts in 2007. If this pervert doesn't burn in hell, we can't imagine who will.
Talk about taking it in the can. Roosevelt High School student Jasmin Ivankovic, 15, was the first of what Des Moines police believe will be several who will be charged for graffiti violations throughout the city. Ivankovic was found by school resource officer Trudy Simonson with a backpack full of spray paint cans, and officers are attributing more than 17 other cases of graffiti to him. His unlawful form of expression earned him a Class D felony charge of second-degree criminal mischief. Ivankovic's arrest was part of the DMPD's recent focus on graffiti the last couple of weeks. Police urge citizens to report graffiti at the 24-hour hotline 237-1808.CV
