The good

One of Des Moines’ first malls was on the brink of becoming a boarded-up eye sore until the Iowa Barnstormers football team made a play that saved the Southridge Mall. Project leaders will start raising the $6 million needed to transform the building’s west wing into an indoor soccer facility with a completion goal of 2013. “This is about youth sports. This is a facility the state of Iowa needs, and we don’t have,” said Jeff Lamberti of the Iowa Barnstormers. “It’s going to serve youth throughout the state of Iowa, and that’s what the Barnstormers are all about.” Other changes include new entrances and new store fronts, and DMACC has expressed interest in opening a satellite school that could house 2,000 students.

You know how in the movies, a terrible tragedy can end in a divine miracle that leads to a happy ending? Well, in Monique van der Vorst’s case, Adam Sandler might as well start casting for characters. Paralyzed at the age of 13 from the hips down due to nerve damage, van der Vorst went on to become a Paralympic medalist competing in a wheelchair. While training for the upcoming 2012 Paralympics, her wheelchair collided with a bicycle in the streets, which was being operating by a sprint cyclist. Her treatment in the hospital led to a full recovery. Now at the age of 27, van der Vorst walked out of the hospital and is currently training to compete in the 2016 Olympics as a cyclist. If she and the sprint cyclist that hit her fall in love, this would make a perfect Lifetime Channel movie.

The bad

The way some kids treat their parents is downright horrible. Two Illinois siblings were arrested after they beat their mom bloody because she took away their beer. According to police, they were called to the residence on a domestic disturbance. Upon arrival, they found the mother bleeding with a black eye. She told officers that her children — Brittany Ferguson, 20, and Lindell Ferguson, 18 — had beat her up after she threw away several cans of beer because they were not old enough to drink. Both teens fled the scene but were picked up a few days later. Both Brittany and Lindell were charged with multiple counts of domestic battery.

Oh, what bittersweet irony. Marcin Kasprzak told London courts he was bored with his relationship and wanted to start anew, so he buried his fiancé alive in a cardboard box that his friend Patryk Borys helped him seal with tape and transport to a secluded area in the woods. After Michelina Lewendowska, 27, was buried, she began to scratch at the box with the diamond engagement ring Kasprzak had given her. The ring tore through the tape, and she eventually was able to dig her way to the surface. Diamonds really are a girl’s best friend.

The ugly

This woman should be ashamed. Indiana resident Ashley Stapert, 21, was arrested last week after sexually assaulting her friend’s 6-month-old daughter. But that’s not even the worst part — the child contracted genital warts from the assault. According to police, an investigation was launched after the little girl arrived at the hospital and was diagnosed with the sexually transmitted disease. Stapert eventually admitted to fondling and performing a sexual act on the infant after the mother told police that she had let Stapert and her boyfriend stay at her house and watch the baby. Stapert was arrested and charged with multiple counts of child molestation.

Showing your relatives a lot of love around the holidays is common, but not like this. Texas native, Amanda Billiris, 23, was arrested last week after relatives caught her having sex with her 15-year-old nephew during a family Thanksgiving celebration. Billiris was arrested and charged with second-degree sexual assault of a child. She apparently got all the stuffing she needed. CV