The good
For those who partake in decorating the Christmas tree each year, chances are only a small number of family and friends will see it. But for Marshalltown resident Sherry Goshon, approximately 60,000 people will see her ornament this holiday season, as it will be displayed on the White House Christmas tree. Selected by Congress, Goshon’s hand-decorated ornament is one of 369 that will light up the nearly 19-foot tree at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Her ornament showcases the Iowa State Flower, the Wild Rose. Artists were asked to use reds, whites and blues in their ornament design to represent America’s colors, while at the same time bringing their creativity to the ornament.

As the season of Christmas has arrived, we must not forget about the men and women in the armed forces who put their lives on the line every day so that we can enjoy what many people around the world do not have — freedom. Last week, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) nominated 50 Iowa students for appointments to the 2009 classes at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Naval Academy, Merchant Marine Academy and Military Academy. In a typical year, more than 150 young Iowans apply to pursue a career as a military officer, but only a portion of that total makes the cut. A list of this year’s area nominees follows: Benjamin Robinson, U.S. Naval Academy (Ankeny); Alec Kersey, U.S. Naval Academy (Clive); Brad Hovey, U.S. Air Force Academy (Dallas Center); Benjamin Johnson, U.S. Air Force Academy (Des Moines); Drew Long, U.S. Military Academy (Newton); Jeff Lentz, U.S. Air Force Academy (West Des Moines).

The bad
Lame. That’s the word to describe last week’s over-hyped winter storm that meteorologists across the state forecasted and had Iowans shaking in their snow boots. Sure, a few places were hit hard, but the fact is, Iowa winters are cold, icy and snowy. Was it really necessary to cancel school and events? No. This blunder put a chill on working families and businesses that had to make unnecessary changes to accomodate the error. This is Iowa. Bad weather comes with the territory, so stop worrying about a little snow and ice. Ball up and deal with it. And remember to take what the meteorologists say with a grain of salt. Ice salt that is.

Drew Peterson must have found cologne that attracts women. After four marriages, one dead ex-wife (who died suspiciously in a bathtub) and his current wife disappearing (Peterson is a suspect), Peterson is allegedly ready to walk down the aisle one more time. The Chicago Sun Times is reporting the lucky lady is 23-year-old Christina Raines, a waitress from Bolingbrook, Ill. Although she denied it, her father spoke to the paper saying, “That ain’t going to happen. I’m doing everything I can to try to get her away from him.” You’d think a guy who is a suspect in one death and one disappearance would have trouble finding another wife, but ladies seem to love the bad boys. There’s still hope, O.J.

The ugly
Ashley Truitt, of Solon, pleaded guilty last week to aggravated manslaughter of a child after she killed her newborn baby in a south Florida hotel. Truitt was sentenced to 13 years in prison, followed by five years of probation. Prosecutors said she killed her daughter by throwing the infant down a hotel trash chute after giving birth in June 2007. Truitt was vacationing in Florida with her family and had hidden the pregnancy from them. Truitt told investigators the baby was breathing and crying upon birth, and she used a kitchen paring knife to cut the umbilical cord. Officials said the baby died from blunt-force trauma to the head, after falling 70 feet. Very sad.

Note to Grandma: Looks like a western Iowa nursing home looked the other way when one of their patients got a little frisky, and are now paying for it. The Tabor Manor Care Center is facing a $3,000 fine from the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals. According to the State, the alleged sexual attacker is no longer a resident but was involved in five suspicious incidents over the course of four months. After the fifth incident, the inspections department investigated and imposed the $3,000 fine. This isn’t the first problem at Tabor Manor. Earlier this year, the home was cited for a variety of problems, including not having a registered nurse on duty each day. And last year they were fined more than $3,000 due to of a resident’s threatening and aggressive behavior. CV

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