The good
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Iowa (BBBSCI) recently received a $4,000 gift from the Darden Foundation’s Restaurant Community Grants program, which will support BBBSCI’s Community Based Mentoring programs for young people ages 5-18 in five Iowa counties. Nonprofits are considered for this grant if they possess one of three key focus areas: access to post-secondary education, preservation of natural resources and hunger. BBBSCI serves children in Polk, Warren, Dallas, Jasper and Story Counties, providing children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one relationships that change their lives for the better. The vision is that all children achieve success in life. Let’s hope they see that vision into fruition.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is offering free Emergency 911 cell phones for citizens who are age 55 and older. These cell phones are donated by the public and reconditioned for the use of 911 only. The cell phones may be picked at the Polk County Sheriff’s Field Headquarters Office located at 6023 N.E. 14th St. (about a mile north of Interstate 80) Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. You can donate your old cell phone and its battery charger to the cause at the aforementioned location, the Polk County Jail at 1985 N.E. 51st Place or Polk County Sheriff River Place, 2309 Euclid Ave. Let’s hope they don’t learn how to text.
The bad
July’s split Clive City Council vote to turn off the traffic cameras was recently overturned, and cameras are rolling again, as one of the most avid opponents on the council even agreed losing the $700,000 revenue from the citations issued every year would hurt the city budget. “We’re budgeting for illegal activity that may or may not happen even though our stated goal is to drop that number to zero. It’s paradoxical in its very nature,” councilmen Ted Weaver told Cityview in July. The cameras, we are told, will be turned off for good in June of 2014. Meanwhile, recent data shows that accidents are up at the red light camera locations. Talk about mixed signals.
Who knew that contractors could be spooked so easily? The Des Moines Register reported a local Drake neighborhood home renovation remains unfinished because the contractor claims the house is haunted. “After I got involved in this project, I’ve had tragedy after tragedy after tragedy after tragedy,” contractor George Symeonidis told the Register. Homeowners Kalaivani and Raj Govender were not convinced. According to the Register, about 35 companies, lenders, lawyers and former customers have filed lawsuits against Symeonidis and his company. The Govender family will be haunting him now, too.
The ugly
A 70-year-old Australian man really forked himself. The Huffington Post reported on Monday that the man stuffed a four-inch fork into his urethra in an attempt to achieve sexual gratification. The fork was discovered after he was admitted to the hospital for “bleeding urethral meatus.” The uncomfortable kinkiness doesn’t stop there. Apparently the same man has been hospitalized for inserting other objects in his nether regions, including ink pens, safety pins, telephone cables, glue, cocaine, straws, marbles, light bulbs, carrots and snakes.
Former Iowa Law Enforcement Academy instructor Nancy Brady has cried “foul play” in her January job dismissal after she reported assistant director Michael Quinn for making sexual remarks to female students. KCRG reported that Brady was fired for reportedly threatening the academy director, but Brady denies ever making any threat and claims instead that the dismissal was his retaliation for her prior complaints. Brady has now filed civil rights and discrimination charges against the academy for her termination and is said to be considering a lawsuit. Hell hath no fury like a police woman scorned. CV
