The good
Some people say farmers are never happy — too much rain, too little rain, blah, blah, blah. Well, there’s certainly one thing they can’t complain about — farmland values. Recent surveys from The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and Iowa State University’s annual Land Survey both showed a significant increase in farmland values in 2012. The Chicago survey concluded that land value increased 20 percent, while the Iowa State feedback showed a 24 percent increase.
All over the world, athletes and supporters alike are up in arms over the International Olympics Committee’s decision to give wrestling the boot in the 2020 Olympics. Iowans are doing something about it. Gov. Terry Branstad started a petition at the state high school wrestling tournament and announced the Let’s Keep Wrestling campaign website at www.letskeepwrestling.com. So far more than 21,000 people have signed the petition to keep the event’s oldest sport a part of the games.
The bad
“Don’t meth with Iowa,” a popular Raygun T-shirt proclaims, but people shouldn’t meth with Ohio either. Five children, ages 2, 8, 9, 11 and 12, were removed from their Stow, Ohio, home last week when police discovered that their parents, Jason and Brandi Little, were making meth in their basement. The Summit County Sheriff’s office has suspicions when the 12-year-old’s school alerted them that the student had an “odor of chemicals.” The Littles are currently in jail facing charges of illegal manufacturing of methamphetamine in the vicinity of a minor, illegal assembly of chemicals/components for the manufacturing of methamphetamine in the vicinity of a minor and child endangering.
A popular saying states that the customer is always right, but it doesn’t say anything about stabbing the customer. An Iowa City employee at the Red Pepper Deli and Grill was arrested last week and charged with attempted murder, with bail set at $500,000. Police say the woman attacked a customer and stabbed her repeatedly with a restaurant kitchen knife. The injuries were not life threatening, and the police also suspect the two may have history.
The ugly
Attorneys often get a bad rap from the general public for the prices they charge. “It’s robbery,” some say. Well, in this case, that appears to be true. The Cedar Rapids Gazette reported that Susan Hense, a Cedar Rapids attorney with an admitted gambling problem, has been disbarred. Documents filed last week with the Iowa Supreme Court state that Hense’s “gambling addiction” pushed her to take $800,000 from her clients. Hense admitted to the misconduct and has not fought the disbarment.
Officials in Iowa’s Benton County say they have seen three separate cases of dogs being shot over the past few weeks. The most recent dog, Griff, was found with four bullet wounds in a ditch Monday morning. He is currently being treated at Vinton Veterinary Clinic and expected to make a full recovery. The other two dogs are expected to recover as well. Police aren’t sure if the incidents are related but are urging dog owners to keep their pets close. CV
