The family of a fifth grader was awarded $67,000 in restitution from a former Iowa City guidance counselor who is reported to have been convicted of sexual abuse of the boy. See

The cause of 24 of 30 roof rafters collapsing is said to have been by wind forces. The roof itself collapsed under heavy snow nine months ago. I have to wonder who the design engineering firm is and whether they were disciplined by the state licensing board. Doctors and lawyers disciplinary reports are made public; engineering reports should likewise be made public.

An Iowa man was shot in the hand while clearing his gun; he’d been trap shooting. See Iowa man injured while trap shooting, Des Moines Register, November 27, 2010.

An Illinois man, believed to be brain dead has awakened from a coma. The man is 84-years-old and had suffered an aortic aneurism.

The Mayor of St. Ansgar in Worth County has died in a car accident.

Someone driving a pickup truck lost a wheel that slammed into the side of a residence, and then left without leaving his name. The news report has the truck striking trees and losing its wheel that keeps going and strikes a condominium. The truck’s driver then did a quick get-a-way with sparks flying as it drove off with only three wheels. That shouldn’t be too hard to track. Cedar Rapids is a very surprising place.

Grinnell, Iowa is warming up to Grinnell College’s gay black President. See the Des Moines Register’s Small-town Iowa embraces Grinnell's gay, black president, November 28, 2010.

A high-speed chase started with an alleged drunk driver traversing the central city and included I-235 eastbound and I-80 eastbound. That brought the Iowa State Patrol into the chase.

After a alleged “fake” abduction story was reported to police it becomes difficult to know whether the robbery story was also true. Police: Teen’s abduction fake, but robbery real. A lesson in credibility is the moral of this story. Apparently there are three serious incidents in this neighborhood in just the past ten days. What's going on there? See Apparent homicide is location’s third violent incident in 10 days [Video], Des Moines Register, November 18, 2010.