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Iowa organ donor will be remembered on Rose Bowl float

December 21, 2009 By

An Iowa teen who died in an accident with a fire truck will be one of 40 organ donors remembered on a Rose Parade float. Erika Schwager of West Des Moines was 16-years-old when she died in the accident. Iowa Donor Network spokesman Paul Sodder says they nominated Erika to be featured on the float.

Sodders says Erika’s parents have been very instrumental since the accident three years ago in going out and talking to young people about the importance of putting “yes” on their driver’s license for organ donation. So, they nominated Schwager to be one of the people featured in the floragraph on the float. The floragraph is made from flowers, seeds and other natural items to show a likeness of Schwager on the float. Sodders says the teen help save the lives of others in her death because she agreed ahead of time to donate her organs.

Sodders says one of the things Erika’s mom Betty says is the decision to donate their daughter’s organs was made easier by the fact that she had decided when she got her license to donate her organs, and she let her mom know of the decision. Sodders says Erika is an example for everyone when it comes to organ donation.

He says the best thing for people to do is to sign up on the Iowa Donor Registry by saying “yes” to organ donation on their driver’s license or by going on-line to Iowadonorregistry.org. Erika’s parents will travel to California to view the float in person and watch the entire parade from the grandstand. The theme of this year’s “Donate Life” float is “New Life Rises.” Sodders says over 500 Iowans are waiting for organ transplants in Iowa. Find out more about the float at: donatelifefloat.org.

Filed Under: Human Interest

Outgoing Cedar Rapids mayor reflects on accomplishments

December 21, 2009 By

The mayor of Iowa’s second largest city is about to leave office and is reflecting on her accomplishments and challenges – including last year’s flood. Kay Halloran says she is proud of what she and the Cedar Rapids City Council accomplished.

“After the flood, I maintained that the first and most important thing we had to do was get our citizens into warm, dry housing. I think we’re well on our way to having that done,” Halloran said. Some criticized Halloran for how she and others responded to the flood, but she believes the recovery process has moved quickly compared to similar disasters in other states.

“I understand that the citizens, particularly those who were flood-affected, will never think it was fast enough,” Halloran said. Ron Corbett will take over as mayor next month. Halloran, who became the first mayor to lead Cedar Rapids under the city manager form of government, did not seek re-election. She spent four years as mayor, but her political career spans more than three decades. Halloran says she’s not ready to relax just yet and will remain active in the community.

“I have a number of options. I don’t know which one I’m going to take, or if I’m going to take more than one,” Halloran said. Those options include working on a friend’s political campaign and taking on other leadership roles in the city. Halloran faced a personal challenge this year when doctors diagnosed her with cancer. The 72-year-old Halloran says she is now cancer free and is feeling great. “I’m not ready to run five miles, but give me six weeks to get in training, and maybe I could,” Halloran said.

By Mark Geary, KCRG-TV, Cedar Rapids

Filed Under: Politics & Government

Group wears Star Wars costumes while ringing Salvation Army bells

December 21, 2009 By
Star Wars bell ringers.

Star Wars bell ringers.

Sinister stormtroopers from the “Star Wars” movies are using their powers with the Dark Side of the Force for good in the real world.

Chris Andrews of West Branch is a T.V. producer by day, but on weekends, joins other Star Wars lovers in their white helmets and armor to collect Toys for Tots. “And then there’s the Salvation Army bell-ringing and we are notorious for getting record-breaking donation numbers during the hours that we volunteer.”

Andrews commands the Central Garrison of the 501st Legion, with some 200 members in five Midwestern states. He says the soldiers in Darth Vader’s fictional army are devoted to helping a host of down-to-earth non-profit groups.

The biggest challenge is not freezing to death while bell-ringing. His secret? “Thermals are always nice,” Andrews says, “especially when you’re talking about a stormtrooper costume because that plastic and spandex just does not keep you warm.” Some members wear rubber deep-sea-diving wetsuits to stave off the frigid winter winds.

Besides helping to promote the movies he loves, Andrews says being a stormtrooper is an entertaining way to raise funds for groups like: the American Red Cross, the American Cancer Society, Big Brothers-Big Sisters and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. So what makes people want to become a stormtrooper — the bad guys from the movies? Andrews says villains always seem to have the coolest costumes.

“Some see us at the conventions and go, ‘Wow, that’s neat. I wanna’ be that guy,’ and then some of us, like myself, find out about the work that we do in the community and see this great way to give back and be a part of the community in a way that makes sense and is fun and that’s really what hooked me.” The garrison isn’t for just anybody as the costumes have to be top quality, as if they just flew in on a TIE-fighter from the Death Star. Andrews says it’s a big investment of time and money to create the stellar outfits.

“A stormtrooper can cost anywhere from $500 to $1,500 and a Darth Vader can be $4,000 or $5,000,” Andrews says. “It depends on your skill level, too. If you’ve got sewing skills and different craft skills, you can do a lot of the stuff from scratch and can make it yourself.” Otherwise, you’ll have to hire other members of the group to build it for you, piece by piece. To learn more about the group, visit: “www.501stlegion.org“.

Here Radio Iowa’s Matt Kelley report on Star Wars bell ringers: mkvader

Filed Under: Human Interest, Recreation & Entertainment

Gilstrap named Big 12 Rookie of the Week

December 21, 2009 By
Marquis Gilstrap

Marquis Gilstrap

Iowa State senior Marquis Gilstrap is the Big 12 Rookie of the Week for the second time this season. Gilstrap hit a career-high 25 points and grabbed eight boards in ISU’s 87-68 win over Bradley Sunday.

Gilstrap, who averages 14.5 points, ranks sixth in the Big 12 in rebounding at 8.5 rebounds per game.

He’s scored in double figures in 10 of 11 games and his four double-doubles ties for second in the Big 12 Conference.

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: ,

Iowa player’s fate unknown after arrest

December 21, 2009 By

The fate of Iowa’s second leading scorer is up in the air after his second arrest. Sophomore guard Anthony Tucker was arrested for public intoxication this weekend in Iowa city and has been suspended from the squad. Tucker has started all 11 games for the hawkeyes this season and averaged just under 12 points per game.

Tucker was charged with public intoxication in December of last year and was also sidelined the second semester of last season by grade problems.

The Hawkeyes return to action tonight at home against South Carolina state.

Filed Under: Crime & Courts, Sports Tagged With: ,

Recent blizzard put dent in snow removal budgets

December 21, 2009 By
A Des Moines snowplow.

A Des Moines snowplow.

Iowa cities had been moving along without having to spend a lot on snow removal until the recent blizzard took a bite out of any early savings. Mason City operations and maintenance manager Bill Stangler says they are doing okay even with the recent storm, as they plan on snow anytime after Halloween.

“We actually are in very good shape budget wise because it didn’t start in November and it’s a little bit more forgiving than if it starts in the first part of November,” Stangler says. Stangler says while it was a heavy storm — approximately 10 inches — the cost of cleanup was about the same as if Mason City had received several smaller snowfalls by now.

Stangler says the city budget has also benefited from very reasonable prices on salt this year. Des Moines is another story, as Public Works Director Bill Stowe says cleaning up the 16 inches of snow that fell in the capitol city has cost well over $300,000. He says it’s $300,000 plus that they would have preferred to use on something else and says in these crunched budget times it certainly is a worry.

Stowe says they’re still going to do what needs to be done to deal with a natural disaster in the form of a blizzard or snow and ice control and then pay the consequences later through less maintenance on our streets. Stowe says Des Moines and other cities its size face some unique challenges when there’s that much accumulation.

Road crews not only plow the streets but must also remove the snow completely from congested areas like the downtown. Stowe says that’s what makes heavy snowfalls so expensive.

Filed Under: Politics & Government, Weather

Three men hurt in Des Moines bar fight

December 21, 2009 By

Three men were hospitalized after a large fight in front of a Des Moines bar over the weekend. Police say the men were stabbed when they tried to get their friends out of a fight that involved 20 to 30 people. It happened late Saturday night in front of the Underground Bar located in Des Moines’ East Village area.

The men are identified as 19-year-old Ermin Zornic, 19-year-old Nicholas Lansman and 18-year-old Nicholas Gillespie. They were all taken to a hospital and treated for minor injuries. Police have not made any arrests.

Filed Under: Crime & Courts
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