Flood preparations ongoing along Cedar, Iowa rivers – May 31, 2013

A look at this week’s flood preparations along the Cedar and Iowa rivers.

More than 96 percent of voters approved the merger. It required a simple majority in both of the districts.

The districts have already been sharing academic programs, administrative staff, teachers and extracurricular activities. Sumner and Fredericksburg students share a middle school and a high school but maintain separate elementary schools.

The new district will have a single tax rate and a joint school board.

This is a rendering of the interior of the proposed new gym at Williamsburg Jr. Sr. High School, courtesy of Neumann Monson Architects. (contributed)

Voters in the Williamsburg school district turned down a $7.9 million bond referendum to build a new gym at the junior-senior high school.

The measure had 772 votes -  or 45 percent – in favor and 950 votes  – or 55 percent -  against. It needed 60 percent approval to pass.

A group of boosters had hoped to persuade voters to build the expanded gym in order to expand and improve the facility for sporting events, provide expanded facilities for physical education classes and host larger events. The project had an estimated property tax increase of $1.34 per $1,000 of assessed value.

• Thursdays: Food, including Meredith Hines-Dochterman’s Everybody Eats column. Also, Hoopla, our things to do and entertainment weekly magazine, is being expanded with Diana Nollen’s fine arts content.
• Fridays: Family, including the All in the Family and history columns.
• Saturdays: Health/wellness, including the Commit to be Fit and Dr. Donohue columns.
• Sunday: General features; travel; home and garden, including Cindy Hadish’s Homegrown Highlights column; and books.

You told us you don’t like having the Dear Abby column on the back of the daily puzzles, because it makes it hard for Abby readers if the puzzle worker in the family gets to the page first (and vice versa). So come Tuesday, Abby is moving onto a local news page. Check the 1A index daily; her placement in the newspaper will likely change as page space allows.
Also on Tuesday, the weather box moves off 2A and will take the slot below the daily TV grid. Thank you to our readers whose survey answers helped us retool the weather content. The revamped weather box will have a four-day forecast, weather almanac information, a roundup of Iowa highs/lows, travel weather and the top weather story of the day, all contributed by our friends on the KCRG-TV9 Weather Team.

Online changes
Also on Tuesday we’ll launch major changes to online commenting at TheGazette.com. The new Daily Conversations section will feature three fresh conversations a day on topics of local interest that we believe people are or will want to talk about. Conversations will remain active for 72 hours, and then commenting will be closed. By the end of the week, we’ll have nine daily conversations at a time to choose from.
We’ll provide a little background and links to information on each topic to help users familiarize themselves with the conversation so they can offer insightful commentary. All comments will be moderated, meaning no comments appear until a moderator approves them. Moderation will be staffed from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., so you’ll likely see a batch of comments post each morning from the overnight hours.
All comments are subject to The Gazette’s rules of engagement, which are not changing. They are, in brief:

• Be truthful. Cite your sources. Comments should be on topic, accurate, timely and fair. Share your eyewitness accounts, background, observations and history. Ask about what you don’t know.
• Be civil. Do not monopolize the conversation. Do not make personal attacks on others. Do not use ALLCAPs; no need to shout. The same goes for imperatives, such as “Wake up, people,” or examples of Godwin’s Law. No Nazi comparisons, either.
• Be responsible. Refrain from using obscene, vulgar, lewd or sexually oriented language; statements that convey racism, sexism or terminology that degrades another person or class of people; and attacks on others that range from being against someone’s character to threatening someone’s physical safety.
• Own your words. Use your real name.
• Leave the trolls alone. Don’t be a troll, either; they are not welcome at TheGazette.com.

You don’t have to agree with these rules, but to comment in our digital spaces, you’ll have to follow them. Comments that don’t will not be approved for posting. Because of the volume of comments we get each day, you may not be notified when and why a comment is rejected.
We invite you to explore our new Reporter Notebooks feature at TheGazette.com as well. Each of our topical content areas — business, government, public safety, education, sports and living — have this feature. It’s where the reporters blog about what they’re doing, reading, learning or talking about each workday. The goal is transparency around the reporting process. It’s not where you’ll find our completed stories but where you can see the bits and pieces of what reporters are working on. You’ll also find reporters’ Twitter streams on the notebooks.
Reporters will take comments on the notebooks as well. Rules of engagement apply. So if you’ve ever wanted to offer your expertise to a reporter, offer a news tip or ask a reporter a question, the notebook is the place. It’s a chance to have an impact on the reporting we do every day.
There will no longer be comments on completed articles, but again, you have the Daily Conversations and the Reporter Notebooks as options for engaging with us.

Emergency responders were dispatched around 3:15 p.m. to the plant at 4800 Edgewood Rd. SW for a report of a traumatic injury. A caller indicated a man was trapped between a piece of machinery and a safety post, said Greg Buelow, spokesman for the Cedar Rapids Fire Department.

Police identified the victim as Kyriakos Korovilas, 66, of Cedar Rapids. He was taken to University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, where he was pronounced dead.

Officials with General Mills are releasing few details about Korovilas or the accident, but they said an investigation is under way.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of this long-time employee of one of our leading contract firms,” Bridget Christenson, a corporate public relations representative from the company, wrote in an email to The Gazette.

Chad Chumley

A Cedar Rapids man faces a criminal trespass charge after allegedly violating a warning to stay away from Cedar Rapids schools.

Chad Chumley, 29, of 1500 Oakland Rd., Apt. 511, was arrested on the misdemeanor charge just after 8 a.m. Monday after he allegedly visited Garfield Elementary School, 1201 Maplewood Dr. NE. Chumley was found in nearby Daniels Park, where he was taken into custody.

Police last week had issued a criminal trespass warning for all Cedar Rapids school district property. The warning was issued after Chumley allegedly appeared at multiple schools and asked security questions that weren’t public knowledge, police said.

Cedar Rapids school officials asked police last week to issue the trespass warning because Chumley didn’t appear to have any business with the district, district officials said.

“In this case, a concern was raised after it was discovered Mr. Chumley had visited multiple schools within a couple of days,” Cedar Rapids school district spokeswoman Marcia Hughes said in an e-mail. “Since he has no children in the district and has no business with the schools, we contacted CRPD.”

“Our principals and staff are all aware of the no trespass order and will continue to be watchful,” Hughes said.

Occupy Cedar Rapids protesters gather in a vacant lot where they've been camping since last month on Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2011, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Protesters ignored the city's demand to clear the lot of their tents and other personal property by Tuesday morning. (AP Photo/Ryan J. Foley)

UPDATE: A lawsuit filed by the Occupy Cedar Rapids protester group is headed to federal court.

Occupy Cedar Rapids filed a lawsuit last week, asking a judge to issue an injunction to prevent the city from removing tents and other property from a city-owned lot they have been occupying.

The city filed paperwork in U.S. District Court last week, saying that First Amendment issues raised by the Occupy group should be resolved in federal court.

“Plaintiffs allege a violation of their rights under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution to freely assemble and speak,” an attorney for Cedar Rapids wrote in a notice filed in federal court.

An injunction hearing had been scheduled for Monday afternoon in state court, but the hearing was canceled.

The local Occupy movement began in Greene Square Park several weeks ago and moved to the corner of M Avenue and First Street NW around the beginning of November.

The First Street Parkade's helix is in the process of being dismantled on Sept. 2, 2011 in downtown Cedar Rapids (Christoph Trappe/The Gazette)

Demolition crews have begun the removal of the helix portion of the former First Street Parkade.

The First Street Parkade in downtown Cedar Rapids as seen Tuesday, August 19, 2008. (Cliff Jette/The Gazette)

The helix, which extends about 10 feet over a floodwall into the Cedar River, has required some creativity in order to prevent the pieces from falling into the river.

Demolition of the ramp began July 5 and is expected to be completed by Oct. 1. D.W. Zinser Co. of Walford is removing the ramp at a cost of $748,450.

A McGregor brewery has announced plans to expand a 25,000-barrel-per-year operation in Coralville’s Iowa River Landing district, which would make it, by far, Iowa’s largest brewery.

Backpocket Brewing will open the 15,000-square-foot facility featuring a large tap room and beer garden for the public in Coralville. Backpocket currently has a brewing operation at the four-year-old Old Man River Restaurant & Brewery in McGregor.

Brewmaster Jacob Simmons said the company had been operating at excess capacity for a year and a half, and had been shipping beer to Eastern and Central Iowa. But, in tiny McGregor, there was no room for expansion, he said.

The new $5.3 million facility is expected in Summer 2012 and will be located to the west of the north parking ramp near the Coralville Marriott Hotel and Conference Center.  Simmons said the company is aiming to begin construction by the end of July.

Backpocket – which focuses on German- inspired beers – is currently available as draft only, but the new facility will allow the company to expand their product line into bottles. Simmons said the new facility will initially serve five different beers – three purely German beers, and two “hybrids.”

“Germans brew beer differently from the rest of the world, and we try to follow their lead,” he said.

The  “Germanness” of Backpocket’s beer, he said, comes from a longer brewing process that does not include additives or preservatives.

The city of Coralville changed zoning codes to allow a brewery or brew pub in the district in April. Simmons said that change, along with area demographics and proximity to major highways made the  site a good fit.

“The city kind of shared our vision that this building could be a destination,” Simmons said.

The brewery announcement is the latest of several projects  under way in the district. Construction is ongoing for a new 96-suite Homewood Suites by Hilton, a $72 million University of Iowa Hospital and Clinic’s outpatient clinic, and a new parking facility with additional announcements for the 180-acre redevelopment expected in the near future.

Thomas J. Petersen

The man suspected of killing his wife and fleeing to South Dakota earlier this month told investigators he “lost it and blacked out” during an argument in their Greene home.

Thomas J. Petersen, 39, of Greene, now faces a charge of first-degree murder in connection with the June 4 stabbing death of his wife, Judy Renee Petersen.

Petersen told a South Dakota sheriff’s deputy that he had gotten into a fight with his 36-year-old wife, and that she got out a paring knife and threatened to cut off his testicles, according to the criminal complaint filed Monday in Butler County District Court. Interviews with family and friends indicated Renee and Thomas had a history of arguments, court records indicate.

Investigators believe they recovered the knife used in the stabbing at the couple’s home and said that clothing Petersen wore was recovered at the scene and was stained with blood, court records show.

The clothing Petersen was wearing at the time of his arrest contained blood and is believed to be from the crime scene in Butler County, the criminal complaint filed Monday states.

Petersen remains in the Winner City Jail in Tripp County in South Dakota on the attempted murder charges in connection with the pursuit which led to his arrest. South Dakota officials will execute the warrant in connection with the Iowa charge. A judge has been ordered bail set at $500,000 cash only.

First-degree murder carries a mandatory life sentence without the opportunity for parole.

Petersen and the couple’s two-year-old son couldn’t be located after Judy Petersen’s body was found, so Iowa authorities issued an Amber Alert. Iowa law enforcement tracked Thomas Petersen through Iowa and Minnesota and into South Dakota by following a trail left by his bank debit card transactions, court records show.

Petersen fled as deputies in South Dakota closed in on him the next morning. During that pursuit, Petersen rammed a sheriff’s vehicle off the road and caused it to roll over several times, court records show. Petersen then left his two-year-old son on the side of the road and then rammed another sheriff’s vehicle head on.

Two counts of attempted murder, two counts of aggravated assault against a police officer, reckless driving and eluding and resisting arrest charges are still pending in South Dakota.

Michael Brecht

A 28-year-old man who tried to eat meth while fleeing from police in Cedar Rapids was sentenced Wednesday to 20 years in federal prison.

Michael S. Brecht, 28, of Cedar Rapids, pleaded guilty earlier this year to conspiring to distribute more than 50 grams of pure methamphetamine following a prior felony drug conviction.

Brecht must also serve 10 years of supervised release following prison and was fined $100. He is currently in the custody of the U.S. Marshal until he is transported to a federal facility.

In a plea deal, Brecht admitted he attempted to elude police after getting meth at a residence on B St. SE in Cedar Rapids. The pursuit ensued after an officer tried to pull him over for speeding, court records show.  He admitted to throwing meth out of the window during the pursuit, including a bag with meth residue near the baseball field at Daniels Park.

Brecht’s was convicted of possession of anhydrous ammonia in Johnson County following a 2001 arrest, online court records show.

John Thomas Dolehide pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of child pornography. As part of the plea agreement, Dolehide admitted he had images on his home computer on June 17 and July 9, 2009. The images – which included 10 videos – included prepubescent minors engaged in bondage and sadistic sexual contact, federal investigators said.

Dolehide will be on supervised release for 8 years following his release from prison on the 135 month sentence, according to the sentence imposed by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Linda R. Reade. He was fined $200 and was released following his sentencing Friday but will surrender to the Bureau of Prisons in the near future.

Tony Dean Good was southbound on X30 when he apparently went into the west ditch and lost control around 2:30 p.m. Monday afternoon, according to an initial accident report from the Iowa State Patrol. The crash happened about a mile north of the X30 intersection with Highway 6 west of West Liberty, near the Johnson-Cedar and Muscatine county lines.

The crash remains under investigation.

The appeal will be made to Iowa Homeland Security and submitted to FEMA headquarters in Washington D.C. in the near future.

UI General Counsel Carroll Reasoner said in a statement Friday the disagreement stems from differing interpretations of FEMA rules, a matter she hopes can be resolved in the UI’s favor on appeal to FEMA headquarters.

“The building might be able to function as some sort of a museum but it has always been a fine art museum and it would be irresponsible and irrational to put the university’s valuable fine art collection in a facility in the revised flood plain where it would be at risk and not be able to be insured for some reasonable amount,” Reasoner said in a statement Friday.

The university does not believe the statute requires proving a negative—basically, that insurance is impossible—and will appeal, Reasoner said.

After the 2008 flood, FEMA ruled that the UI Museum of Art did not sustain enough damage to qualify for replacement funding. Instead, FEMA would help pay to repair the museum building, but not to replace it elsewhere. The UI appealed the decision, arguing the museum was ruined, since art cannot be returned for insurance reasons.

While reviewing the UI’s appeal of the denial, FEMA requested the UI obtain quotes from other fine art insurers. Four of the five companies which responded said they would not insure art in the existing facility. The other firm was non-committal, UI officials reported.

In its denial letter, FEMA stated that while it “understands it may be difficult to obtain insurance, we are not convinced insuring the fine art collection is impossible.”

A new facility is estimated to cost between $40 million and $50 million, officials have said.

The UI Museum of Art was built in 1969 and was one of more than a dozen campus facilities damaged in the floods. The Museum has displayed portions of its collection at the UIMA@IMU in the Iowa Memorial Union, and the Figge Art Museum in Davenport.

The Auditor of State found more than $88,000 in improper disbursements during a three-year span between January 2006 and Dec. 31, 2009.

The improper disbursements included $64,186 of payments to Amber Franklin, the Linn County city’s former city clerk. The payments included $12,664 in unauthorized payroll, $2,709 for paid time off she wasn’t entitled to receive and $48,812 for which there was no explanation or support. The audit also revealed improper disbursements of $6,071 of personal purchases Franklin made using the city’s credit card and $6,852 of personal purchases made with the city’s checking account. An additional $7,245 of checks were issued for petty cash.

Auditors also found Franklin failed to deposit $174 of utility bills for Franklin’s residence, as well as $12,555 of utility payments made by others which weren’t properly deposited into the city’s bank account. Approximately $7,311 in payments were recorded as payments in the city’s utility billing system, while Franklin prepared cash receipts for the remaining $5,243 of undeposited utility collections.

Alburnett Mayor David Boesenberg said Friday he couldn’t comment on the report because the investigation is ongoing.

According to the report, Franklin on Jan. 7, turned in her letter of resignation effective Dec. 31, 2009 and keys to the office after Boesenberg in December instructed Franklin to research which certified public accounting firms were available to perform an audit for the city. The city council discussed obtaining an audit prior to Franklin’s resignation.

In October 2009, Boesenberg and a council member formed a finance committee and requested Franklin set aside some time when they could meet with her so they could learn how she maintained the city’s financial records.

Boesenberg said it was difficult to get her to commit to a time but when they did meet, she said there wasn’t much to show them, according to the report. She said, “It was just like doing your own checkbook.” Boesenberg said Franklin opened a few file drawers and showed them the files. She was nervous during the meeting, he said.

After Franklin’s resignation, the council members reviewed the city’s recrods and determined the records for transactions were scarce  and the records for fiscal year 2008 transactions were limited, according to the report. They found there were significantly more records available for fiscal year 2007 transactions.

The audit report made public Friday includes recommendations to the city to improve internal controls and separate duties, perform bank reconciliations and utility billing reconciliations as well as  require additional documentation to support expenses.

Franklin does not currently face criminal charges in connection with the funds, online court records show. Copies of the audit were turned over to the Linn County Attorney’s Office, the Attorney General’s Office, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and Linn County’s Sheriff’s Office.

Linn County Attorney Jerry Vander Sandden said Friday he hadn’t seen a copy of the report, so he couldn’t comment as to whether criminal charges will be filed against Franklin.

Alexander Evans, 27, remains in federal custody. A detention hearing  is scheduled for Wednesday on two counts of possession and distribution of child pornography at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, federal court records show.

Police seized Evans’ computer as part of a drug investigation in March 2009 after a juvenile female told police Evans assaulted her and offered her marijuana, a federal complaint states. While officers were initially looking for records of drug transactions, they found child pornography and initiated a second investigation.

Evans told investigators he’d been searching for child porn for “a long time.”

Evans received a deferred judgment on the state drug charge last month filed after the search of his residence, court records show. He was placed on probation for three years and fined $750.

Jason Lee Bowers

A 34-year-old man could spend the rest of his life in federal custody after being sentenced Thursday to 91 years for armed bank heists in Oxford and three other Iowa towns.

Jason Lee Bowers, formerly of Oxford, received nine years for the four robberies in Slater, St. Charles, Rippey and Oxford. He received an additional mandatory 82 years because guns were used in the heists, federal court records show. During his sentencing in U.S. District Court for Southern District of Iowa, Bowers was also ordered to pay more than $25,000 in restitution and pay $800 to a crime victims fund.

The robberies occurred over a 12-day period in October 2009. In each incident, Bowers was accused of displaying a gun and stealing a vehicle to flee the scene.

Bowers was found guilty of the robberies in March.

The minute he set his eyes on his parents, Terry and Larry, the strong, happy kicker turned into a mess.

“Parents, grandma, grandpa, distant relatives, just seeing how caught up they get and how much pride they take in the way the team plays,” Kaeding said. “I don’t want to say it means more to them than it does to me, but when you can see it, it’s really a special thing for you.”

Without going too overboard with the whole senior day thing, No. 19

Minnesota really never had a chance Saturday at Kinnick Stadium.

The emotion of a senior day, sure that’s a factor. But at some point during the sobs and goodbyes, every senior on every senior day in every stadium has to play the game.

Iowa’s seniors can play.

Hawkeye seniors accounted for nearly all of Iowa’s points in the No. 20 Hawkeyes’ 40-22 victory before 70,397.

Iowa’s seniors belted out 34 of Iowa’s 40 points, with Kaeding’s four field goals boosting the Hawkeyes (8-3, 4-3 Big Ten) to their 12th straight home victory, a Kinnick record.

Iowa’s 24 seniors, including 12 starters, went out winners and gave Iowa’s bowl possibilities a shot in the arm.

“You can’t get caught in the moment too much,” senior offensive tackle Robert Gallery said. “We had a game to play. I think everyone felt that was more important than anything.”

Senior quarterback Nathan Chandler completed 17 of 28 for 210 yards, an interception and a TD. Senior wide receiver Ramon Ochoa caught eight passes for 92 yards, both career highs, and a touchdown. Senior fullback Edgar Cervantes scored on a 1-yard run in the fourth quarter.

Junior Jermelle Lewis scored on a 34-yard run behind blocks from seniors Gallery and Ochoa.

Senior Bob Sanders made 12 tackles, including three forced fumbles, two tackles for loss, a sack and a fumble recovery.

Kaeding kicked field goals of 27, 55, 33 and 38 yards. The 55-yarder tied a careerlong for Kaeding. The celebratory leap after the kick was also a career high, and the Hawkeyes held a 20-6 halftime lead with two seconds left in the second quarter.

Yeah, sure, senior day is just another day at work.

“Just look at the wins and losses,” Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz said. “These guys have seen the 1-10, 3-9 and now they’ve been a big part of us getting back to where they want to be.

“From walk-ons to highly recruited guys, just how they’ve pulled together and done something over the last four years is really special.”

This week might’ve been the biggest “pull together” all season.

A viral infection ripped through the Iowa football complex this week. There was a whooping cough scare to boot.

The carnage included sophomore defensive tackle Matt Neubauer and sophomore tight end Mike Follett, who looked like “mummies,” Ferentz said, and were sent home after breakfast.

Offensive tackle C.J. Barkema and offensive line coach Reese Morgan went down sick Tuesday. Six to eight players needed antibiotics at 10:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Before pregame warmups Saturday, Gallery threw up in a bucket outside the lockerroom door.

“It was almost comical, but it wasn’t comical,” Ferentz said. “It’s been that kind of week for us. But when the bell sounded, they really answered.”

The flu thingie did more damage to Iowa than the Gophers (9-3, 5-3).

Never mind the stats, too.

The Gophers won the stat game, big time.

Minnesota ran 97 plays and rolled up 563 yards, including 175 yards rushing, to Iowa’s 344 yards of total offense. Quarterback Asad Abdul-Khaliq completed 28 of 46 passes for 388 yards and an interception.

And there’s the glitch for the Gophers.

They had supermodel stats pocked by four fumbles and an interception.

“So much for statistics,” Minnesota Coach Glen Mason said. “As I’ve said so many times, figures lie and liars figure.”

The five takeaways were a season-high for the Hawkeyes, who entered Saturday’s game minus-2 in turnover margin. Entering the game, Minnesota had just 11 turnovers (five fumbles) all season.

The real two-handed head-clutcher came with just more than two minutes left before halftime.

True freshman running back Laurence Maroney – carrying the bulk after sophomore Marion Barber III injured a groin after two rushes for 25 yards – busted through the goal line for what looked to be a 2-yard TD run to pull the Gophers within 17-13 at half.

But Sanders crashed in from the outside, stripped the ball and covered it at Iowa’s 6-inch line.

“I thought the guy handed Bob the ball,” said senior Howard Hodges, who made 12 tackles. “All you saw was the guy had the ball, Bob hit him and then Bob popped up with the ball. I was like, ‘Did he hand it off?’ ”

Sanders thought he had Maroney’s foot.

“I just fell inside and ended up on top of the ball,” Sanders said. “No handoff, I just tried to go inside and landed on it.”

Nope, no handoff.

But then, no one ever gave anything to these Iowa seniors. Heck, Iowa barely gave Sanders a scholarship. Ferentz had to be talked into it, beating out Ohio University.

Think about that a minute. And then go get the bucket.

8 p.m. Monday at Kloster Funeral Home, Marengo, with the family present from 6 to 8 p.m.

Steve is survived by his wife, Dr. Joan Harding; a son, David Ryan Harding of New Sharon; his father, Aubrey “Clint” Harding of Oakland, Calif.; two sisters, Barbie Davidson and husband Kermit of Thayer and Diana Gardner and husband Mike of Morristown, Minn.; and a brother, Chris Jensen of Faribault, Minn. He was preceded in death by his mother, Bonnie Lou Jensen in 2007.

Steve was born Sept. 11, 1958, in Marshalltown, the son of Aubrey Clinton Harding and Bonnie Matney Harding. He received his education in the Cedar Rapids schools. He attended Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids and obtained a welding certification. He was employed at Cherry Burrell (now Evergreen) in Cedar Rapids for 20 years as a welder and flame cutter. Steve married Joan Elaine Olson on Feb. 13, 1992, in Cedar Rapids. His hobbies included Mopar car restoration.

A memorial fund has been established.

Online condolences may be extended to the family via the Web site www.klosterfuneralhome.com

Lamar C. Wilson, 15, of 19 Coneflower Ct., and Osean D. Horton, 14, of 2401 Highway 6 E, Apt. 3601, both face charges of aiding and abetting second-degree robbery and criminal gang participation. Both were taken to the Linn County Juvenile Detention Center Thursday.

Both teens are accused of being part of a self-identified street gang dubbed the “Broadway Goons.” Police say a group ordered a pizza and had it delivered to 61 Regal Lane, an address not associated with suspects. When the delivery man arrived just after 1 a.m. on July 25, he was ambushed, rushed and assaulted by a group of 10 to 15 people, who hit him over the head and took the pizza.

Iowa City Police are continuing to investigate the incident and charges are pending against additional suspects.

Stephen Paul Power

Stephen Paul Power, 58, of Cedar Rapids, the coolest dad ever, died Sunday, August 16, 2009, in Manor Care Health Services, Cedar Rapids, after a courageous battle with brain cancer. Memorial Service: 1:30 p.m., Thursday by the Rev. Barb Furman, at Murdoch-Linwood Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Cedar Rapids. Visitation: 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home. Military honors will be provided by the American Legion Post #727.
Survivors include his children, Tyrone Power (Shannon Winter), Nathan Power and Alissa Power, all of Cedar Rapids; his mother, Pat; his siblings, Pam (Chuck) Thomas, Barb (Ray) Wheeler, Laurie (Gary) Tipton and Brian Power.
Stephen was preceded in death by his father, Paul.
Born March 11, 1951, in Cedar Rapids, Stephen was the son of Paul and Pat (Reiter) Power. He served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. For over 20 years he worked for Weyerhauser as a fork lift driver and most recently at Pickwick Manufacturing.
Stephen volunteered for the Linn County Veteran’s Affairs by distributing grave markers to deceased Veteran’s families for over 20 years. Stephen was recognized in the Cedar Rapids Gazette last July Fourth for his efforts. He enjoyed spending time with his children and helping and volunteering for anyone in need. Stephen completed over 10 marathons across the U.S. He was a member of Mission of Hope and was a huge Atlanta Braves fan. He always looked forward to mushroom hunting and berry picking with his children.
A special thank you from the family to Pickwick Manufacturing and its employees for helping our father after he lost his home in the floods of 2008 and during his recent illness. A special thank you also to the staff at Manor Care, the VA Hospital and Parkview Nursing & Rehab Center for all their help and patience.
Memorials may be made in Stephen’s memory to the Mission of Hope, 1537 First Avenue S.E., Cedar Rapids, IA 52402, the Fellowship Club or the Linn County Veterans in Stephen’s memory.
Please sign the online guest book for Stephen at www.murdochfuneralhome.com under obituaries.