Iowa City Owl

Earlier today, twelve children and five adults got together to make comics, go swimming, and make pizzas at Pizza On Dubuque's first children's creative workshop. And it was the best day ever.[ads]I was able to experience the event firsthand as I was the one leading the comics-making portion of the workshop.

17-year old Isaiah Sweet, suspected of murdering his grandparents in the home where he stayed with them, is set to go before the judge today in Clayton County on the double homicide charge. [ads]Reports state that Janet Mae and Richard Lee Sweet were found dead in their homes after a 911 call on Sunday afternoon, hours after Isaiah Sweet himself was released from police custody for a curfew violation.

29-year old Paris N. Toomer is being charged with going armed with intent, public intoxication and criminal mischief after threatening a group of people with a steak knife. She is also being accused of slashing a tire, but this has yet to be confirmed.

The FACF sent a formal letter pledging to raise a total of $1 million over a period of five years for the Iowa City animal shelters starting in June 2013. The goal is to raise over $200,000 per year and give it to the new Iowa City Animal Care and Adoption Center, which will be set up in the future when the funds have become available enough to begin.

This July in Iowa City will feature yet another event highlighting the literary and cultural history of Iowa City and it's denomination as an official city of literature.[ads]The Iowa City Book Festival will be held July 13-15, 2012 on the UI Pentacrest.

On June 16th & 17th, Quimby's Bookstore in Chicago, nationally renowned for it support and display of independent comics and zines, will be hosting its first annual CAKE convention (Chicago Alternative Comics Expo), which will feature scores of top independent creators along with many others.

In the first week of April, 2012, the UI College Republicans again held their annual “Conservative Coming Out Week,” encouraging young conservatives to be “open and honest” about their opinions in the overwhelmingly liberal Iowa City.

The University of Iowa's Environmental Health Sciences Research Center, also known as EHSRC, received a $7.9 million grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Science for their research programs and activities.

A warrant has been issued for the arrest of 17-year old Isaiah Richard Sweet of Manchester for the murders of his two grandparents, 62-year old Janet Mae Sweet and 55-year old Richard Lee Sweet. The teenager is being charged with a double homicide after the two were found murdered in their home on Sunday afternoon after a 911 call was made.

A public survey was conducted in March to evaluate the performance of the Iowa City School District's Superintendent Steve Murley, but the School Board has announced that the results of the survey will not be released to the public.