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Holiday & Caucus News: 12/5 Urbandale Morning Report
Directing Urbandale readers to the most relevant or entertaining news on metro sites this morning.

<b>Local Editor, Urbandale Patch<br>Email: </b>anne.kay@patch.com<b><br>Phone: </b>515.306.5504<b><br>Facebook.com/Urbandale.Patch<br>Twitter.com/@UrbandalePatch<br>Bio: </b>Becoming the editor for Urbandale.Patch.com is going back to the future for me. I started my career in community journalism and now get to see it into an online, digital world. I grew up in Nebraska, graduated with a journalism degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. A year later, I got married and moved to Iowa. I worked for the Des Moines Register as a writer and editor for 28 years. In the past five years, I left the Register, tried my hand at magazine journalism by editing a health magazine at Meredith Company, became a widow, watched my last child graduate from high school, and started my own company. Along the way, I also rode my bicycle across Iowa, hiked in and out of the Grand Canyon and to the top of a Caribbean volcano. <b><br>My Beliefs: </b>At Patch, we promise always to report the facts as objectively as possible and otherwise adhere to the principles of good journalism. However, we also acknowledge that true impartiality is impossible because we humans have beliefs. Patch editors are encouraged to reveal their beliefs in hopes that having it on the record will cause us to be even more mindful about being fair and balanced. If you see evidence to the contrary, please let me know.<b><br>My Politics: </b>My political beliefs are liberal to moderate. I'm a registered Democrat, but I'm not politically active. That said, I support civil liberties, the separation of church and state, and the right of free expression. I believe government should help its citizens and I believe in personal responsibility.<b><br>My Religion: </b>In my faith journey I have been atheist, agnostic, a seeker, and now a Christian. I attend Lutheran Church of Hope in West Des Moines and my faith is important to me.
<strong>Urbandale Connections: </strong>I'm a member of the Urbandale Chamber of Commerce.
Directing Urbandale readers to the most relevant or entertaining news on metro sites this morning.

The caucuses begin at 7 p.m. Join us for live results, reports from the precincts, complete analysis and full coverage of candidates reacting to the outcome.
Here are some of the most interesting people featured on Urbandale Patch in 2011.
Twenty people were arrested at the campaign headquarters of Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum and Michele Bachmann Saturday, according to Urbandale Police.
The week between Christmas and New Year's usually is a pretty slow news week. The last week before Tuesday's Iowa Caucuses livened things up a bit. Here are my favorite stories from last week.
Urbandale Police made several arrests leading up to Christmas and the week after.
The former frontrunner, who has dropped to fifth in some polls, promoted bipartisan results through negotiation and campaign finance reform, saying Washington is broken.
Fun ways to have fun in Urbandale this New Year's weekend.
Sears Holdings, which owns Kmart and Sears, announced earlier this week that it would close 100 to 120 stores.
Experts tell us that eating black-eyed peas, watching the ball drop on Times Square, and making midnight toasts are popular New Year's Eve traditions. Lets put them to the test.
Directing Urbandale readers to the most relevant or entertaining news on metro sites this morning.
Politely and without incident, police and Occupy Iowa Caucus protesters did their dance, as 10 Occupy members were arrested for blocking and disrupting business at Mitt Romney's campaign headquarters, and then a Wells Fargo Bank a block away Wednesday.
Directing Urbandale readers to the most relevant or entertaining news on metro sites this morning.
Iowa Republicans had fewer chances to meet candidates, but more types of media exposures to evaluate them. More than a dozen televised debates informed many Iowans' decisions, say experts.
Directing Urbandale readers to the most relevant or entertaining news on metro sites this morning.
Two Urbandale women spend time in December trying to bring some Christmas joy to worried children who write to Santa for help.
You have just four days left to enter Patch's contest and possibly give Urbandale school children a $100,000 gift for 2012.
Were you too busy to keep up with the news last week? Take 10 minutes and catch up on the top stories in Urbandale last week.
Directing Urbandale readers to the most relevant or entertaining news on metro sites this morning.
Urbandale Kmart assistant manager Christine Embree estimates that 20 anonymous donors have paid off about $3,000 in layaway bills for customers.