Urbandale|News|
Teen Girls Caught in Memorial Day Police Checkpoint in Urbandale
The two 18-year-olds got an education on Hickman Road "safety checkpoints" the hard way.

<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.
The two 18-year-olds got an education on Hickman Road "safety checkpoints" the hard way.

After someone deliberately flooded their basement, the Johnsons are trying recover from the damage.
On Friday, The Des Moines Register will begin charging for online content. At Patch, we will continue to provide our own reporting, allow you to post your photos and events for free, AND we'll run the top news from The Register and other media outlets.
Steve Waage's flagpole is 6 feet off his property and onto park land.
The Making a Connection program has garnered $45,000 in donations, which means 30 more needy Urbandale children will be able to attend the camp.
Mayor Robert Andeweg will appoint Diana Ripperger to the Urbandale Library Board of Trustees.
The financially struggling library coffee shop and cafe has cut its evening hours and is now open on Sunday afternoons.
The Polk County medical examiner found no evidence of trauma to the 13-month-old girl who died Friday afternoon at an Urbandale child-care home.
The 13-month-old girl reportedly did not wake up from a nap Friday afternoon.
Is there such a thing as the Ides of May? If so, Hummel's Nissan experienced it with two reported crimes in two days.
Urbandale police received several reports of property damage and theft last week and arrested a woman for an apartment burglary.
Police went to the scene of a reported accident and found no car or victim. They found the driver at the Dragon House restaurant.
Urbandale police were doing routine checks on registered sex offenders in 2008 and said Rusty Kaiser wasn't living at his registered address. They found him this month.
Not long after visiting Iowa City, President Barack Obama signaled Iowa's importance in this fall's presidential election by returning to Iowa again Thursday, this time speaking in Des Moines.
Iowa's six electoral voters are judged to be all-important in the general election. Both the Obama and Romney campaigns have invested in the Hawkeye State.
Veterans of Foreign Wars will be distributing paper poppies, a symbol of remembrance of injured soldiers, at Hy-Vee, Dahls, Fareway and Sam's Club stores in the Urbandale area on Saturday.
Bill Lawson, a long-time Urbandale community volunteer, raised $40,000 for a Veterans Memorial to be built this summer in the Charles Gabus Tree Park.
Patch directs you to the best garage and yard sales in Urbandale this weekend.
What you can and cannot do this weekend and Monday.
Urbandale police disarmed a senior citizen who apparently was upset about a lost magazine.