$5K Raised for Missing Evansdale Girls: Cedar Falls Daily News Links

A chilli cook-off and auction raised $2000 in support of missing Evansdale cousins Elizabeth Collins and Lyric Cook-Morrissey. Some of the money will be used to compile a list of convicted sex offenders in Iowa who have failed to re-register with the state, Elizabeth Collins' father Drew Collins told KGAN. An additional $3000 donation was made to a fund for reward money for information leading to the girls, who have now been missing more than four months.

Police said a Marion teen thwarted a kidnapping attempt Wednesday. Police said the 15-year old girl was approached by three men, two of whom grabbed her and attempted to pull her into their vehicle. Police said she began to kick and scream, which caused the men to release her. Read more at Marion Patch.

Cold weather couldn't keep 2500 people from heading downtown Cedar Falls Saturday to watch Santa's arrival for Holiday Hoopla. Last year the jolly man in red arrived via helicopter - this year it was a giant sleigh. (Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier)

The timeline to find a new University of Northern Iowa president has been slightly altered. The search firm leading the hunt to find a replacement for President Ben Allen, who is retiring, now estimates a new president will be selected by early February instead of the end of January. (Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier)

Cedar Falls native Ben Milne, the founder of Des Moines-based company Dwolla, got a shout-out in the New York Times. They wrote about the growing number of tech start-ups in the Midwest, including Iowa, referring to our region of the country as "The Silicon Prairie." We're not surprised.

No winners means Iowans again have a shot at a record Powerball jackpot - $425 million. What would you do with the money? (KWWL)