Top 9 of Iowa: Police Locked and Loaded With AR-15s, Town Pumped for 2nd Hy-Vee, Carly Rae Jepson and Dance Marathon

Why nine? Because the Patch community includes nine sites in Iowa: Ames, Ankeny, Cedar Falls, Iowa City, Johnston, Marion, Urbandale, Waukee and West Des Moines.

9. Marion City Council approved the purchase of 25 semi-automatic assault rifles to upgrade the arsenal of the Marion Police Department, at a cost of approximately $50,000. The question is whether officers will have to pay their own way, or if the city will cover it. Media around the country are tuning in on this one.

8. An Iowa State University student will watch Super Bowl XLVII from the sidelines in New Orleans on Feb. 3. Kevin Hansen, a senior studying horticulture, won a competitive Super Bowl turf internship. The Boone native will help prepare the game and practice fields.

7. at her Waterloo home Tuesday after a long illness. She was a beloved in the Cedar Valley and nationally-recognized civil rights leader.

6. Traffic cameras have boomed in the Des Moines metro in recent years, but that could end this summer. , effective July 1.

5. Construction on a has officially started. This would be the second store in Ankeny, and if the 380 times the story has been shared on Facebook and the comments on the story are any indication, the community is pretty excited.

4. West Des Moines officials are considering adding six firefighters to fill a gap in service.The cost would be about $600,000, or about $100,000 per firefighter with salary and benefits considered.

3. One brave Johnston boy and his family are bringing their fight to the metro area with a fundraiser on Saturday. Aspiring Major League Baseball players and fans alike have a reason to be excited for this weekend's Pitcher Perfect event in Urbandale. Carson Cooper, 9, was diagnosed with leukemia in May 2011. After spending a month at Blank Children's Hospital for treatment, Carson was ready to help others.

2. The Waukee Hy-Vee store under construction is one of two new stores the company is building this year in the metro as part of its plans to spend a record $270 million in 2013 to build new stores and update existing supermarkets.

1. What can some University of Iowa students do with a Carly Rae Jepsen sample, a video camera, and a very orange tuxedo? Watch and find out. Hint, students used her song for a rap promo of the 2013 Dance Marathon fundraiser.

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