Top 9 of Iowa: Handguns and Racial Threats, Alert Averts Crisis, Houston Rocket Royce White's NBA Future and Iowa's Rose Bowl Star

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. Authorities will likely not release the cause of death or other details anytime soon in connection to the . The girls went missing while riding their bikes near Meyers Lake in Evansdale July 13.

8. Friends responded correctly and potentially averted a tragedy by alerting authorities of a reportedly delusional woman, who had allegedly threatened to shoot former co-workers she blamed for having her fired, West Des Moines police said.

7. Former Iowa State University Cyclone standout and current member of the hasn't played a single regular season game since being drafted into the NBA in June, but he is confident that he will score for the team in 2013, according to his Twitter feed. Some report that White, who has wrangled with the team over management of his anxiety disorder, has refused an assignment to the Houston Rockets' Developmental League.

6. Former Linn-Mar standout David Parry had an impressive Rose Bowl performance for the Stanford Cardinals, who defeated Wisconsin 20-14. He had several big plays, including holding Wisconsin's Jason White on the goal line on fourth and one and a big third and one stop in the fourth quarter.

5. that ended with him ramming his vehicle into the entrance of Scheels All Sports at the Coral Ridge Mall in Coralville and test firing several weapons inside, authorities say.

4. The Ankeny Miracle League Field is an all-inclusive recreational facility designed for children with special needs. With the help of her mother, 9-year-old Elizabeth Overberg decided to embark on a door-to-door fundraising effort to help make the park a reality.

3. Harrison Kruse, a Johnston High School sophomore, was recently honored for his work supporting Youth Homes of Mid-America in Johnston, which provides residential and community-based treatment for at-risk youths.

2. West Des Moines police are investigating a 42-year-old De Soto man for first-degree harassment after he allegedly brandished a handgun at a couple and made racially threatening remarks after an apparent disagreement over a parking space at a convenience store on Dec. 22.

1. Waukee schools gained more students from the last school year to the current school year than any district in the state, according to a report released today by the Iowa Department of Education.

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