Top 9 of Iowa: New World's Oldest Person, College Bowl Bound, New Mayor, Missing Cousins

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. Filmmaker David Beilinson shuddered a bit at the timing – first last summer when Evansdale cousins Lyric Cook-Morrissey and Elizabeth Collins disappeared, and then again Wednesday when their bodies apprently were found by hunters in northeast Iowa. When the Evansale cousins vanished, Beilinson and his film crew were in Iowa interviewing West Des Moines mom Noreen Gosch for a documentary on her 30-year search for answers about the disappearance of her son, Johnny, who never came home from his morning paper route on Sept. 5, 1982. The film, It airs at 8 p.m. CST.

8. Shawn Johnson, Gabby Douglas, and Lolo Jones. Adrian Oldenburger could be the next Iowan to add his name to a long list of local world champion athletes. Adrian, 15, began dancing at the age of four and now spends nearly 30 hours a week perfecting his dance at Urbandale's Capital City Dance Center. And that work is paying off. Adrian was recently invited to attend the 41st Annual Prix De Lausanne in Lausanne, Switzerland, early next year.

7. Dozens of people lined up in a crowded Iowa City Council meeting to give their say on the five finalist proposals vying to replace the current location of the Bike Library at the intersection of College and Gilbert Streets. The speakers said a little bit of what they liked, and shared a whole lot more of what they didn't. Included in the crowd that spoke were members of the nearby Trinity Episcopal Church, environmental groups, citizens of Iowa City, and members of New Pioneer Co-Op and Iowa City FilmScene.

6. Ankeny residents will have to wait until next week to find out what the city council members think about the applicants for mayor. During last week's city council meeting, members decided to hold off on discussing the candidates, saying they needed more time to review the applications.

5. Drop off a blanket or winter coat for someone in need, walk away with a bag of cookies. Sounds like a fair trade, right? Angie Ungs, a para-educator at Bowman Woods Elementary, thinks so. Along with others — including Cedar Rapids resident Rachel Hopp, who came up with the idea — Ungs has spent the past week offering . 

4. Nine months ago, Kelli Sly, a 23-year-old single mom with a history of behavioral issues, insurmountable demons and depression, took the life of her 2-year-old son, Gavin, and the next day killed herself. Her mother, , hoping it will spare others.

3. Iowa State University Cyclones are bowl-bound, and they're heading to a decent one at that. The Clones are heading to Memphis to face Tulsa in the Liberty Bowl Dec. 31.

2. Iowa's Dina Manfredini has seen a lot of history: She was born before the Wright Brother's fateful flight, she was 15 years old when the Titanic sank. As of Tuesday, Manfredini became the oldest living person in the world. Manfredini, who is 115 years old and lives in Johnston, became the oldest person on the planet after the Monroe Georgia Patch reported the family of the world's oldest woman, Besse Cooper of Monroe, confirmed she died Tuesday.

1. Hunters came across two small bodies, believed to be Elizabeth Collins and her 11-year-old cousin, Lyric Cook-Morrissey, the Evansdale cousins who have been missing since July. A full autopsy report to confirm the identities is to come.