Ankeny Patch: The Week in Review

1) "l"

Members of the Ankeny girls cross country team participated in the Roy Griak Invitational this weekend, placing 35th overall in the competition.

Freshman runner Kate Smith was among the top runners in the High School Girls Gold Division. Smith placed 57th out of 419 runners who participated in the race.

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The smell of fresh buttercream frosting wafted through the air the afternoon of Sept. 24 as Kristin Schroeder, the owner of Buttercream Bella, taught a cupcake decorating class.

Participants decorated cupcakes with a harvest theme, using stencils to create leaf decorations for thier cupcakes.

3) "From Bucket List to (Marathon) Reality"

On Monday, Ankeny Patch debuted its newest blogger. Ann Vlahakis, an Ankeny resident and an avid runner, is going to share her thoughts, experience and advice on what it takes to enjoy running as well as train for the holy grail of runners - a marathon.

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could get a facelift in the coming months in the form of a $215,000 renovation project.

City council members heard details of the proposal at their planning session Monday night. Citing the need for improved safety, City Manager Carl Metzger said improvements to the council chambers will comprise a majority of the project’s cost.

The council is expected to seek action on the proposal at .

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Now is the time in Ankeny to get your seasonal flu shot.

The Polk County Health Department will be holding over 100 community flu and pneumonia clinics throughout the county beginning Sept. 25 and ending Nov. 19.

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If you like a story with a lot of twists and an ending you never saw coming, the has just the story for you.

On Friday at 7:30 p.m., the theater held its debut ,” a play written by Robert Cook. Director Harold Mosier said the play, which kicks off ACT’s 30th season, is a murder mystery mixed with a bit of unintentional humor.

runs through Oct. 16.

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At times, unhappy Ankeny residents have yelled profanities and kicked chairs at City Council meetings.

The proposed response from city officials: call in Homeland Security and spend up to $175,000 on improvements to the council chambers, including the installation of bulletproof Kevlar within the council seating area and shrinking the size of windows.

Installation of the projectile-resistant glass and panels will make up about $16,000 of the project's cost, said council member Wade Steenhoek.

8) "Woman's Claim to be Luttrell Family Spokesperson was False, Family Says"

Jennifer Gray appeared on local TV stations earlier this week claiming to speak on behalf of the family of Franklyn Luttrell. The Luttrell family has now confirmed she is not its spokesperson and is not associated with the family in any way.

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The line began forming just after midnight Friday and by 8:30 a.m., 80 people had already registered for Lifetime Dental Partners’ free dental clinic in West Des Moines.

Kate Sebastian, administrator of Lifetime Dental Partners’ Ankeny office, said she was proud to be part of the volunteer effort. “People need something like this,” she said. “You don’t understand tooth pain until you’ve worked in a dental office.”

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The Ankeny Hawks were Friday night at Drake Stadium, marking the first loss of the season for the Hawks.

The Hawks now move to 6-1 in this season's action.