Account Employed Retirement Self

City leaders say a change in management at Des Moines Water Works is a chance to explore money-saving ventures that could help keep metro-area rates down in the long run.

The utility recently raised rates for Des Moines customers 3 percent, from $2.28 to $2.35 per 1,000 gallons, the second straight increase.

Waterworks general manager L.D. McMullen retired in December after about 30 years with the utility.

Mich. couple killed in accident leave $1.6 million to surprised ...

And it didn't matter to them if you had one dollar or 10, they'd be your friend."

Judging by the amount of money they doled out, the couple had many friends, including fellow parishioners at Alto United Methodist Church, where many of the beneficiaries are members.

"We, the whole church, are obviously grateful to them, and grateful to God that he gave them to us," said the Rev. Dean Bailey.

Added Bailey's wife, Jan: "They left a lot to the people they'd loved, and I think everybody was surprised."

That included the Baileys, who were notified that the Hatches had left the church about $50,000 toward a fund trying to raise $800,000 for a new building. Their gift, said the pastor, represents "about a year's worth of our fundraising capability."

Dream of Veterans Memorial getting closer to reality

The memorial is estimated to total about $350,000 according to the City of Norman's Web site at www.NormanOK.gov.Schulenberg has found heroes like Norman actor James Garner, who was the first draftee from Oklahoma into the U.S. Army during the Korean conflict. While in Korea, Garner was wounded twice and awarded two purple hearts.Garner has supported the project with his own funds to help honor other veterans as well.Hundreds of others have contributed funds and even profits from the Moore Bingo facility have helped.And for all Schulenberg's contributor heroes who have written checks to move the project closer to reality, it's America's military heroes -- its veterans -- that he most wants to honor."We want the sacrifices the veterans have made to never be forgotten, and this memorial will honor their names for generations to come," Schulenberg said last year.The concept for the Cleveland County Veterans Memorial was created by Norman engineer Bob Goins and Marine veteran Clarence Powell and designed by the architectural team of Rick McKinney, Nathan Coffey, Toni Bragg and Bryan Rainbow of the McKinney Architects Partnership."We are just trying to provide a space and a palette where they can include all the men and women from as far back as they can go, as far back as they have records," McKinney said.The concept was to create a five-faceted granite and bronze sculpture."And they've settled on this wonderful eagle with an American flag and it's on an about 11-foot high pylon that's a five-sided pentagon.