Weird Iowa: Married in a Hole, Fire-Ravaged House Sells for $750K, $5 Left by Polite Intruder, Naked Car Vandal

Quirky wedding dances are becoming the norm, but how's this for what some might say is a weird wedding spot: a hole.

Benjamin High and Jessica Presler held their marriage on the foundation of what will become the new home of Philip's Diamond Shop and Urban_Vintage, the two Marion businesses they now work at. With their fates so closely entwined with that of the building, they decided why not get married on the foundation of the building where they will work together.

Coaches face all kinds of pressure, but have you heard of a coach quitting before the first game is even played?

Kelsey Bolte, who was slated to be the head coach of the Ankeny High School girls' basketball team for the 2013-14 season, has stepped down from the position. Bolte, a former Iowa State University player, was hired in the spring to replace Scott DeJong, who has moved to Ankeny Centennial High School; the district will have two high schools open this fall.

Also in sports, this stands out because it's an Iowan making good on the national stage. A 26-year-old umpire from Urbandale took his craft to a larger field last week. Pat Hoberg was crouched at home plate at City Field in New York City, umpiring the MLB All-Star Futures Game. He is an umpire in triple-A and assigned to the Pacific Coast League.

It's supposed to be a seller's market in central Iowa real estate, but would you pay nearly three-quarters of a million dollars for a house that burned? A Waukee company recently purchased jailed Urbandale developer John Kline’s home for $750,000. Before a fire that an insurance company alleged in a civil lawsuit was intentionally set, the property was assessed at $1,185,800.

We always have weird nuggets from police reports.

First, a West Des Moines couple accidentally left their patio door unlocked, which someone took as an open invitation to come in and rest a weary head. The couple awoke to find that someone had left a $5 bill and T-shirt in their living room after apparently sleeping on their couch. Nothing was taken.

Next, an Ames man who allegedly forced a woman to give him a ride around town as he looked for a place to stay, eventually found three hot meals and a cot in the Story County Jail. Dwight Taylor, 26, reportedly threatened to beat a woman unless she drove him around town while he looked for a place to stay. The driver wasn't let her out of the car or allowed to use a phone to call for help. Taylor faces charges of extortion, false imprisonment and more.

And in Iowa City, a man was arrested after police found him naked and vandalizing cars on Westwinds Drive. Police were called on a report of a naked man "trying to get into cars and hitting cars with a bottle." Officers said Sean Christopher Flaherty, 42, was, smashing out tail lights with a glass bottle, allegedly because "red means danger to the republic."