The Daily Iowan WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2018
THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA COMMUNITY SINCE 1868
A ghostly trail
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A photojournalist joined a paranormal investigation with the Iowa City Ghost Hunters to try to answer a question: Are ghosts real? BY KATIE GOODALE | katherine-goodale@uiowa.edu
Katie Goodale/The Daily Iowan Matthew O’Brien, a cofounder of the Iowa City Ghost Hunters, speaks on the walkie-talkie to wife Heather O’Brien as she runs the base downstairs during a paranormal investigation on Oct. 20. The master bedroom was a focus of heavy investigation because of the owner’s reports of feeling something touch his forehead while he slept. I wasn’t quite sure what a haunted house would look like. A small living room and office space lay to the right of the stairs, and a hallway led back into the kitchen. Around the house were eclectic collections of religious icons, old books, World War II memorabilia, and an Iron Maiden poster hanging over the stairwell. A heavy smell of food and wine hung in the air as several spectators and a three-person team of paranormal investigators finished up their meal, and cheerful laughter rebounded off the close space. The only sign of what was about to happen were several large black crates on the floor, each reading
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“Iowa City Ghost Hunters.” I was heading into a paranormal investigation of a 125-year-old home in Iowa City. The owner, UI law Associate professor Mihailis Diamantis, had experienced increased paranormal activity in the three weeks leading up to the Oct. 20 investigation. He noticed sweet aromas in his living room, a door that opened and closed on its own, voices outside his house, footsteps in the house despite living alone, and felt a touch while in bed. “I’m not sure I believe in ghosts,” Diamantis said. “But if they did exist, they would be in my house.”
Like Diamantis, I never put much stock in the idea of ghosts; however, over the past few years, I have grown increasingly interested in the paranormal. As a little kid, I was terrified of everything; for many years I had to sleep with my light on. And while I might have been scared of everything, nothing scared me more than ghosts. How could I defend myself from something that was invisible and already dead? Finally, as a freshman in high school, I wanted to expose myself to the things that used to scare me — scary movies
IOWA POLITICS
Fred Hubbell stresses education, health care Fred Hubbell faces Republican incumbent Kim Reynolds in the race for Iowa’s chief executive officer.
Joe Biden stumps for Iowa Democrats
Former Vice President Joe Biden made an appearance in Cedar Rapids a week ahead of Election Day, on which Democrats have a chance to unseat Republican incumbents in competitive races for governor and for Congress.
Local vigil rejects hate, violence After 13 lives were lost in two recent shootings, Iowa City community members honor victims with a candlelight vigil. BY MASTURA IBNAT
mastura-ibnat@uiowa.edu
ing businesses and leading public entities as proof he can balance the state’s budget while returning money to finance health-care options and increase funding for public universities and community colleges. Hubbell, 67, is running against incumbent
Iowa City community members and University of Iowa students came together Tuesday over a shared fear that people’s ethnicities will continue to make them targets of hate crimes following recent shootings in two states targeted at black and Jewish people. Those who came together Tuesday in Iowa City sought to honor the 13 victims who lost their lives in the two shootings with a candlelight vigil. The vigil took place in the IMU with approximately 150 in attendance. In Pittsburgh, a man killed 11 people and wounded six others on Oct. 27 in the Tree of Life Congregation after shouting anti-Semitic slurs during prayer. The incident followed the shooting that took place on Oct. 24 in Jeffersontown, Kentucky. The assailant had attempted to enter a black church before killing two customers at a Kroger supermarket. Both customers were black. Many community members spoke at the Iowa City vigil, including Jerry Ellen of the Johnson County Interfaith Coalition. She spoke about her fear for the future of the many children who were present at the vigil. “I think the reason that I’m so emotional is because I see so many children here, and I can’t help
SEE HUBBELL, 2
SEE VIGIL, 2
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Iowa offense needs to move
Iowa’s game against Penn State on Oct. 27 could have gone better for the Hawkeyes, especially on the offensive end. Now, a few days removed from the crushing loss, the Hawkeyes know the steps they need to take.
SEE GHOST, 3
Nick Rohlman/The Daily Iowan Democratic candidate for governor Fred Hubbell addresses supporters during the Cedar Rapids Early Vote Rally at the Veterans Memorial Building on Tuesday.
BY SARAH WATSON
sarah-e-watson@uiowa.edu As a first-time political candidate, Democrat Fred Hubbell has run an issue-based campaign, placing heavy emphasis on affordable health care and funding for education. Hubbell highlights his experience manag-