The Patch community includes nine sites in Iowa. Here are some of what was shared on our Iowa Patches over the past week.

After Matt Shankles, 16, of Marion, came out as gay, he became the subject of bullying. But rather than take it, he has devoted his high school career to fighting bullying. Shankles' story offers some hope in the battle against bullying and cyber-bullying less than a month after a gay Iowa teen took his own life.

Ankeny Police are still investigating a case in which shots were fired at the police station at around 1 a.m. last Sunday. In a seperate story from Ankeny, a 9-year-old Shih Tzu named Max was saved from exile after biting a young child.

Miss Iowa, Rebecca Hodge of Iowa City, needs your help as she competes for Miss USA next month. Vote here and here to help her get in the semifinal round, and find out here how the former University of Iowa cheerleader and West High student was secretly entered in the contest.

A 26-year-old Waukee man, who was charged with sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl, will be arraigned on the charges May 18, according to court records.

In a happy surprise for the Cedar Valley, both Waterloo and Cedar Falls were chosen as Blue Zones demonstration communities this week. The highly sought after designation recognizes their effort to make Iowa the healthiest state in the nation.

Our West Des Moines Patch editor Beth Dalbey tells an entertaining, personal tale of her battle with a malfunctioning stove and a hapless customer service rep at a big-box store to explain why shopping local is the best way to go. 

A former Ames water treatment plant operator, who was accused of falsifying water sampling results, withdrew his request to renew his drinking water operator certification and will never apply for one again as part of an agreement with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Find out more about the accusations, his resignation and the agreement.

An elementary-school girl who Urbandale police say made up a story of attempted abduction earlier this week won't be sent to juvenile court authorities.

On Saturday, a number of Habitat for Humanity volunteers from Johnston were among more than 700 who planned to work on various projects at 40 homes around the Des Moines metro for the 17th annual Rebuilding Together Greater Des Moines. The goal was keeping low-income residents in their homes.