Few states in the Union tout their native sons quite like Texas. And in a state as rich in musical history as the Lone Star State is, few are touted with as much full-throated respect as Robert Earl Keen. The Houston native has been writing, singing and performing his own brand of folk, bluegrass and [...]
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“Non-Stop” 3 stars Rated PG-13 106 minutes Action Starring: Liam Neeson, Julianne Moore, Scoot McNairy Yet another standard-issue thriller — this one starring the ever-watchable Liam Neeson on leading man duties — “Non-Stop” is a perfect guilty pleasure. So what if the plot makes little sense? The purpose of this popcorn movie is for its [...]
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“Oh great. It’s a cop bar.” That was my friend’s first reaction when I invited him to belly up with me at the new Honors Lounge in Clive. And to be honest, it was my first notion, too, after a quick creep on Honors’ Facebook page turned up the bar’s slogan: “Honor For All: Family, [...]
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Marriage and divorce have inspired comedians for centuries, for good reasons. In his “Act of Creation,” Arthur Koestler explained that all jokes are creative inventions that must end in surprise. What other institution provides as many unexpected developments as marriage and divorce? Almost no one enters a marriage with the expectation that it will end [...]
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Board games have a public-image problem. This is likely because many remember their childhood and being forced to play “Monopoly” according to rules set by their siblings instead of by the instructions. Who would want to subject themselves to that again? More than you might expect, as a steadily increasing number of people are looking [...]
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DES MOINES, Iowa — If a dog at one of Iowa’s two remaining greyhound racetracks was in the same shape as those racetracks’ finances, it would be euthanized on the spot. Both greyhound racetracks lose millions of dollars each year, only remaining open because state law requires the casinos to which the tracks ...
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The state commission that oversees Terrace Hill and the nonprofit group that raises money for the governor’s mansion have parted ways. It’s unclear who now owns and controls the valuable collection — art and furniture and artifacts — that the nonprofit group has collected, maintained and insured over the d ...
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Blue Tomato Kitchen is named after a new, cross-pollinated fruit that gourmets are comparing to the legendary New Mexican chile. Created in 1913 at New Mexico State, and improved 20 times, the New Mexican chile dominates that state’s agriculture and cuisine. Iowans flock to Hy-Vee each August when it imports tru ...
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