Publisher’s note: Thirty-eight years ago, when Michael Gartner was editor of The Des Moines Register, he walked over to the desk of writer Bob Hullihan and said, “How about writing me a Christmas classic for the holidays?” Hullihan said, “Sure.” And he did. It ran in the Register and years later in the Ames Tribune. [...]
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A social networking contest and charity event During Roman gladiator fights, getting the thumbs down was a signal to the victorious fighter to put his sword down and spare the life of the loser. The thumbs up, on the other hand, meant death for the conquered party. But CITYVIEW’s Des Moines’ Most Likeable People contest [...]
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We have come a long way since carbon paper. Technology is constantly changing, which means office equipment and devices have continually evolved through the years. With that evolution has come the extinction of some equipment, changes in others, and the creation of many new products that have sped up the business world and made today’s [...]
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Marty Tirrell, the sports-talk guy who shouted on the radio but smooth-talked friends, wives, relatives, acquaintances, advertisers and strangers as he bilked them out of millions of dollars, has made a plea deal with federal prosecutors. On Dec. 6, he pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud, and the Government agreed to drop [...]
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Scholten “talks common” in Iowa’s small towns. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the youngest woman ever elected to Congress and a politician with an instinctive connection to younger and blue-collar voters, called for a “political revolution of working people” in a raucous rally for Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders in Council Bluffs on a recent Friday night [...]
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A thoughtful, textured contemplation of how we can effectively deal with our expectations, disappointments and imperfections Once upon a time, a long time ago, a man took off his navy-blue sport jacket and put on a red sweater. Then he took off his shoes and put on a pair of sneakers. His name was Fred [...]
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It’s survived multiple fires, the deaths of two owners, other natural disasters, and the loss of parking lot access from Grand Avenue. Doing interviews lately about the lost restaurant traditions of Iowa, I started wondering what has not been lost but would be deeply missed if it was. This is obviously a geographically specific question. [...]
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From biscuit feet to bananas, ballet offers high-energy action. In the beginning of Eleanor Danaan’s ballet life, the young dancer’s feet were shaped like biscuits. “They were… we call them biscuits,” she remembers. “That is when they are just like a claw. I had biscuit feet. But then you stretch them, and now I have [...]
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Am I being punished for secretly liking romance novels featuring a pirate as the main character? Pick up backpack. Shuffle one step. Set down backpack. Breathe. Turn around to see if I’m somehow miraculously closer. I’m not. Pick up backpack. Shuffle one step. Set down backpack. Breathe. Turn around. Listen, I had plenty of warning [...]
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“The Four Days of xMas” gives one of the metro’s newest venues its holiday christening. A variety of Christmas-themed shows dominate the performance scene in our market this December. The Des Moines Community Playhouse, Ankeny Community Theatre, xBk Live, and Iowa Stage Theatre Company each have a show with “Christmas or Xmas” in its title. [...]
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She’s definitely looking at me. Of course, it’s just a trick of the eye. A common phenomenon. We’ve all experienced it. But still. After all the adulation, the paparazzi, the gazillion of hours devoted to her in articles and on TV shows and even in a movie, you might . . . just a minute [...]
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The Iowa Board of Regents is being asked this week to consider a complex proposal to turn the operation of the University of Iowa’s utility system over to an unnamed a business that will be paid to operate it for the next 50 years. The business will make a cash payment of undisclosed size to [...]
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Urbandale native sings with a cappella group. The a cappella singing group Straight No Chaser performs iconic venues such as The Chicago Theater and the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. But for one group member, the Civic Center in Des Moines is his favorite place to perform. Tyler Trepp, who grew up in Urbandale, is excited [...]
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LaVerne Sanders enjoys the challenge of making things fly. Tucked in the basement of LaVerne Sanders’ Urbandale home are three unique looking machines. Sanders combines these apparatuses — a laser, a CNC machine and a 3-D printer — along with his computer and a steaming mug of coffee to make one-of-a-kind objects. “I got that [...]
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Veteran trains support dogs for other vets. When Jake Hommer returned from his second deployment in Afghanistan, he suffered from PTSD and injuries. It took a toll on his mind, as he replayed combat zone scenes. Going from military to civilian life left him confused. What should he do next? For starters, he needed a [...]
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Five bars, games are rolled into one. When entering the Lumber Axe on Southwest Sixth Street, a sign is posted with five options. Do you take a left to the Escape Chambers, or do you continue into the Lumber Axe, a combination bar and axe-throwing venue? Or maybe you prefer a quieter vibe with the [...]
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P.T. Barnum would have been impressed by the showmanship. The holidays have arrived whether I want them to or not. We have worked all year for this moment when we spend our hard-earned money on the people we care about the most — and those who we can’t get away with skipping over as it [...]
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