Cityview | Central Iowa's Independent Weekly

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State legislature poised to slash programs and make deeper cuts in 2010

The last year in the decade proved to be historic on many fronts for the state of Iowa. Twenty-oh-nine or 2009 was marked by highs and lows that affected Iowans statewide and locally. Barack Obama made a handful of stops in Iowa, using it as stepping-stones toward the Democratic nomination and eventually the White House. Weather-wise, the Hawkeye state experienced its coolest July on record, while the recent Christmas blizzard of 2009 socked Iowa with record amounts of snow in some areas. At the capitol, Iowa experienced unprecedented events like the legality of same-sex marriage, making our state the country’s fourth to declare that marriage is not only between a man and woman. As lawmakers convene at the capitol building for the second session of the 83rd General Assembly, they hope to make history by staring down Iowa’s issues, including the biggest — finding solutions to a bloody $1 billion budget shortfall...Read More>>

A couple of cheap shots, a few facts, some limp humor

Not much interesting stuff this week — except for the complaint about the seven-foot penis — so it’s probably best for you just to go straight to the Food Dude.

First cheap shot: After noting that Gov. Chet Culver is touting a four-day week as a way for the state to save money, a fellow Democrat e-mailed Skinny: “He likes the idea so much he’s been trying it out ever since he’s been in office.”

Second cheap shot: After noting that Sen. Chuck Grassley “has probably not hurt himself quite enough to lose” after shedding his image as a “bipartisan dealmaker” during the health-care fight, the mathematician-turned-political-analyst Nate Silver refers to Grassley challenger Roxanne Conlin as a “semi-interesting candidate.”...Read More>>

Hughes’ musical equation includes Hip-Hop, old country and rock

The record companies might not realize this, but the public likes listening to different styles of music. You know it. I know it. Clay Hughes knows it. Which is why if you like G Love, Jack Johnson, Sublime or Citizen Cope, you might like the mix of old school country, Hip-Hop, rock and blues that Hughes performs on his debut, independent solo album “Burn.”

“I’m a person that can listen to almost anything,” said the Kansas City-based Hughes. “I’m not a pop music fan or a pop country fan, though there’s some of that that I don’t mind. Mostly I’m influenced by the older Hip-Hop stuff and older country, like Johnny Cash, and blues-style country. I have trouble writing one style of music, so I use a little bit of everything.”...Read More>>

The highs and lows of a food lover’s decade

When the last decade began, few people argued with a New York food critic’s assessment that “a gourmet trip across Iowa is non-stop.” At decade’s end, more semifinalists for the James Beard Award as Midwest’s Best Chef came from Des Moines than all but one other city (Minneapolis).

In between, our food world turned upside down. Fishing moved indoors, hog farming returned outdoors and cows were allowed to eat grass again. Iowa’s emerging wine industry survived the Chinese lady beetle, while genetically modified seeds overcame the scorn of Europe to dominate Iowa agriculture. Best of all, an artisan food movement made Iowa products like La Quercia, Niman Pork, Eden Farms, Templeton Rye, Majinola, Sutliff, Cedar Ridge, Vande Rose and Northern Prairie into renowned brands of quality. ...Read More>>”