Cityview | Central Iowa's Independent Weekly

A new century

After last year’s 100th anniversary, can the Drake Relays pull off an encore?

Last year’s 100th anniversary of the Drake Relays had a little bit of something for everyone — Drake Relays memorabilia, countdown clocks located around the city of Des Moines, special athlete recognition, 100th Drake Relays highlight DVDs and even a special logo used throughout the event. So what can the Relays do for an encore this year? The 2009 success may be hard to duplicate, but officials believe the 101st Drake Relays, which runs Thursday through Saturday, will be every bit as special.
“We’re always excited for the Drake Relays,” said Brian Brown, Relays director. “You can’t have much more of a buildup than last year, but, absolutely, we believe it’s going to be just as big — we think that each year. The Drake Relays are a right of passage — they signify the beginning of spring. We have a lot of elite athletes competing, so that’s something to be excited about.”..Read More>>

Turkeys on the right, perks for the rich, but no gloom anywhere

All things considered, it’s a good idea for the attorney general to be actively licensed to practice law in the state where she holds office.

So if Brenna Findley wants to be Attorney General — and she does want to be — she might consider reactivating her license to practice law in Iowa. According to state records, the likely Republican foe of Tom Miller has a “retired/inactive” status in the state bar, which usually means a person is not keeping up with the requirements for continuing legal education. And although she’s registered to vote in Iowa as a resident of Dexter, where she grew up, the bar lists her residence as Washington, D.C., where she was until recently the chief of staff to Steve King.

A lawyer generally can’t practice law in Iowa without being an active member of the bar, and that means, first, being admitted and, second, keeping the license up-to-date by taking 15 hours of continuing education every year. Those 15 hours must include two hours every two years of “legal ethics,” though some cynics consider that an oxymoron....Read More>>

‘Ain’t But A Minute’ is gratifying tale of Michael’s life, career

It’s a long way to Nashville, but after listening to Robby Michael’s debut album, “Ain’t But A Minute,” you get the feeling that anything’s possible for this talented country music crooner from Carlisle.

Released independently two weeks ago, after three painstaking years of work, “Ain’t But A Minute” is a confluence of popular, traditional and outlaw country music styles that is sure to quench the musical thirst of a variety of country music fans. Add to that Michael’s easy, baritone singing voice (think Garth Brooks, Jamey Johnson and his hero, Johnny Cash); good musicianship and quality production (Capp Audio Productions in Norwalk); and an ability to write songs steeped in the country music canon — patriotism, family and raising hell — and you have the makings of one of the best locally-produced country music albums in recent memory.

“Making the record has been a long, drawn out process. To be honest I could of waited to make it even better, but I wanted to get the ball rolling,” said the 28-year-old stay-at-home-dad, husband and full-time musician.

Baru: The second coming?

In the late 1950s, the Colby family offered Ann Tancredi free rent to move her restaurant to the northeast corner of 66th and University Avenue. She came from Modena, the epicenter of Italian culinary style where her mother had been considered one of the best chefs in all Emila-Romagna.
Tancredi’s Anjo’s introduced central Iowa to a more refined dining style including coffee cups of wine, before wine was legal here. Customers could be thrown out for objecting to her pace, which considered three-hour dinners normal. After Tancredi closed Anjo’s, Sage moved in and raised the bar for fresh and local cuisine. Great expectations come with the address.

Baru, Sarah Hill and David Baruthio’s new café is audaciously designed to increase expectations. Walls are covered with large landscape paintings, by Jamie Navarro, of Strasbourg and Alsatian countryside — Baruthio’s stomping grounds and the most celebrated culinary region of the world now, producing Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Thomas Keller, Hubert Keller and Jean Joho, all regarded among the best French chefs in the world. ...Read More>>”