Cityview | Central Iowa's Independent Weekly

Big Talker

Some people believe Steve Deace is full of hot air; he says he’s just doing his job

Talk Radio is undeniably one of the most popular radio formats in America today. Years ago, when the public stopped listening to the radio and started engaging it, the dynamics changed, and the medium hasn’t been the same since. Today, talk radio is available anywhere, anytime, and with leading talk show personalities like Rush Limbaugh, Larry King, Howard Stern, Don Imus and former talk show host Dr. Laura Schlessinger, it’s easy to see and hear why this type of entertainment has our ears waning for more.

Just like the aforementioned hosts, Steve Deace, host of “Deace in the Afternoon” has audiences listening, too. The Christian and conservative talk show host and sports fan has a widespread following that tunes in to 1040-WHO Radio while covering a bevy of topics during your drive-time commute. ...Read More>>

It pays to be an assistant coach at Iowa; Judge Bennett bets on the Easter Bunny

Kirk Ferentz takes care of his own.Midst the hoopla about the gazillion-dollar “contract” the football coach signed earlier this month with the University of Iowa, there was little note of Section 4 B, “Additional Compensation for Assistant Coaches.” But it’s worth noting.

At a time when the university is agonizing over whether to give faculty members a 1 percent raise or a 2 percent raise, at a time when union members and many others were forced to take five-day “furloughs,” at a time when Iowa’s parents are hit with tuition increases of 6 percent to 12 percent for their kids at the state universities, and at a time when the Legislature has been cutting back on appropriations to the universities, Coach Ferentz talked the university into giving extraordinarily high pay increases for 12 of his 25 or so assistants.

Spalding’s upward trajectory toward prominence continues

It is reassuring to those who believe in the power of high art that exceedingly creative artists like jazz bassist and singer Esperanza Spalding can find success in an increasingly mainstream, corporate music world while transcending conventional wisdom both on stage and off.

Spalding, who was raised in a single-parent, multi-bilingual home (she sings in English, Portuguese and Spanish) in a poor neighborhood of Portland, Ore., burst onto the scene in 2008 with her self-titled debut album that spent more than 70 weeks on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Chart and became the year’s best selling album by a new jazz artist internationally. The success of her debut album triggered a landslide of publicity, including appearances on national television (“Late Show with David Letterman,” “Austin City Limits”) and radio (National Public Radio) shows; two appearances at the White House; and a fashion ad campaign.

B & B’s pork tenderloin wins

After two months of voting, Cityview readers proclaimed the pork tenderloin from B & B Grocery Meat & Deli as “Des Moines’ Ultimate Sandwich.” In the end, it wasn’t close. The deep fried specialty from the Sevastopol neighborhood beat Uncle Wendell’s pulled pork, Taste of Italy’s meatball, and Tasty Taco’s original deep fried taco in the finals. In fact, B & B’s toughest challenge was getting out of the first round, a tough regional that included pork tenderloins from Kelly’s Little Nipper, Smitty’s, Mr. Bibb’s and Crouse Café, plus meat loaf sandwiches from BOS and the Drake Diner, and Cosi Cucina’s wood grilled chicken melt. After that, B & B rolled through the quarterfinal round like Democrats through southside precincts.

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