Cityview | Central Iowa's Independent Weekly

Living with HIV

After being silent for years, Tami Haught is now an advocate to those inside and outside the HIV community

Tami Haught fights a constant battle, one that is slowly trying to destroy her. Day in and day out, she fights. The 41-year-old Nashua resident fights not only for her life but also for thousands of others affected by a disease that takes more than 18,000 lives each year. Years ago, everything known about Tami’s disease suggested she shouldn’t be here anymore. Gone, perished, no more. But this heterosexual, single mother is living testimony that in the darkest of times, life goes on, and that a deadly virus can hinder, but not take away, one’s heart.

Branstad’s judges; more media stuff than you can shake a drumstick at

It’s a safe bet — all but a sure bet — that the three new justices on the Iowa Supreme Court will be named by Terry Branstad, not Chet Culver. Culver’s operatives have been working the corridors trying to make sure he gets to name the replacements for the three justices tossed out by the voters this month, but the process is complicated and there are key people wanting to slow it down — some to screw Culver and some to screw Branstad. How’s that again? Culver wants the chance to name the judges before he leaves office in January — but some of the Democrats and Republicans he alienated in the past four years happen to have a say in the process. Others involved in the process want Branstad to make the choices, but for varying reasons. Republicans hope he’ll put conservatives on the court. But Democrats — saying the list of choices will be the same whether it goes to Culver or Branstad — want to saddle Branstad with what could be a political liability of choosing liberal to moderate judges, which is what the names on the list probably will be. ...

Rockin’ blonde Val Halla returns with dependable band, new album

If you think that platinum blondes have more fun, you should hear the stories of what went on during Canadian rocker Val Halla’s summer tour as the opening act for Ted Nugent, which included a stop at 7 Flags Events Center in Clive two months ago.

Copa Cavana

The Ingersoll Theater’s sign is an historical landmark. For five years after the dinner theater closed in 2004, its marquee remained blank. Then last autumn, it announced that “Copa Cavana” was the coming attraction.

When that club and restaurant finally opened last month, that marquee was having surgery on one side and draped with a vinyl drop cloth on the other. Because modern semiotics declares 19 possible relationships between signs and the things they signify, I won’t jump to any conclusion about omens. Too much is at stake. A last vestige of both the big band era and the golden age cinema in Des Moines, this theater is much loved. Its new owners seem to be keen to its potential. I’ve been told at different times that the theater would host salsa, meringue, jazz, hip hop and children’s movies. I was even told that Julian Serrano would be flown in for special events. That got my attention until it was clarified that this Julian Serrano is a Miami VJ, not the world famous chef.

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