200cc of fury

 

The Corporation Scooter Club plans a "Hostile Takeover" of Des Moines May 27-29


As the weather warms up and more people venture outside, you're bound to hear two-wheeled vehicles rolling down the streets of the metro. The continual rumbling of motorcycles cruising by or the whiz of a passing bicyclist are most commonly heard, but residents are also noticing a different sound — the cool hum of a scooter.

 

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A bunch of numbers, a little history, one quote

 

A Republican legislator, irked at Terry Branstad for his budget maneuvering, tells Skinny: "He said he'd unite us, and he did — against him."

The Governor's eleventh-hour effort to cut another $160 million from the budget is mystifying economically and politically, some Democrats and Republicans say. Total tax receipts are up $175.8 million so far this fiscal year, and the outlook remains pretty good. Corporate income taxes are lagging, but nearly every other category of tax receipts is up from a year ago. It's quite likely the state will have $1 billion under the mattress when the fiscal year ends on June 30.Read More>>

'SDMF' modus operandi sustains Black Label Society's Wylde frontman

 

They say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. To be sure, I asked Zakk Wylde, frontman of Black Label Society (BLS), one of many bands to play this weekend's Lazerfest. His well-documented tribulations in 2010 included surviving deadly blood clots; parting ways with his longtime boss Ozzy Osbourne; giving up alcohol after decades of abuse; and coping with the death of his father.

"It all happened in that short span of time. The Black Label Society mentality is 'Life's like a mountain. We're either going through it, around it, over it, underneath it or blow it up, but we're gonna get to the other side. Suicide is not an option,'" said Wylde.

 

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Eighth Street rising

 

Eighth Street in West Des Moines was our first trendy suburban restaurant zone. Cork & Cleaver, Jimmie's American Café (JAC), Eighth Street Seafood, Cabo San Lucas, Fratello's, Toscano, and Pain, Pane all launched there within three blocks of the freeway. Garcia's thrived after moving from Douglas Avenue. Sam & Gabe's buzzed a block off the street on University Avenue. All are gone now. Several were direct victims of a 1995 sexual harassment lawsuit won by Kelly Ayers (daughter of CIETC scandal's Ramona Cunningham) over Jimmie Lynch (JAC). Others were indirect victims as a falling tide lowers all boats, and JAC had been the mother ship. In April, JAC's long-vacant parking lot filled with construction trucks as Tommy Mauro (Pelican Club) hustled to reopen the place, this time with Italian menus.

 

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Tell us what you think about local politics, music, restaurants, bars, entertainment or anything else going on in Des Moines.

 

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