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| Cover
Story: Blood In The Water |
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PREDATORY LENDERS FEAST ON FINANCIAL
DESPERATION
BY JENNIFER CRONIN
Sitting at a red light at the
intersection of Hickman and Merle
Hay, one wouldn't expect the brightly
colored gas station-turned-car-title
loan service on the northwest
corner to be as busy as it is.
The parking lot is full. Cars
zip in and out. The door on the
small building seems to be a revolving
one. There is non-stop bustle.
And just up the road, at a Taco
Bell-turned-car-title loan service,
it's more of the same. For a "small
fee," customers can come
in and borrow money. All they
have to do is own their car outright,
hand over the title to the vehicle
- along with a set of keys - and
they can then walk out the door
with money in hand. >>
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| Jon Gaskell:
Higher ground |
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Iowa incentives could lure hurricane
victims and prove to be boon for state
Opportunity knocks. And sometimes,
it actually blows the door off its hinges.
And with that in mind, I couldn't help
but wonder if, in the wake of all of
this hurricane hullabaloo, if we, as
Iowans, aren't squandering a golden
opportunity. You shouldn't exploit heartbreaking
situations like Katrina and, to a much
lesser extent, Rita, but instead of
all of this James Taylor "You've-Got-a-Friend"-type
fluff, why not give them a good-old-fashioned
sales pitch? >>
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| Civic
Skinny: Grandstanding, backstabbing
for blank-ballot duo |
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Michael Kiernan and Christine
Hensley have both spoiled any
goodwill with the rest of the
Des Moines City Council, we're
told, after both lobbied other
council members to delay the vote
on the salary issue until after
election petitions were due earlier
this month and then turned on
the rest of the bunch. The rest
of the council agreed to wait
given that both Hensley and Kiernan
said privately that a salary increase
was due given city policy set
in 2000. So when Hensley and Kiernan
turned on them in the press, yet
another door was slammed shut.
"It's a backstabbing followed
by grandstanding. They lied to
us, then lied to the people whose
support ... >>
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| Food
Dude : Chef's Kitchen |
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By Jim Duncan
CVFDude@aol.com
 Chef's
Kitchen is back in Beaverdale. Previously
incarnated as Chef's Corner Kitchen,
the restaurant closed for most of the
past year while Steve and Kristi Little
moved a block north, trading their middle
name for three times the seating and
parking. While they were out of business,
though, we heard from customers who
were convinced that a conspiracy was
afoot to deprive the neighborhood of
the good family values the Little's
joint represents. >>
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| Scene
Scribe : Lighthouse's 2006 series shines
with familiar, new |
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By Michael Swanger
michael@dmcityview.com
 The
folks at the Lighthouse Coffeehouse
in West Des Moines will serve up a tasteful
blend of familiar folk acts and a handful
of newcomers (not to mention a lot of
pie and coffee) during their sixth season
in 2006.
Scott Stilwell, the Lighthouse's coordinator
and co-founder, last week released the
venue's 2006 schedule which includes
repeat performances by some of the biggest
names in the world of folk music, including
Pierce Pettis (March 10), Lucy Kaplansky
(April 28) and John Gorka (May 12).
The 2006 season also includes an impressive
array of artists making their Lighthouse
debut, such as singer-guitarist Patty
Larkin ... >>more
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| City
Sounds : Country music, according
to The Hoyles |
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By Michael Swanger
michael@dmcityview.com
 If
you prefer country music made
by guys who drink beer from cans
and play from their hearts, not
their pocketbooks, listen to The
Hoyle Brothers.
From the first note of their
do-it-yourself debut album, "Back
to the Door," it's evident
they're steeped in the straight-from-the-gut
tradition that gave old-time country
music its soul. And their reverence
for classic country sounds from
the '50s and '60s, complete with
swooning pedal steel guitar and
simple songs about beer drinkin',
skirt chasin' and gear slammin'
can be heard on each of the album's
13 honky-tonk tracks. >>more
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