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From The Publisher


Kicking and screaming from a new crew.

Like a newborn baby, we are coming out kicking and screaming. This is the all-new Cityview, and we are proud to bring this retooled alternative paper to you under local ownership.

No publication can be great without great people - people who know and understand the community, its people and its businesses. This is, without a doubt, the most talented group that I have ever assembled under one roof. Unlike the staff of a local daily paper, these individuals know the difference between Beaverdale and Urbandale. They truly understand how important it is to publish a paper that can cut like a knife, but be healing at times, too. Like you, they are ready for a change at Cityview. Well, get ready, because here it comes. But before you turn the page, let me share with you a quick rundown of the staff.

Jon Gaskell is a well-known individual in Des Moines and Central Iowa. He was a past editor of Cityview and has now returned. He has been known best as the innovative founder, gutsy editor, edgy columnist and detailed writer of Pointblank. Jon and I have a great history together that goes back to his reporting days at the Tri-County Times of Slater, the Dallas County News and Grimes Today. He is my partner and my friend. We certainly look at life from different perspectives, but we share a common work ethic and common goals.

Jon's news staff is solid. Carolyn Szczepanski has proven herself as an investigative reporter in the pages of Pointblank. She digs deep and will continue to bring you items like the "Rap Sheet" and "It's Your Money" along with her in-depth and common sense reporting. Erin Randolph will join her and carry on the top-notch feature writing that you have learned to appreciate from her. And Michael Swanger will bring the best music and entertainment coverage to the Cityview pages, as he has done in the past.

Our sales staff has a true appreciation and understanding of the market and how to get our advertisers results. Rebecca Zoet leads this group and will continue to focus on helping our customers grow. She has served recently as the sales manager for Pointblank, but also was a very successful sales rep for Cityview. She and I also have a history together in publications I previously managed in Dallas County. Rebecca's star-studded team starts with Joe Sampson, a Cityview sales veteran and a guy I have quickly come to admire and appreciate. Marc Daniels and Curtis Neff are newer to the alternative game, but both have been selling for Pointblank in recent months. They are not new to advertising though, as both have been working with businesses in Central Iowa for several years.

If you look at any good alternative paper from around the country, you will see a strong classified section. You will see one in Cityview, too. Therese Peltier and Patrick Lawson both bring their Cityview experience and understanding of local customers' needs to our new team. You can expect more from our revamped classifieds department, because you will get it.

Our look and design comes from a person I have learned to respect and appreciate. Her name is Jenn Ray-Sapienza. I worked with Jenn for a short time at Business Publications Corporation. And the Jenn that I know today has blossomed into a talented design manager and a loyal and dedicated employee. She was thrown quickly into this position at Pointblank after a previous manager left. She responded, and I am glad to have her at Cityview again.

As for me, it is my job to corral this talent and bring you the best alternative paper possible. My experiences are varied. I appreciate the time I spent at The Des Moines Register, and appreciate even more that I knew when to get out. I have published community newspapers, shopping guides, auto magazines, Web sites, city guides and alternative papers with some success. I love what I do, and I love the people I do it for.

If you read, watched or listened to the local media in the past week, you know by now that newspaper veterans Michael Gartner and Gary Gerlach are the principle owners of Cityview and our newly formed publishing company, Big Green Umbrella Media, Inc. I have worked for these guys for the better part of the past 12 years, and I would not want to be anywhere else. I appreciate the need for local and diverse media ownership. If you haven't by now, you soon will.

We are, as I wrote, like a newborn baby, and it's going to take some time to grow this paper into exactly what we want it to be. Meanwhile, though, let the kicking and screaming begin.

Shane Goodman
Publisher

 
Cover: Standardized Students


Is Uncle Sam pushing kids to their potential or punishing hard-working schools?

By Carolyn Szczepanski

In 31 years of teaching, Linda Nelson never felt so ashamed as when Uncle Sam labeled her students as "failing."

In 2003, Nelson was teaching at Carter Lake Elementary in Council Bluffs - a school where 76 percent of the students received free or reduced lunch - and the stigma of falling short of requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Act fell squarely on her shoulders. Carter Lake's fourth-graders didn't meet the math standards dictated by the federal government and, as one of the fourth-grade teachers, Nelson felt responsible.

"All you're working toward is not having the shame or embarrassment of the community or school being on the list of failing schools," the teacher says. "We felt terrible shame, like we'd failed these kids and the community." >> more

Gaskell: Coming at you pointblank


Welcome to the all-new Cityview - a first-rate alternative newspaper for Central Iowa that is fueled by 14 years of tradition, as well as a host of innovative and improved ideas. The most talented Central Iowans in their respective fields work right here. And we're hell-bent on doing what we do best: educating, entertaining and empowering you every week of the year, and doing it even better than we've done it before. >> more

Civic Skinny: Culver's clever plan


Also: Is the field getting more crowded?

Rumors are circulating that Secretary of State Chet Culver is using federal money to temporarily hire future gubernatorial campaign staffers. These individuals, said a top statehouse source, will spend their days driving around to key parts of the state (Mike Blouin does it handing out economic development checks) and speaking with local officials about handicapped polling places. These staffers will then reportedly be hired after their "state contract" runs out to work on the Culver campaign. Our source said this is a pretty common practice for those seeking higher office, but stated that the temp staffs hired usually number two at most, not the reported six that Culver has added. It has also been reported that all of these staffers have had previous campaign experience and no experience in handicapped voting issues. >> more

Upfront: White Privelege


As spring showers turn into May flowers, Pella is generally know for its colorful array of tulips, but later this month, the cozy town will be the site of an in-depth discussion about racism and white privilege. A conference titled "Women Activists: Their Fight Against White Privilege, White Supremacy and Oppression" will be held from April 27-30 at Central College in Pella, bringing together local and nationally recognized experts and artists for a host of workshops geared toward students and professionals, Caucasians and African Americans, alike. Now in it's sixth year, the gathering will address a range of issues, from "Young Children and Racism: Strategies for Educating and Rearing Children in a Toxic Society" to "One More River to Cross: The Intersection of Race and Sexual Orientation," and also include special one-day events, like the "White Anti-Racist Summit" on April 30. In addition to participating in an array of important discussions, Central Iowans will get a second chance. >> more

The Food Dude: Trostel's Greenbriar


by Jim Duncan

Trostel's Greenbriar is difficult to classify. It's too big to call a bistro, though its kitchen is loyal to the fresh and local philosophy of that genre. It's not a French cafŽ, even though Chef Troy Trostel probably keeps the classic Escoffier faith as well as anyone, and no other restaurant hosts so many special wine dinners. It's not a typical old-school Des Moines restaurant. Nor is it a steak house. Though, more than any place in town that uses the name, it embodies the traditional Iowa meaning of such. >> more

Movie Review: 'Gunner Palace'


by By Dan Vinson

Probably everyone remembers President Bush's ham-handed, shortsighted proclamation in summer 2003 that "major combat in Iraq has ended." The soldiers still embroiled in daily battles remember, too. In late 2003, "Gunner Palace" co-directors Michael Tucker and Petra Epperlein spent two months with the 400 soldiers of 2/3 (Two Three) Artillery stationed in Uday Hussein's former "weekend palace." Many soldiers joke that they are engaged now in "minor" combat. >> more

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our readers want
rental listings
and we're going to give it to them!

CityView is adding a new rental section to our weekly paper. In order to provide our readers with the most complete list of rental properties available in and around Des Moines metro, we would like to list your rental (apartment, loft, condo, duplex, house) for free. Please limit your listing to up to 30 words per rental.

it's easy

To submit your rental, simply fax your listing to our office ... 515-953-1394 ... or click here to email your listing. Questions? Please feel free to call our office at 953-4822