IN THE BEGINNING … I wear a dark suit. It’s my first visit to a megachurch, and it is for a funeral. It is confusing in this day and age to know what to wear to church. Your best clothes? Business casual? Shorts and a T-shirt? Got me. Back in the day, I would tell [...]
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“For its root, root, root for the Cubbies,” has long been the motto of Des Moines baseball fans. Without a Major League Baseball team in the state, area fans of America’s pastime tie their allegiances to clubs across the Midwest and throughout the country. But when the sun comes out and the grass gets greener, [...]
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The Iowa Barnstormers will begin the 2026 season with a new coach at the helm — Andre Coles. Coles brings a diverse background, having played indoor football for nine seasons. He previously coached for the Frisco Fighters and the Tulsa Oilers. Coles recognizes he has inherited a monumental task, as the Barnstormers won only one [...]
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At Perry’s Service and Towing on University Avenue in Des Moines, a car glides through the wash while its owner relaxes in the driver’s seat, coffee in hand. For decades, drivers would have stepped out to scrub by hand. Now, machines do the work, and the self-service car wash is just one part of a [...]
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Iowa leads the country in wind energy, according to iSelect, a business that compares energy costs. The company reported its findings after researching renewable energy trends across the U.S. Data show Iowa’s total renewable energy share increased from 59.42% in 2020 to 65.55% in 2024, a 6.13% rise. More than 65% of Iowa’s electricity now [...]
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It’s head-spinning to be at once depressed and optimistic. But there I was. Somewhere between ideation and actualization. Something pulled me back. Mostly curiosity, I think. Wanting to know what happens next, a reporter’s DNA, has gotten me through a lot. You gotta live to see tomorrow to know if you were right yesterday. Like [...]
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With the likes of “GOAT,” “Zootopia 2” and the ongoing “Into the Spider-Verse” franchise, kids are eating good when it comes to feature-length animation. And “Hoppers” is no different, giving the kind of movie you enjoy from the first frame to the final credit. It reaches deep into Pixar’s established toolkit to make you chuckle, [...]
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Bubba Southern Comforts turns 10 this summer. In its first decade of growing up, the restaurant has redefined southern comforts with a Midwest appeal while becoming a bucket list destination for whiskey aficionados and an anchor of the western Gateway District of downtown. Bubba did that with exquisite attention to details — from the way [...]
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At least twice a week, my morning walks take me through Greenwood Park along the dirt trails that begin on the west side of the Des Moines Art Center parking lot. For the past 15 years, I’ve passed what I call “the haunted birdhouse.” Perched atop a 10-foot pole, it looks like a battered multifamily dwelling, scarred [...]
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“Trouble (oh, we got trouble) Right here in River City (right here in River City)” — Meredith Wilson, “The Music Man.” Like most of you, I generally think I’m a decent person. I let people who are in a rush cut in front of me at the grocery store. I smilingly say “no problem” when [...]
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Twenty years have passed since Des Moines Art Center hosted its tribute to Ana Mendietta. She was a Cuban refugee who escaped Castro’s reign of terror, was raised in Sioux City and first rose to fame in Iowa City where her 1973 performance piece “Rape Scene” was first performed. Photos of “Rape Scene,” in all [...]
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Walking into Lachele’s Fine Foods in Highland Park, I found a brightly lit diner. Craving a bar atmosphere, I asked myself: Where’s the bar? I didn’t have to look far. The Fitz was right next door. The two are connected, and I could have easily gone through a side door to reach it. Lachele’s Fine [...]
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A classic American band, aptly named America, is in its fifth decade of touring. The group recently embarked on its “Happy Trails” tour for 2026 and will perform at the Des Moines Civic Center on April 25. America, a folk-rock band, is known for its vocal harmonies and numerous hit songs. “A Horse With No [...]
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Animals, like humans, can suffer blood loss from injuries, illnesses or surgeries. Humans can rely on a blood bank for a life-saving transfusion. But what about animals? They, too, have a blood bank. One furry client, Sig, has been a regular blood donor for the past three years. Sig’s owner, Theresa Beachler, is a theriogenologist [...]
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For my first time driving a Porsche, a wave of excitement hit me. A Porsche is “driven by dreams” and is an iconic, ultimate sports car. Yet I hesitated. The vehicle I was about to drive cost twice as much as my first house in the 1990s. Could I maintain my accident-free driving record and [...]
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Allie Delaney is the owner of Renovation Jungle, a plant store that inspires unusual loyalty, love and appreciation among customers. Jake Kashuk is her husband, a skateboard lifer and contractor. We think they epitomize the ideal young professionals that Des Moines is desperately hoping to attract to town. We asked them to lunch, and they [...]
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Noah Petersen and Priscilla Villarreal live 1,200 miles from each other, Petersen in Newton, Iowa; Villarreal in Laredo, Texas. They share a key connection despite that distance. Each has encountered government punishment for exercising their First Amendment rights. Both went to court to fight for their freedoms. For Petersen, he had the good fortune of litigating [...]
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