Posted April 16, 2014in Locker Room
It begins with a slow murmur and gradually builds to a calm shake. Then to a noteworthy grumble. Eventually it feels like Iowa may be on a fault line, as the ground quakes beneath spectators’ feet. It’s racing season at Prairie Meadows. It’s time to see speed, feel it and
Read More →‘BIOSHOCK INFINITE: BURIAL AT SEA – EPISODE 2’ (M) ***** 2K Games PlayStation 3 The first episode of “Burial at Sea” felt like a piece of fan fiction — a farfetched “what if?” scenario created solely to justify placing the characters of “BioShock Infinite” in the dystopic setting of the
Read More →Outlet center coming to prime Altoona location New England Development announced its plans last week to develop a 325,000-square-foot outlet center in Altoona at the intersection of I-80 and U.S. Highway 65. Des Moines Outlets promises to house about 75 of some of the best brand names in retail to
Read More →This April in Des Moines, two venerable art institutions reached significant milestones with style. Civic Music Association (CMA) dropped the baton last week on its 90th anniversary season with a solid mix of memory and desire. Mrs. Elsa Neumann, Mrs. Sam Shloss and Mrs. Arthur Cowles were commemorated for deciding
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Posted April 16, 2014in Cover Story
For decades, the race for President of the United States has always been front and center in the Iowa political arena. But for the first time in years, the battle for the White House is taking a temporary back seat to the blockbuster state races in the 2014 election. The
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Posted April 16, 2014in The Sound
It’s hard to talk to Joe Bonamassa and not talk shop. The urge springs from the desire to deconstruct what he does, in an effort to find out how someone — anyone — who can do it so well. Bonamassa got his start the same way masters ranging from Mozart
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Posted April 16, 2014in Political Mercury
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Sam Clovis, a firebrand northwest Iowa conservative, says he believes many congressional Republicans want to impeach President Obama. The only thing standing in their way, Clovis said in an interview, is the color of the president’s skin. “I would say there are people in the House
Read More →Courtesy of Beaverdale Books “Critical Mass” By Sara Paretsky Putnam Adult Oct. 22, 2013 Hardcover $26.95 465 pp. “Critical Mass” spans several generations, starting in the years leading up to World War II and ending with the current generation in Chicago. V.I. “Vic” Warshawski, a private investigator, has been Sara
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A skeptical take on the sacred 67 of March Madness
Like any major cultural event, “March Madness” spans decades and lets us dip into many crosscurrents for added perspectives or to prove a point. For example, there were 67 games in the NCAA mens basketball tournament — including the four first-round or play-in games — and there are 66 books
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