Christopher Scotton has published a splendid debut novel, a coming-of-age story as devastating as it is hopeful. Scotton’s story takes us to the mid-1980s to the small, impoverished coal-mining town of Medgar, Kentucky. Kevin Gillooly, 14, has just moved there with his mother. His grandfather, Arthur “Pops” Peebles, invited them
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Posted January 21, 2015in What's Brewing?
It’s baseball season in 1995. The spring air is fresh and crisp, and the sun is shining. You’re with all of your friends and holding a classic: a beer from The SandLot Brewery. Sound relaxing? Definitely. If The SandLot Brewery doesn’t sound familiar, it’s because it later changed the name
Read More →Meghan Trainor “Title” Epic Meghan Trainor’s 2014 single, “All About That Bass,” is this generation’s “Mambo No 5.” It is catchy, it has a good hook and was everywhere for a while. And in two years, people will wonder why they listened to it at all. If “Title” has a
Read More →For Chris Ford, 2015 is shaping up to be a big year. As the front man of Christopher the Conquered, Ford has already proven himself to be the guy who ruins the bell curve on creativity in this city, but he has also never been one to rest on his
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Posted January 21, 2015in Belly Up To...
In order to be classified as a first-rate dining locale, a Mexican restaurant must have two things: warm, fresh tortilla chips served with a deliciously spicy salsa and queso combo — and kickass margaritas. On the Border Mexican Grill & Cantina in West Des Moines offers both, not to mention
Read More →While others want to fight over who gets credit for the latest “best of” ranking and to brag nonstop about every single solitary thing, there is another part of the region, where jobs, homes and health care issues are primary day-to-do challenges. Rankings on the stylish neighborhood, tech hubs and
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Posted January 21, 2015in Cover Story
Can anyone truly prepare for a crisis? One can purchase insurance, open a rainy day savings account or plan an escape route in case of a fire. But being prepared for a crisis, in a way, changes the very definition of the word. For instance, imagine reaching for your phone
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Posted January 21, 2015in Your Money
Paid on Jan. 13 Amount: $120.58 To: Ellison Educational Equipment Inc. For: One 5.5-inch by 6-inch shield for the Des Moines Public Library Amount: $747.18 To: Construction & Aggregate Products Inc. For: One semi-trash pump, 25 PVC suction hoses, two alum couplers and adapters and eight preform clamps for the
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Posted January 21, 2015in The Sound
Jeremy Camp has heard it all before. Christian music artists are not cool. Christian music is just the purview of home-schooled Jesus freaks. You cannot be successful — not really successful anyway — by singing Christian music. That is the reason why any Christian act that has attained a level
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Posted January 21, 2015in Locker Room
With floors sticky enough to remove the shoes from your feet, you might think you’re in a low-rent movie theatre. But this is just how they like it on the racetrack. The roar of tiny engines is sure to impress even the causal spectator, as everything from motorcycles to lawn
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