70 wonders of Des Moines
“Is this heaven?” You probably remember the now famous “Field of Dreams” query, where a man who is experiencing some sort of an afterlife emerges from the Kevin-Costner character’s corn [...]
Read More →
Posted September 30, 2020in Feature 1
Posted September 30, 2020in Business Feature
Politics in the workplace
Iowa is a political hotbed during most presidential election cycles with its first-in-the-nation status of the Iowa Caucuses. Because of that — and the fact that it is a General [...]
Read More →
Posted September 30, 2020in Civic Skinny
Deadbeat Dico cuts a good deal on bad land as the Feds let polluter off a $6 million hook.
It pays to be a scofflaw. The proposed consent decree between the federal government and Dico — a decree in which the City of Des Moines would end up owning [...]
Read More →
Posted September 30, 2020in Political Mercury
Strengthening Iowa’s place as the first-in-the-nation contest for the presidency
One of the last questions I asked President Barack Obama during an interview in his second term was this: Would he consider locating his presidential library and museum in Iowa? [...]
Read More →
Posted September 30, 2020in Film Review
‘I’m Thinking of Ending Things’
Charlie Kaufman is undeniably one of the greatest writers of his generation. “Being John Malkovich” and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” are some of his most notable works, but [...]
Read More →
Posted September 30, 2020in Food Dude
Capriotti’s and La Familia upgrade genres
A friend of mine, who teaches law in France every summer, says the success of Subway in that country baffles her. She asked her French friends “Why?” They told her [...]
Read More →
Posted September 30, 2020in Joe's Neighborhood
A tree on a roof
The tree rests comfortably on the roof. Nonchalantly, really. Not a care in the world. Might as well be in a pushed-back recliner with feet up. Perhaps a cigar would [...]
Read More →
Posted September 30, 2020in Center Stage
Dark, virtual, or real space
When last we left this fluid situation, the central Iowa theater scene reflected the national and international trends and responses in their art. Each company, with its own unique circumstances, [...]
Read More →
Posted September 30, 2020in Des Moines Forgotten
Thank you for ‘Turning Me On’
I love radio. Faithful readers may recall my column earlier this year on the history of Ron Sorensen and KFMG. This month I’m opening the history book of Iowa broadcasting [...]
Read More →
Posted September 30, 2020in People & Pets
Blind and deaf dog
Ray is a playful and seemingly happy puppy with a tail that wags when he is pet. His cold, wet nose sniffs at your ankles. He’ll wrestle with chew toys [...]
Read More →
