Posted June 01, 2022in Feature 1
One summer, my dad took our family across the state on a road-trip frenzy. Every weekend brought us to a new destination. We visited the Field of Dreams, where the 1989 baseball flick of the same name was filmed. We took photos behind Buddy Holly’s giant rimmed glasses, marking the
Read More →
Posted June 01, 2022in Feature 2
Webster defines pride as “a feeling of deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one’s own achievements, the achievements of those with whom one is closely associated, or from qualities or possessions that are widely admired.” The secondary meaning is “consciousness of one’s own dignity.” A tertiary meaning is “a social
Read More →
Posted June 01, 2022in Business Feature
Leading cable and satellite TV providers in the Des Moines metro are losing subscribers. Fast. Company-wide, Dish Network lost 583,000 pay-TV subscribers in 2021. Mediacom lost 71,000. DirecTV does not publish its metrics, but Leichtman Research Group estimates DirecTV lost 1.9 million subscribers. This trend can be attributed to a
Read More →
Posted June 01, 2022in Civic Skinny
As more employees return to the office and in-person events are scheduled, the City of Des Moines is nearing the completion of its transition away from traditional parking meters. The ParkDSM mobile app launched in December 2021, with all metered spaces expected to be fully converted by August this year,
Read More →
Posted June 01, 2022in Political Mercury
Political Mercury’s Douglas Burns recently conducted an interview with Bradley Knott, the founder of the Campaign for Sensible Cannabis laws. This week, Knott and his team launched the website FreetheweedIowa.org. Knott is a veteran political consultant who earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Iowa and law degree from Catholic University. He has a long history
Read More →
Posted June 01, 2022in Film Review
“We may be bad, but we’re so good at it.” Mr. Wolf (Sam Rockwell), the lupine leader of the larcenous critters at the center of the animated comedy “The Bad Guys,” knows whereof he speaks. His crew, the safecracker Mr. Snake (voiced by Marc Maron), the computer hacker Ms. Tarantula
Read More →
Posted June 01, 2022in Food Dude
Four decades ago, the wise men of Des Moines invited architect and prophet Mario Gandelsonas of Princeton to town. Gandelsonas presented a vision of a future Des Moines that predicted the allure of East Village, a developed right bank of the Des Moines River and the western gateway. As soon
Read More →
Posted June 01, 2022in Des Moines Forgotten
It’s bittersweet to write this piece on the event that would eventually become the Des Moines Arts Festival (DMAF). Since 2011, I had been involved with DMAF and its Interrobang Film Festival as a programmer and event producer. In 2021, I retired from that position so I could focus on
Read More →
Posted June 01, 2022in Joe's Neighborhood
The rain is gentle in Dublin, Ireland, unlike the hard rain in Iowa this spring. The rain washes down the old slate roofs, flowing into gutters and spilling into private gardens hidden in the back of buildings. High stone and brick walls keep me from spying on people dallying inside
Read More →
Posted June 01, 2022in Center Stage
In an interesting pondering of name origins, tallgrass prairie “is capable of supporting significant biodiversity. Parts of the ecoregion are among the top ten ecoregions for reptiles, birds, butterflies, and tree species.” Tallgrass Theatre Company (TTC) draws from that description, having sunken its roots deep into the West Des Moines
Read More →
