Posted September 06, 2023in Film Review
Based on the 1984 comic book by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, the Ninja Turtles were originally meant as a spoof of other superheroes. Rather than flying gods in tights, these were sewer-dwelling reptiles mutated into anthropomorphic crime-fighters under the paternal guidance of Master Splinter, a mutated rat who learned
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Posted September 06, 2023in Food Dude
When Jordan Creek Town Center was under construction the decade before its 2004 opening, developers told me they wanted to attract Ruth’s Chris Steak House so badly they offered incentives. At the time, the Dallas, Texas, company deemed West Des Moines too small. Earlier this summer, Ruth’s Chris opened the
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Posted September 06, 2023in Des Moines Forgotten
I have written about coal mining in the metro previously with the Shuler Mines in Waukee. It’s surreal to think that Des Moines is littered with abandoned mines under the streets and our homes. What creatures could be living in those old caverns? Have you ever seen the movie “C.H.U.D.”
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Posted September 06, 2023in Joe's Neighborhood
Listen, this is truly going somewhere. I promise. But the journey requires that we play Candy Land, which means we have to get past Peppermint Forest and Gumdrop Mountains and survive Molasses Swamp, all to hopefully arrive at King Kandy. You don’t want to do that? Sorry, those are just
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Posted September 06, 2023in Center Stage
This column has covered the arduous path that Tallgrass Theatre Company has traveled to replant its creative roots into West Des Moines. Forced to move from its original home in the Rex Mathes school and coping with the pandemic, its diligent search for a new performing space was finally rewarded.
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Posted September 06, 2023in People & Pets
In the middle of a Des Moines neighborhood is a bustling place for injured songbirds, sparrows, waterfowl, robins — anything with feathers. The Iowa Bird Rehabilitation is a nonprofit that takes in injured birds and was established by Jenni Boonjakuakul. Jenni rehabbed her first baby crow in 1999 in California.
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Posted September 06, 2023in Cars in the City
When Toyota introduced the Prius in the U.S. in 1999, it was the first mass-produced hybrid vehicle that had both battery and gas engines. It soon became the best-selling hybrid of all time. Now, Toyota debuts its first fully electric vehicle, the bZX4. The bZ stands for beyond zero emissions.
Read More →‘The Mimicking of Known Successes’ I make an effort each month to review books with wide appeal, stories most people could read and enjoy. That said, this one is a little niche, but I can’t help myself. I loved it! I’ve read it twice and feel compelled to share. It
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Posted September 06, 2023in Belly Up To...
Des Moines’ new Market District is ready for takeoff with its first retail offering, a brewery, in the 230-acre urban development. SingleSpeed Brewing, located at 303 Scott Ave., is walking distance to Principal Park and right off the bike trail near the banks of the Des Moines River. It’s housed
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