Posted April 01, 2026in Feature 1
IN THE BEGINNING … I wear a dark suit. It’s my first visit to a megachurch, and it is for a funeral. It is confusing in this day and age to know what to wear to church. Your best clothes? Business casual? Shorts and a T-shirt? Got me. Back in
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Posted April 01, 2026in Feature 2
“For its root, root, root for the Cubbies,” has long been the motto of Des Moines baseball fans. Without a Major League Baseball team in the state, area fans of America’s pastime tie their allegiances to clubs across the Midwest and throughout the country. But when the sun comes out
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Posted April 01, 2026in Feature 3
The Iowa Barnstormers will begin the 2026 season with a new coach at the helm — Andre Coles. Coles brings a diverse background, having played indoor football for nine seasons. He previously coached for the Frisco Fighters and the Tulsa Oilers. Coles recognizes he has inherited a monumental task, as
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Posted April 01, 2026in Business Feature
At Perry’s Service and Towing on University Avenue in Des Moines, a car glides through the wash while its owner relaxes in the driver’s seat, coffee in hand. For decades, drivers would have stepped out to scrub by hand. Now, machines do the work, and the self-service car wash is
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Posted April 01, 2026in Civic Skinny
Iowa leads the country in wind energy, according to iSelect, a business that compares energy costs. The company reported its findings after researching renewable energy trends across the U.S. Data show Iowa’s total renewable energy share increased from 59.42% in 2020 to 65.55% in 2024, a 6.13% rise. More than
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Posted April 01, 2026in Political Mercury
It’s head-spinning to be at once depressed and optimistic. But there I was. Somewhere between ideation and actualization. Something pulled me back. Mostly curiosity, I think. Wanting to know what happens next, a reporter’s DNA, has gotten me through a lot. You gotta live to see tomorrow to know if
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Posted April 01, 2026in Film Review
With the likes of “GOAT,” “Zootopia 2” and the ongoing “Into the Spider-Verse” franchise, kids are eating good when it comes to feature-length animation. And “Hoppers” is no different, giving the kind of movie you enjoy from the first frame to the final credit. It reaches deep into Pixar’s established
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Posted April 01, 2026in Food Dude
Bubba Southern Comforts turns 10 this summer. In its first decade of growing up, the restaurant has redefined southern comforts with a Midwest appeal while becoming a bucket list destination for whiskey aficionados and an anchor of the western Gateway District of downtown. Bubba did that with exquisite attention to
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Posted April 01, 2026in Des Moines Forgotten
At least twice a week, my morning walks take me through Greenwood Park along the dirt trails that begin on the west side of the Des Moines Art Center parking lot. For the past 15 years, I’ve passed what I call “the haunted birdhouse.” Perched atop a 10-foot pole, it looks like
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Posted April 01, 2026in Joe's Neighborhood
“Trouble (oh, we got trouble) Right here in River City (right here in River City)” — Meredith Wilson, “The Music Man.” Like most of you, I generally think I’m a decent person. I let people who are in a rush cut in front of me at the grocery store. I
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