The sun is shining, the flowers are blooming — and the cicadas are coming. But that won’t stop us, and it shouldn’t stop you, from enjoying the seemingly endless entertainment that graces central Iowa during its warmest months. Artwork from the world-renowned to the area’s brightest up and coming talents. From Broadway shows to community [...]
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If you are looking for fast-paced sporting action this spring and summer, you are in luck. The Des Moines Menace soccer team and the Iowa Barnstormers arena football team, although being quite different, provide a similar atmosphere for their current and soon-to-be fans. On the following pages, we share some background and a peak at [...]
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“Inventory management is what can dictate some of your cash flow. And as we know, in business, cash is king,” said Lisa Shimkat, the state director of America’s Small Business Development Center Iowa (SBDC Iowa). Business is all about maximizing profits and minimizing costs. Inventory management is the same way. Order too much, and inventory [...]
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Connie Boesen began her term as mayor of Des Moines on Jan. 2, taking over for the city’s longest serving mayor, Frank Cownie. As a result, Boesen’s at-large seat on the city council needed to be filled. Five candidates — Dr. Claudia Addy, Benjamin Clarke, Justyn Lewis, Mike Simonson and Rose Marie Smith — wanted [...]
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Zack Snyder’s latest foray into the realm of epic sci-fi, “Rebel Moon,” is a grand spectacle of ambition and visual prowess, yet it struggles to break free from its own limitations. Boasting a star-studded cast including Sofia Boutella, Ed Skrein and Djimon Hounsou, the film presents a tale of rebellion, unbreakable bonds and the emergence [...]
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The meaning of “heirloom” has been extended this century in American vernacular. It’s not just for nouns anymore. I have seen it used to describe baseball fans, tomatoes, pigs, brand new wrist watches and stocks. There’s nothing wrong with that, but here’s what Oxford now has to say: “heirloom: 1.) a valuable object that has [...]
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The year was 2011, and I had been in Des Moines for four years. My first feature documentary, “Brent Houzenga: Hybrid Pioneer,” premiered at the Des Moines Social Club at its former location at 1408 Locust St. that previous November. It was now April, and the weather was finally breaking. I had read in the [...]
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The graves sprawl over the bright green and faded brown grass like grazing cattle over the stubble of an Iowa corn field. Narrow blacktop roads meander here and there across the 65 acres. Pools of sunshine dance on the white granite tombstones and the half-buried markers of grey river rock. While the many trees with [...]
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There is a special beauty about great stage scripts for children’s theatre. In the hands of an experienced producer such as the Kate Goldman Children’s Theatre at the Des Moines Community Playhouse, true magic manifests when the actors and the audiences combine to create meaningful memories through the power of live performing arts. A legacy [...]
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Friday night fireworks. Bobblehead nights. B-Bops burger races. The family-friendly fountain in right field. Win or lose, the Iowa Cubs continue to attract fans with as much entertainment as the biggest brand names in baseball across the entire country. Yes, the Iowa Cubs are a big draw in central Iowa. One of the reasons is [...]
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As the Court Avenue district seeks solutions to revitalize the area, one restaurant – The Stuffed Olive — is eager to showcase its food and drink offerings. The Stuffed Olive, a martini bar and restaurant, found success just off Third Street — so much so that the owners were turning away up to 200 people [...]
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Andrea Saltini’s controversial painting of Christ’s corpse being sexually violated was vandalized on the eve of Good Friday by a masked intruder in a now deconsecrated church outside Modena. The artist was attacked and hospitalized when he intervened. The exhibition of the painting sparked a petition for its closure signed by more than 30,000 locals [...]
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The Grammy Awards showcase the “best of the best” up-and-coming musicians in a variety of genres. For the Best New Artist award, the majority of musicians have been pop singers, such as Billie Eilish, Adele, Zac Brown Band and Chance the Rapper. But for Samara Joy, who, at age 23, received her first Grammy [...]
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A lifelong horse trainer, veteran and former police officer is helping other veterans with mental health issues by offering equine therapy. Eric Moorman is a program director for Horses Helping Heroes, also known as H3. Located at the Jester Park Equestrian Center in Granger, the program is sponsored by Polk County Conservation along with other [...]
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C.J. Bienert is Des Moines’ chosen cheese monger. Through his Cheese Shop and Cheese Bar, he has enticed the city’s palate to appreciate distinctions between whey and casein proteins, goat’s milk and sheep’s milk fats, Pyrenees and Alpine terroirs, etc. He has promoted wine and cheese tastings to graduate level educational events. And he realized [...]
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The Legislature took an important step last week in voting to toughen penalties for state and local officials who violate a key government transparency tool, Iowa’s open meetings law. Unfortunately, lawmakers’ actions may not be enough to reverse the love for secrecy that too many government boards and councils demonstrate. The latest example comes from [...]
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While automotive manufacturers continue to create fuel-efficient cars, more electric cars are hitting the market. However, frigid temps this past winter meant EV owners struggled to charge their car batteries. A solution might be to move to San Diego, where temps are consistently in the 70s. But since that’s not likely an option, a hybrid [...]
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