April 29, 2022 by Beckham Miller
in Morain
Beethoven’s genius overcame his handicap, and he created most of his compendium of magnificent compositions within a silent world. The word “ineffable” means incapable of being described in words. It’s a useful term. Writers, like myself, when unable to say what we mean, fall back from time to time on
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April 29, 2022 by Beckham Miller
in Stray Thoughts
I’m confused. Some of our political leaders seemed to be talking out of both sides of their mouths about why it is wrong for public school employees to engage in what the leaders think is pushing a point of view onto students. These leaders need to figure out whether it
Read More →By Randy Evans This is one of those times when people who have little appetite for politics need to pay attention — because a big change is coming that many folks won’t agree with. When the U.S. Mint asked each state to pick an image to represent the state on
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April 06, 2022 by Beckham Miller
in Feature 1
First-year Iowa Barnstormer Darius-James Peterson knows the quarterback slot for the Iowa Barnstormers is somewhat hallowed territory. Mention the Iowa Indoor Football League franchise name around the league, and, inevitably, the discussion will circle back to the most famous ’Stormer of them all, Kurt Warner. Some things you just can’t
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April 06, 2022 by Beckham Miller
in Feature 2
Soon after moving to central Iowa a few years ago, Jennifer Trevillian and best friend Shannon Christensen decided to do something they’d never done before: attend a hockey game. In this case, it was the Iowa Wild. After the game ended, the two were walking toward their vehicle when they
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April 06, 2022 by Beckham Miller
in Business Feature
Released in 2007, “The Story of Stuff” is a short film about material goods. Narrated by Annie Leonard, the 20-minute film exposes the truth behind material goods: where they come from and where they go. The film claims that 99% of things harvested, mined, processed, transported and consumed are trashed
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April 06, 2022 by Beckham Miller
in Feature 3
Cycling continues to increase in popularity in central Iowa, and the economic boom is being enjoyed by many communities, which have sprouted some fine dining and drinking establishments over the 600 miles of trails connecting urban Des Moines with the outer ring of trails that traverse Iowa’s rural landscapes.
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April 06, 2022 by Beckham Miller
in Civic Skinny
One would correctly assume that the use of Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority, better known as DART, dropped during the COVID-19 pandemic. But how much? In DART’s fiscal year 2019, the usage number was 4.5 million. In 2020, that number dropped to 3.75 million. In 2021, it sunk to
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April 06, 2022 by Beckham Miller
in Political Mercury
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Deidre DeJear, a Des Moines businesswoman, hit on themes of job creation, boosting health care and rural development during a Carroll event in which she stressed that her party needs to make its case, not just respond with outrage to Republicans. “Let’s not fight to prove a point
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April 06, 2022 by Beckham Miller
in Film Review
“Windfall” is the kind of acting experiment that works for me. Trap three talented actors on a single set and bounce them off each other. The premise here is strong enough to keep the film afloat for about an hour as these very different acting energies collide in the middle
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