March 02, 2022 by Beckham Miller
in Food Dude
Des Moines is blessed with lots of outstanding Vietnamese restaurants. Thank you, Gov. Ray. One of them is raising the bar. Pho 515 is about 90% of the way done with a major remodeling. It is enclosed now with lovely new furniture. All that is left is the installing of
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March 02, 2022 by Beckham Miller
in Des Moines Forgotten
The Willkie House of Des Moines is not forgotten. It’s actually still very active. But some of its history at 900 17th St. may not be recognized as it should be. Willkie House was originally established in 1917 as an extension of the War Recreation Board for Black Officers at
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March 02, 2022 by Beckham Miller
in Joe's Neighborhood
“The test is in the pneumatic tube,” the pharmacy tech’s crackly robotic voice says over the speaker. Great. But which pneumatic tube? With all the other tubes and pipes and columns in the drive-through lane, I can’t tell what’s what. There’s a whoosh, and suddenly the test appears in that
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March 02, 2022 by Beckham Miller
in Center Stage
The forecast calls for occasional rain, sprinkled with lots of song and dance. Definitely something to sing about. This month’s offerings include the eagerly anticipated return of the pandemically thwarted “Singin’ in the Rain” at the Des Moines Community Playhouse. Add a diversity of live performances for the month, ranging
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March 02, 2022 by Beckham Miller
in Collections & Hobbies
The French Connection. That’s the name that Gary and Tyler French go by on their Facebook Live streaming channel called Pardon My French Media. PMF Media, as they sometimes call it, streams local sporting events, specifically for the Waukee Northwest Wolves and the Waukee Warriors. The father-son duo began their
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March 02, 2022 by Beckham Miller
in Iowa Artist
Dana Leahy has devoted more than 10,000 hours of work putting together an incredible mosaic unpaid art project that is only half completed. Called Project 66, it’s based on the 66 books of the Bible, and, so far, she’s completed 34 books. When she started in 2006, she estimated she’d
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March 02, 2022 by Beckham Miller
in Your Neighbors
“I’ve always liked reading,” says Hunter Gillum, which is an obvious understatement. Almost every room in his house has books in it. Some of those rooms have multiple shelves of books. How many books has Gillum read? “Thousands?” he shakes his head, making it clear it’s too many to count.
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March 02, 2022 by Beckham Miller
in Book Review
‘Origin: A Genetic History of the Americas’ Anthropology is not always an accessible topic for general reading. It’s often dense, and despite its subject being humanity, it can seem cold and remote to the general public. Not a small part of this is the historically racist, insensitive and inhumane way
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March 02, 2022 by Beckham Miller
in Film Previews
“The Lost City” Directors: Aaron Nee, Adam Nee Stars: Sandra Bullock, Brad Pitt, Channing Tatum Brilliant but reclusive author Loretta Sage (Sandra Bullock) has spent her career writing about exotic places in her popular romance-adventure novels featuring handsome cover model Alan (Channing Tatum), who has dedicated his life to embodying
Read More →Eli Alger, a native of Des Moines, spent weekends performing country tunes with The Little Liquor Band while attending the University of Iowa. He recently embarked on a solo career in Nashville. Catch Alger when he returns to central Iowa at Outlaws in Ames on April 1 and Shotgun Betty’s
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