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February 04, 2026 by Brent Antisdel in Art News

Thieves, cons and native roots

The juiciest story in the art world last month was that of Thomas Doyle, a Kansas-born con man who has been arrested numerous times under at least five different names. Wall Street Journal’s Jenny Strasburg catapulted Doyle to the big time as far as infamy goes telling how he conned

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February 04, 2026 by Brent Antisdel in Iowa Artist

Visual learning

Participating in a company meeting can be boring. The prospect of sitting through yet another PowerPoint presentation elicits yawns among restless employees. Yet, when Nathan Wright is at the meeting, folks perk up. They are looking at Wright, drawing live illustrations of the concepts they have just talked about. Even

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February 04, 2026 by Brent Antisdel in Sound Notes

Sound Advice

Celebrated roots sextet Clay Street Unit brings its energetic live show to xBk Live on Feb. 20. Hailing from the heart of the Rockies, Clay Street Unit is supporting it new album, “Sin & Squalor.” The album captures the spirit of the west, folk and country traditions of the south and the

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February 04, 2026 by Brent Antisdel in Cars in the City

Affordable luxury

As SUV sales soar among seemingly all car manufacturing brands, inching in the market with an affordable version is essential. When it comes to BMW, can those two words — affordable and BMW — be used in the same sentence?  BMW believes “The Ultimate Driving Machine” can with its compact

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February 04, 2026 by Brent Antisdel in Sound Circuit

‘Honest and simple’ blues

As a child, Brandon Hudspeth was intrigued with Big Bird and other characters from “Sesame Street.” When the show featured various guest stars, Hudspeth took note of a man dressed in black, playing guitar and singing. The famed musician, Johnny Cash, commanded more attention than Kermit the Frog, and Hudspeth

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February 04, 2026 by Brent Antisdel in Your Neighbors

Connecting families

The stigma over those born and living with Down syndrome has lightened over the years, but it has not been an easy journey. The positive actions of Jennifer Baldon are helping parents in the area educate themselves about their children, while also celebrating them. She does this with the help

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February 04, 2026 by Brent Antisdel in Walks of Life

Big game, big party

It’s time for the big game, and that’s the perfect reason to gather with your fellow fans around the big screen to see which team finishes the year with a championship ring. And, you won’t be alone. Record-breaking viewership has been reported the last two years, with 127.7 million U.S.

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February 04, 2026 by Brent Antisdel in Belly Up To...

Heroics Sports Lounge

Des Moines’ newest sports bar, Heroics, is like most any sports bar in some ways — a full bar, fascinating conversations and the latest game on the big-screen TV. However, there is one distinction that sets it apart from other sports bars — all the games shown feature women athletes.

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February 04, 2026 by Brent Antisdel in Film Previews

Film Previews

“Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die” R | 134 minutes Director:  Gore Verbinski Writer: Matthew Robinson Starring: Sam Rockwell, Haley Lu Richardson, Michael Peña Director Gore Verbinski makes his return to theaters with this gonzo time-traveling adventure, his first feature in a decade. Academy Award winner Sam Rockwell stars as

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February 04, 2026 by Brent Antisdel in Book Review

Book Reviews

‘Honeyeater’ This is not an easy book to read. Just throwing that out there if you’re not the kind of person who likes a challenging read. This is a slow-burn, convoluted, stream of consciousness style story that performs literary acrobatics while it breaks your heart. If you are up for

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