December 16, 2025 by Brent Antisdel
in Stray Thoughts
What makes freedom of speech so difficult to understand and accept? That question came up at Sunday’s discussion at the Des Moines Valley Friends Meeting. The Friends invited me to speak at the gathering that coincided with the 50th anniversary of the Dec. 15, 1975 bombing of the Friends meeting
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December 11, 2025 by Brent Antisdel
in Morain
Iowa State head football coach Matt Campbell’s decision to accept Penn State’s head football coaching position devastates Cyclone fans, gladdens Nittany Lions fans, and brings big-time football’s structure front and center in the collective mind of college football fandom, especially here in Iowa. Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard got
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December 09, 2025 by Brent Antisdel
in The Culture Buzz
Culture BuzzFrom Iowa’s cultural epicenter, Mainframe Studios at 900 Keosauqua Way in Des Moines, Iowa comes your Listener-supported Community Voice, the Award-Winning indie radio station, KFMG-LP 98.9 FM (streaming simultaneously at www.kfmg.org), bringing you music, literature & cultural content. Quote of the Week – “As is a tale, so is
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December 04, 2025 by Brent Antisdel
in Morain
What will you be doing in the year 2033? If you’ll still be younger than 67 years of age, there are innumerable answers. But if you’re 67 or older by then, chances are the Number One item on your mind will be how in heaven’s name you’re going to make
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December 03, 2025 by Brent Antisdel
in Feature 1
Publisher’s note: Forty-six years ago, when Michael Gartner was editor of The Des Moines Register, he walked over to the desk of writer Bob Hullihan and said, “How about writing me a Christmas classic for the holidays?” Hullihan said, “Sure.” And he did. It ran in the Register and years
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December 03, 2025 by Brent Antisdel
in Feature 2
Established in 1948, the Des Moines Art Center has brought world-famous works of art right into central Iowa’s backyard. Whether it be at an exhibit inside one of the three unique buildings, which are considerable artworks themselves, or the renowned John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park in downtown, the Art
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December 03, 2025 by Brent Antisdel
in Business Feature
Pop-ups may look effortless — a cute booth, a friendly maker, a handful of products inviting you in — but there is so much more behind every display. Across the Des Moines metro, small-business owners are using pop-ups not just to sell but to connect and bring their brands
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December 03, 2025 by Brent Antisdel
in Civic Skinny
Elections were in full swing across the nation and Iowa in November. City council seats were up for grabs, with one race finishing incredibly close, and school board elections were interesting once again. But who is donating to these campaigns? And how much? Three Des Moines city council elections took
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December 03, 2025 by Brent Antisdel
in Political Mercury
I’ve covered a lot of traffic-crash deaths. “Walking down the track, picking up body parts gives you an appreciation for the power of a train,” an Ames police sergeant told me in the early 1990s in the hours after a collision, just along the Union Pacific Railroad line, in the
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December 03, 2025 by Brent Antisdel
in Film Review
A director’s unique voice is the most powerful asset. It is the authorial stamp, the stylistic flair that transforms a mere story into a distinct experience. That is what makes Edgar Wright’s 2025 remake of “The Running Man” such a profound disappointment. On paper, the pairing of Wright’s hyper-kinetic style
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