Friday, September 4, 2026

Join our email blast

September 30, 2020 by Brent Antisdel in Business Feature

Politics in the workplace

Iowa is a political hotbed during most presidential election cycles with its first-in-the-nation status of the Iowa Caucuses. Because of that — and the fact that it is a General Election year — there’s bound to be workplace discussions about candidates, issues or politics, in general. Public and private employers

Read More →
September 30, 2020 by Brent Antisdel in Civic Skinny

Deadbeat Dico cuts a good deal on bad land as the Feds let polluter off a $6 million hook.

It pays to be a scofflaw. The proposed consent decree between the federal government and Dico — a decree in which the City of Des Moines would end up owning those 43 acres of polluted wasteland at the corner of MLK Parkway and 16th Street — is a great deal

Read More →
September 30, 2020 by Brent Antisdel in Political Mercury

Strengthening Iowa’s place as the first-in-the-nation contest for the presidency

One of the last questions I asked President Barack Obama during an interview in his second term was this: Would he consider locating his presidential library and museum in Iowa? It’s not a silly or throwaway question, and the president answered it with great seriousness, because it is in our

Read More →
September 30, 2020 by Brent Antisdel in Film Review

‘I’m Thinking of Ending Things’

Charlie Kaufman is undeniably one of the greatest writers of his generation. “Being John Malkovich” and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” are some of his most notable works, but it’s “Synecdoche, New York” that’s considered by many as one of the best films of the respective decade. However, if

Read More →
September 30, 2020 by Brent Antisdel in Food Dude

Capriotti’s and La Familia upgrade genres

A friend of mine, who teaches law in France every summer, says the success of Subway in that country baffles her. She asked her French friends “Why?” They told her they loved “the American concept of personal choice.” Subway invented an assembly line system in which the diner makes all

Read More →
September 30, 2020 by Brent Antisdel in Joe's Neighborhood

A tree on a roof

The tree rests comfortably on the roof. Nonchalantly, really. Not a care in the world. Might as well be in a pushed-back recliner with feet up. Perhaps a cigar would be in order. Or at least one of those new cocktails that are so popular at the local bars. It

Read More →
September 30, 2020 by Brent Antisdel in Center Stage

Dark, virtual, or real space

When last we left this fluid situation, the central Iowa theater scene reflected the national and international trends and responses in their art. Each company, with its own unique circumstances, was in seclusion to determine what could be done and when. From Des Moines Performing Arts, a dynamic performing arts

Read More →
September 30, 2020 by Brent Antisdel in Des Moines Forgotten

Thank you for ‘Turning Me On’

I love radio. Faithful readers may recall my column earlier this year on the history of Ron Sorensen and KFMG. This month I’m opening the history book of Iowa broadcasting on another familiar voice for many of you — Dic Youngs, “The Ole’ Youngster.” His era was before my time

Read More →
September 30, 2020 by Brent Antisdel in People & Pets

Blind and deaf dog

Ray is a playful and seemingly happy puppy with a tail that wags when he is pet. His cold, wet nose sniffs at your ankles. He’ll wrestle with chew toys clutched in his mouth. However, his toys don’t squeak, and he doesn’t play fetch. He can’t, because he’s both deaf

Read More →
September 30, 2020 by Brent Antisdel in Commercial Real Estate Transactions

Commercial real estate transactions

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS IN POLK COUNTY FROM AUG. 1 – SEPT. 11, 2020 NEW JOHNSTON SPORTS SUPER COMPLEX… Ignit Johnston, LLC paid $2.25 million to buy the property at 5346 Merle Hay Road in Johnston. Imperial Industrial Park LLC is listed as the seller of the 41,700-square-foot building that

Read More →