January 02, 2019 by Brent Antisdel
in Feature 1
Lack of demand and consumer confusion are endangering recycling. Learn what you can do to help. Officials will consider removing glass from curbside recycling, building a new processing facility and doing away with residential single-stream recycling in the Des Moines metro area within the next few years. The potential for change is due to higher
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January 02, 2019 by Brent Antisdel
in Feature 2
Don’t get too cozy; central Iowa has many fun things to do this winter. Iowa’s winter weather is predictably unpredictable, but, sooner or later, arctic winds eventually deliver freezing temps. Be that as it may… don’t give in. Instead, get up. Get out. Get to laughing, living and loving life in the greater Des
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January 02, 2019 by Brent Antisdel
in Feature 3
Harbinger is our choice for restaurant of the year again, as is Joe Tripp for chef of the year. Iowa has always been identified with food, not always in a flattering way. Yet all things change drastically and often before they are obvious. In my lifetime, our state has gone from the nation’s leading
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January 02, 2019 by Brent Antisdel
in Civic Skinny
Iowa State University paid Drake University $300,000 to play that football game in Ames on Dec. 1. The figure apparently has not been reported. Drake also got 300 free tickets and free admission for the marching band, mascots and game workers. And parking passes for one truck, four buses and
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January 02, 2019 by Brent Antisdel
in Political Mercury
There’s a software revolution in America today, and rural Americans need to be armed. It’s possible Ro Khanna did more for Greene County, Iowa, in 16 hours on a past weekend than Steve King has in 16 years. Khanna, 42, a product of rural Pennsylvania who is in his first
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January 02, 2019 by Brent Antisdel
in Film Review
The second installment suffers from connectivity issues. Sequels typically have a tough time determining how much time they want to spend establishing new characters and locations at the expense of the characters we fell in love with. The “Toy Story” movies do a good job balancing this out. Each of
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January 02, 2019 by Brent Antisdel
in Food Dude
A simple lesson Godfather’s Pizza founder Willy Thiesen once told us that for a new restaurant to be successful, it first must be fun in its own special way. That seems like a simple lesson, yet it’s rarely at the top of the planning list for new restaurants not named
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January 02, 2019 by Brent Antisdel
in Your Neighbors
Local rodeo rider gears up to haul full-time professionally. Earning hourly wages at a 9-to-5 is all well and good, but for Briar Dittmer, he prefers to be paid eight seconds at a time. The Southeast Polk graduate is majoring in physical education while competing on a rodeo scholarship at
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January 02, 2019 by Brent Antisdel
in Joe's Neighborhood
Deep-fried delights of love for those with a soul Des Moines certainly offers guilty pleasures. You know, like drinking a craft beer at a movie theater at 10 a.m. on a work day — a direct ticket to hell for any hard-working, sober Iowan. Or going to the farmers market
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January 02, 2019 by Brent Antisdel
in Center Stage
Savor the wonderful nuances, modern relevance and lyrical wit imbued in “Ordinary Days” at the Rex Mathes auditorium. Mentioning musical theater to someone often evokes images of lavish costuming, intricate production numbers filling the stage and rafter-rattling musical numbers. The past few decades have ushered in a counter-appeal to the
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