January 31, 2018 by Brent Antisdel
in Film Review
“America. They want someone to love, but they want someone to hate … There’s no such thing as truth. I mean it’s bullshit!” —Tonya Harding Kids today are often told they can do anything or be anyone. But not too long ago, they were told they had best toe the
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January 31, 2018 by Brent Antisdel
in Food Dude
This is the best sports bar food ever in central Iowa The word “redefine” is usually overstated in restaurant parlance. Once in a great while, someplace truly deserves the verb. This column is about one of those rare occasions. Range is a sports bar like no other in the metro.
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January 31, 2018 by Brent Antisdel
in Your Neighbors
Chris Norton’s whole world changed in an instant. Eight weeks into his freshman football season at Luther College, Chris Norton dove to make a tackle while covering a kickoff. “Chris, get up,” he heard his teammates saying. But he couldn’t. Severe harm had never been a real threat before to
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January 31, 2018 by Brent Antisdel
in Joe's Neighborhood
. . . the water in the toilet froze! Yup, there I am, minding my own business after the holidays, watching our adult kids go back to their own lives, putting away holiday decorations for another year, and feeling the gentle quiet of a cold Iowa winter settle peacefully around our retired lives. Meanwhile, the
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January 31, 2018 by Brent Antisdel
in Center Stage
Floatin’ like a butterfly, stingin’ like a bee Theatre cuts a wide swath when it comes to its purpose and effectiveness. Comedies, musicals and dramas expand into areas of history, society and humanity. A performance hall becomes a safe place for new experiences, to learn, then to take an expanded
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January 31, 2018 by Brent Antisdel
in Lunch With...
The state of the arts of murder and suicide Polk County Medical Examiner Dr. Gregory Schmunk is a bona fide celebrity in his field. He was the forensic consultant for hit TV series “CSI,” “CSI Miami,” “Bones, Rizzoli & Isles,” “The Blacklist” and “Rosewood.” He has also made multiple appearances
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January 31, 2018 by Brent Antisdel
in Sound Circuit
Virtuoso blues player Heath Alan — founder, singer and songwriter of the Heath Alan Band — got his start, and found success, in music early on in life. Alan plays a number of instruments, including saxophone, guitar and piano. However, it was the saxophone that took him places. Alan played
Read More →“Grand Ave Ruckus” Grand Ave Ruckus Independent This isn’t a mediocre high school brass section; it’s Grand Ave Ruckus melting faces with serious grooves on its debut album. The nine members of the band include three trumpet players, two percussionists, two trombone players, a saxophone player and a sousaphone player.
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January 31, 2018 by Brent Antisdel
in People & Pets
A tale of love-filled guard llamas “I don’t know how many times my husband and I would talk, and I would be like ‘I think she’s the best thing we’ve bought,’ ” says Lacey Swedberg. The Swedbergs’ path to llama ownership came in a rather roundabout way. The couple’s youngest
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