August 06, 2025 by Brent Antisdel
in Civic Skinny
University coaches are often the highest-paid state employees, which is true in Iowa. For example, the University of Iowa’s head football coach, Kirk Ferentz, is compensated $7 million a year before bonuses and incentives, making him the state’s highest-paid employee. Iowa State University’s head football coach, Matt Campbell, makes $4
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August 06, 2025 by Brent Antisdel
in Political Mercury
A Capitol Police officer who stood the ground between hundreds of members of Congress and insurrectionists during the Jan. 6 attack says he thinks often about that day — a day that could have been his last. Harry Dunn, a now-departed United States Capitol Police officer who testified before Congress
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August 06, 2025 by Brent Antisdel
in Film Review
James Gunn’s “Superman” is a fantastical reimagining of the iconic hero, delivering a film that is at once emotional, comical, campy and visually dazzling. While not without its flaws — chiefly an overstuffed plot and a few too many characters — the movie succeeds in re-establishing Superman as a symbol
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August 06, 2025 by Brent Antisdel
in Food Dude
The local food scene is rifting. Two different sports bars, Blue Shark and Perfect Ten, both failed in just a few months at the same address on Ingersoll. Two Mexican restaurants, Blue Agave and Mojito’s, both closed within weeks of each other half a block apart in Windsor Heights. All
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August 06, 2025 by Brent Antisdel
in Des Moines Forgotten
When I was a kid, my mother took me to one of those throwback diners where the schtick was to be rude to the customers and make a scene. She had this habit of NOT ordering desert and instead would have me order the largest milkshake that was available. Then,
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August 06, 2025 by Brent Antisdel
in Joe's Neighborhood
With an anxious stomach, I stand behind the long black curtains and watch off stage as the teenage girls tap dance before the large audience in Boone. It’s the Betty Mae Harris dance recital. I want to throw up. But, still, I watch the teenagers who are clever and quick
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August 06, 2025 by Brent Antisdel
in Center Stage
From the Des Moines Community Playhouse, continually producing work since 1919, to the About Time Theatre Company, just launched this year, participating theatre companies in the Bravo Greater Des Moines footprint gather for a shared celebration of their previous year’s work. The Cloris Leachman Excellence in Theatre Arts Awards reaches
Read More →‘Lessons in Magic and Disaster’ This may be marketed as a fantasy book, but just like real people, there is far more to this sparkling gem than meets the eye. Defying genres like a teenager defies logic, this book is a witch’s coming-of-age story wrapped in a historical mystery in
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August 06, 2025 by Brent Antisdel
in Your Neighbors
Iowa Juneteenth hosted Neighbor’s Day, a celebration of Juneteenth, in Western Gateway Park in June. Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. While the Emancipation Proclamation was issued on Jan. 1, 1863, it was not until June 19, 1865, when Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston,
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August 06, 2025 by Brent Antisdel
in Art News
Des Moines supported the arts in record numbers this July, and not just for free stuff like Fourth of July Pops and various street festivals. We came about a new civic pride watching Des Moines Metro Opera (DMMO) and Des Moines Community Playhouse (DMCP) productions in completely full houses the
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