From Iowa’s cultural epicenter, Mainframe Studios at 900 Keosauqua Way in Des Moines, comes your Listener-supported Community Voice, the Award-Winning independent radio station, KFMG-LP 98.9 FM (streaming simultaneously at www.kfmg.org), bringing you music, literature & cultural content. – John Busbee for The Culture Buzz The Culture Buzz Podcast Library – https://archive.org/details/@the_culture_buzz 2014 Iowa Governor’s Award for Partnership & Collaboration
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August 12, 2025 by Brent Antisdel
in The Culture Buzz
August 11, 2025 by Brent Antisdel
in Stray Thoughts
Some local officials just plow ahead with secrecy
Lyman Dillon resides in the dusty recesses of Iowa history for his role in 1839 in one of Iowa’s earliest infrastructure projects. Dillon’s work also figures indirectly in a modern-day lesson on how NOT to run a government. This how-not-to-do-it tutorial occurred last week during a Jones County Board of
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August 07, 2025 by Brent Antisdel
in Morain
08/07/25
Do elected leaders grow to covet great power once in office, or do they assume power already coveting it? And what about those who resist the siren song of power, and instead choose to serve their constituents? Most Americans familiar with politics are also familiar with British Lord Acton’s famous
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August 06, 2025 by Brent Antisdel
in Feature 1
Rockin’ at the Iowa State Fair
The Iowa State Fair has many staples that fairgoers recognize or have experienced time and time again. The butter cow, the giant yellow slide, the midway, deep fried everything and Hairball performing at the Susan Knapp Amphitheater. One of those is changing this year, as Hairball will take its talents
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August 06, 2025 by Brent Antisdel
in Feature 2
Seeking central Iowa’s ultimate BBQ
Historically, Iowa has been barbecue challenged. Before refrigeration became common, the BBQ genre developed in the American South as the main method of preserving meat, seafood and poultry. In Iowa, ice was more expendable than hard wood, which was better used to heat homes. So, we built ice houses, and
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August 06, 2025 by Brent Antisdel
in Business Feature
More than just fun and games
For many companies, corporate games are a way to boost morale and bring coworkers together in meaningful (and often unexpected) ways. Organizations like DLL Finance, Corteva Agriscience, and Zirous have found the joy in these types of events and the impact they can make on workplace culture. A wellness
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August 06, 2025 by Brent Antisdel
in Civic Skinny
University coaching contracts surprise. Office space vacancies rise. KCCI viewership increases.
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
‘I’ve been through hell,’ says Jan. 6 Capitol Police officer
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
‘Superman’ re-establishes a symbol of hope
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
Des Moines’ international renaissance
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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