October 16, 2013 by justin
in Political Mercury
Former State Rep. Rod Roberts of Carroll says he plans to make a decision within weeks on a possible bid for the U.S. Senate. “Yes, I’m still seriously considering running,” Roberts, a Republican, said in an interview late last week. Roberts, who lost a GOP gubernatorial primary in 2010 to
Read More →Amount: $360.90 To: Acme Signs For: Payment for repairs to the police graphics, including reflective stripes and an American flag, on a Sheriff’s Explorer at $65 per hour. Amount: $3,391 To: Ahlers and Cooney PC For: Payment for legal services regarding IEC v. Populous Inc. through Sept. 19.
Read More →Remember the good old days when lousy parenting meant plopping your kids down in front of a TV for hours on end? Cartoons, “Sesame Street” and sing-a-long VHS tapes were the cure-all for kids who wouldn’t settle down. Today, it appears tablets are slowly supplanting the idiot box for babysitting
Read More →Haute couture A few still-primitive cultures inexplicably celebrate such female adornments as the stacking of metal neck rings and the inserting of saucer-sized disks into pierced earlobes. For “civilized” society, there is the annual Paris Fashion Week in September, when renowned designers outfit brave, otherwise-gorgeous models in grotesque clothing. Among
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October 16, 2013 by justin
in Cover Story
What is it about vinyl that captures the imagination? People don’t get glassy-eyed with nostalgia over wax cylinders or eight-tracks or MP3s. Some in the punk scenes might argue that cassettes still have a healthy following, but it’s more a function of portability and the ability to record over them.
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October 16, 2013 by justin
in Belly Up To...
Kurt Cobain was a social blessing bestowed upon teens across America in the 1990s. The Seattle grunge-rock movement gave kids permission to be… well, grungy. I have a special gratitude. Finally the ratty T-shirt, torn jeans and cotton flannel hand-me-downs I’d been wearing my entire life were now “in style”
Read More →I read Michael Gartner’s “Comment” in (Civic Skinny, Oct. 10): “But, the poll makes clear, they do not have highly partisan feelings about The Affordable Care Act.” This is wrong and contradicts his previous sentence and the poll. A correct statement would be that they do not have highly partisan
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October 16, 2013 by justin
in Civic Skinny
That lawsuit filed last week by Betty and Richard Odgaard against the Iowa Civil Rights Commission is bringing out the worst in some people. And not just the Odgaards. The Odgaards run The Gortz Haus Gallery in a former church in Grimes. The gallery sells art and gifts and runs
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October 16, 2013 by justin
in Locker Room
Think you know martial arts? Think again. Forget your belts, your uniforms, your stances, techniques or katas (loosely translated as “form”). Systema is a comprehensive system in the fullest sense. Never heard of it? “Systema can be a little hard to explain if you haven’t had any experience with it,”
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October 16, 2013 by justin
in The Sound
Water Liars is a band just like thousands around the country. Formed as a two-piece in 2011, the group has a couple of albums under its belt with a third just about ready to record. Its last album, “Wyoming,” was released in March of this year and received a smattering
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