October 02, 2013 by justin
in Political Mercury
He’s not King Corn around these parts for nothing. Gov. Terry Branstad knows the strings to pull — where, and just how hard. Eschewing the advice of GOP consultants near and far, and enjoying something of a death grip on Terrace Hill, the Great Mustachioed One cannot resist star-making impulses.
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October 02, 2013 by justin
in Belly Up To...
Sarah Cattoor is the owner of three popular west-side watering holes: Cattoor’s on Grand, The Ridgemont and Keg Stand. We told you about the Keg Stand’s newest menu items and cushy new patio expansion earlier this year. But located only blocks away from the Cityview office, Cattoor’s on Grand is
Read More →There are many “lame” reasons for eliminating the red-light cameras in Clive and many good reasons to keep them. The best reason is the number of red-light violations. Doesn’t that mean something in the minds of reasonable people? Do the math. At $700,000 in fines each year, there has to
Read More →Home sweet home “With its neatly cut lawns and luscious tropical vegetation,” wrote a BBC News reporter in July, Miracle Village, Fla., is an “idyllic rural community” of 200 residents — about half of whom are registered sex offenders, attracted to the settlement near Lake Okeechobee because laws and ordinances
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October 02, 2013 by justin
in Joe's Neighborhood
“1971 sucked. My mom died a month before I turned 6, my granny died in June and my grandpa died in November. It was a sucking year. But look, all those things make you who you are. People are, ‘That’s so terrible.’ If that wouldn’t have happened to me, I
Read More →Multi-camera laugh-track sitcoms have been in decline, but “The Millers” is one that works (Thursday, 7:30 p.m., CBS). Nate (Will Arnett) and Debbie (Jayma Mays) have always kept their distance from their insufferable parents (Beau Bridges, Margo Martindale), but that becomes impossible when Mom and Dad break up. She moves
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September 25, 2013 by justin
in Iowa Watchdog
CORALVILLE, Iowa—The City Council of Coralville has piled up about $280 million in debt in recent years, the highest debt per capita for a city in Iowa. The $14,511 burden for each of its 19,219 residents is seven times higher than Des Moines or Iowa City. It’s enough to pay for 38
Read More →The Republican Party of Iowa voted Monday to change the date of the 2014 caucus and state convention, ending months of infighting with Democrats over different caucus dates and internal party wrangling over the date of the convention. Democrats have long settled on Jan. 21, a Tuesday, as the precinct caucus
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All about Alice in (Iowa’s) Wonderland
“I give myself very good advice, but I very seldom follow it.” That’s the opening line of a song sung by Alice in the musical about her Wonderland adventures. It resonates with me because, a generation ago, our daughter Tamra was Alice in the Valerius Elementary School (Urbandale) production of
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