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May 08, 2013 by justin in Your Money

Paid for by taxpayers in… West Des Moines

Amount: $914.50 To: A Team Apparel For: Purchase of 310 adult Volleyball League Champ T-shirts through Parks and Rec.   Amount: $1,060.80 To: Josalynn Agnew of West Des Moines For: Payment for services provided for the First Steps Dance Classes, Spring 2013 provided for 34 local youths.   Amount: $1,113.27

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May 08, 2013 by justin in Featured Story, Food Dude

La Rosa, an Iowa Classic

La Rosa opened 10 years ago. Rosa Martinez was a already a local legend then, first for selling tamales in the parking lot of the original La Tapatia Tienda, then for vending homemade chicken dinners in parking lots of Hispanic businesses.  From the beginning, visits to La Rosa were more

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May 08, 2013 by justin in The Sound

Erik Brown, chameleon in brass

My first experiences playing in public were in nursing homes,” Erik Brown recalls while sitting in House of Bricks. “As a 12-year-old, I was petrified because it was just me, on my own, playing ‘Georgia on my Mind’ for a bunch of 90-year-olds. “(But) It was such a healing thing.

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May 08, 2013 by justin in Civic Skinny, Featured Story

Changes at Channel 8. Lawsuits. A dress code.

No shoes, no shirt, no paycheck: There will be a dress code for Des Moines Register workers after they move to Capital Square next month. They’re being told about it at meetings this week. Laura Hollingsworth will continue to oversee the Register from her new job as publisher of The

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May 08, 2013 by justin in On The Tube

Master of the mockumentary

Christopher Guest brings his patented style to HBO’s ‘Family Tree’ Christopher Guest earned a place in my pantheon by pioneering the mockumentary with his script for 1984’s “This Is Spinal Tap.” Since then, as a writer-director, he’s perfected the style in one big-screen gem after another: “Waiting for Guffman,” “Best

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May 08, 2013 by justin in Book Review

‘The Rook’

Courtesy of Beaverdale Books Review by Julie Goodrich Back Bay Books Pub Date: October 16, 2013 $15.99 486 pp. A woman wakes up in a park in the rain with no idea who she is or why she is surrounded by dead bodies. “The Rook,” by Daniel O’Malley, starts off

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May 08, 2013 by justin in Sore Thumbs

‘DEADLY PREMONITION: THE DIRECTOR’S CUT’    (M) *** Rising Star Games PlayStation 3 Three years ago, Xbox 360 owners were treated to/punished with “Deadly Premonition,” a game which has since won the notable distinction of being the Guinness World Record holder for “Most Critically Polarizing Survival Horror Game.” It was a

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May 08, 2013 by justin in Sound Notes

Sound Notes Pick o’ the week

More 80/35 band announcements. The Des Moines Music Coalition has added to its roster of bands for the festival, being held July 5 and 6 in downtown Des Moines. New to the lineup are: Menomena, Apollo Brown and Guilty Simpson, Escondido, The Pines,  Water Liars, Maxilla Blue, Prissy Clerks, H.D.

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May 08, 2013 by justin in Locker Room

CelebrAsian Fest includes Asian heritage and sports

The 11th Annual Asian Heritage Festival, CelebrAsian, is rich in Asian culture year after year, and a big part of that culture is sports and athletic agility, skill and mastership. Warrior Spirit Open Martial Arts Competition “The Warrior Spirit Competition is about getting students to prepare for upcoming tournaments and

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May 08, 2013 by justin in Sound Check

Ira Grace and The Bible Belt Prophets ‘Big Tent Whiskey Revival’ Independent There are a few bands in town for which the magical alchemy of male/female harmonies mean everything. The High Crest and Dustin Smith and the Sunday Silos immediately come to mind as prime examples, with the former setting

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