What do jellybeans, grandfather clocks and German castles have in common? A lady sitting at Des Moines’ east side Maingate Bar knows. Chrystal Smith alternates between sips from of a glass of Southern Comfort on her left and a Coca-Cola she keeps on her right. She’s brought in a
Read More →Urbandale schools Amount: $2,920 To: Environmental Property Solutions Inc. For: Asbestos removal Amount: $12,033.74 To: Iowa Testing Programs For: Registration fee and standard service Amount: $1,233.60 To: Neil Enterprises Inc. For: Contigo coffee cups and water bottles Amount: $270 To: ABC Electrical Services For: “Locates”
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May 18, 2016 by justin
in Book Review
This book is the biography of Thomas Francis Meagher (pronounced Mah-ur), who grew up during the time of the Great Famine in Ireland. Born to a prominent merchant family, he became the voice of the Young Ireland movement, which called for the separation of Ireland from the oppressive rule of
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May 18, 2016 by justin
in Film Review
“Sing Street” PG-13 106 minutes Starring: Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Jack Reynor, Lucy Boynton In 2007, Irish writer/director John Carney teamed with Irish singer/songwriter Glen Hansard to create a movie called “Once.” A love story that revealed most of its bittersweet, heart-aching tale through Hansard’s original music, “Once”
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May 18, 2016 by justin
in Sound Circuit
The Curse of Hail has been doing its thing in town for nearly a decade. But now, the current lineup of vocalist Ken Payne, guitarists Josh Adamson and Luke Haffner, bassist Ben Monroe and drummer Adam Baszczynski (pronounced: “Baszczynski”) are forging some new territory for the band as they
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May 18, 2016 by justin
in The Sound
They say that all good things must come to an end. Try as we might, no matter how hard we hold on to the things we like in this world, they will eventually ride off into the sunset. For fans of Minnesota-based alt-indie act Motion City Soundtrack, that time
Read More →It’s certainly fascinating and very amusing watching the Republican Party attempting to justify, accept and unify around Donald Trump. From the very beginning of the Trump campaign, most Republican leaders thought he was a joke and totally ridiculed his campaign. Romney called him a fraud and a phony. Cruz
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May 18, 2016 by justin
in Center Stage
At first, “Every Five Minutes” suggests a whodunit. Jay Jagim’s set threatens to drown us; it suggests a swimming pool, blue, sloping away to the far corner. Laura Sparks’ chatter, at the outset, grates on the nerves. Something is clearly awry for the friends gathered center stage. Their chairs
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May 18, 2016 by justin
in Joe's Neighborhood
“There are multiple ways of cleaning a herring. What I do is chop the head off, chop the belly off, make sure the skin is off, the fins are off. Then I’m opening the herring by putting my thumb under the back spine, and then I clean the belly and
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May 18, 2016 by justin
in Locker Room
There was once a time when ESPN consisted of a singular channel — ESPN. Go figure. There was no ESPN II, ESPN III or ESPN Classic. It was just ESPN in all of its youthful glory. Every day of the week, you could set your clock on Chris Berman
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