March 16, 2016 by justin
in Food Dude
The first round of 2016 restaurant openings began in synch with the high school basketball tournaments. Twice I tried to eat at Iowa Tap Room in East Village but moved on after finding an hour’s wait. That’s a stunning opening weekend for a place with 7,200 square feet and 120
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March 16, 2016 by justin
in Locker Room
There’s nothing like nice weather to get your motivation going. If that doesn’t work, a cold, refreshing craft beer tends to help get you out of the house. The O’Des Moines Irish Run on March 19 supports Above+Beyond Cancer, a public charity with a mission to elevate the lives of
Read More →for fiscal year 2017 Amount: $612,421,165 To: Total of all city funds to be expended in 2017 For: Budget for fiscal year 2017 Amount: $61,003,604 To: Police department 38 percent of total city budget Amount: $36,102,992 To: Fire department 23 percent of total city budget Amount: $12,298,569 To: Park &
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March 16, 2016 by justin
in Art News
Art depends upon the hubris of artists. For much of history, the tyranny of religion made the very idea of portraying a holy image so risky that only the bravest, most confident artists would dare. It’s still that way if the artist’s subject has anything to do with the Koran.
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March 16, 2016 by justin
in Political Mercury
Let’s start with Hillary Clinton in her own words. Last summer, during a 23-minute interview, I asked Mrs. Clinton about a potential running mate, should she achieve the historic status as the first woman to be nominated by a major party for president. Here’s that exchange in the interview of the library
Read More →Not everyone gets to work his or her dream job. Generations of children went through years of school dreaming of becoming an author. They read every book they could get their hands on and earned degrees in English from their favorite liberal arts colleges — only to work in financial
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March 16, 2016 by justin
in Center Stage
Tennessee Williams finds strange ways to break your heart. Toward the end of “The Glass Menagerie,” his first masterwork, there is a crushing moment when the hapless Laura hands Jim, her “gentleman caller,” a strange parting gift of a broken toy. She calls it a “souvenir.” But a souvenir of
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March 16, 2016 by justin
in Civic Skinny
Maybe Councilwoman Chris Hensley didn’t have a conflict of interest last December when she cast a critical “yes” vote that allowed local developers to apply to the Iowa Finance Authority for low-income-housing tax credits. But it sure worked out well for her employer last week. Hensley is a director and
Read More →It’s time for a pro-job agenda. In 2011 Rep. Paul Ryan presented a six-page plan to create jobs in which only generalities were presented, while President Obama had presented to the Congress a detailed plan to create jobs. House Republicans have repeatedly refused to create jobs by increasing funding for
Read More →Jeff Buckley “You and I” Sony Posthumous albums are usually a crapshoot. And the more albums come out after an artist’s death, the more likely it is that the quality will be low. If someone passes away far too early — like Jeff Buckley did — then there is probably
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