Posted February 04, 2015in Civic Skinny
Gleanings from the final round of campaign reports from state and local candidates: Bruce Rastetter appears to have given more money to state and local candidates last year than any other Iowan. All told, he gave $104,846.19, according to reports on file at the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board.
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Posted January 28, 2015in Civic Skinny
The couple who own the Gortz Haus Gallery have agreed that gay people now can rent the facility for weddings. The couple has dropped its lawsuit against the Iowa Civil Rights Commission and made a financial settlement with the two men who wanted to get married there but were turned
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Posted January 21, 2015in Civic Skinny
If Marty Tirrell owes you money — and if he does, you’re not alone — here’s the good news: You will be paid. Here’s the not-so-good news: You will be paid 12 cents on the dollar. Tirrell, the sports broadcaster, emerged from bankruptcy court the other day. His creditors are
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Posted January 14, 2015in Civic Skinny
Tom Vilsack is stepping back into Iowa politics. He has asked a couple of big hitters — Tim and Toni Urban and Fred and Charlotte Hubbell — to gather some other big contributors at the Urban house this Friday evening to “explore how to position the party for better results
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Posted January 07, 2015in Civic Skinny
Gov. Terry Branstad and his fellow defendants in the long and nasty harassment, discrimination, extortion, retaliation and defamation lawsuit filed by former Workers Compensation Director Chris Godfrey, want to turn the tables. If Godfrey wins, besides any damages he might be awarded he will in all likelihood recover from taxpayers
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Posted December 31, 2014in Civic Skinny
The year was 1925. Des Moines was booming; its population had soared to more than 125,000. It had 110 churches, 16 movie theaters and three vaudeville houses. Nine railroads served the city, and there were four passenger depots and eight freight depots. There were 172 barbers, five hat manufacturers,
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Posted December 24, 2014in Civic Skinny
Twelve drummers drumming… … for all those old folks well past 80 who still go to work every day — Bill Knapp and John Pappajohn and Stan Seidler and R.W. and Mary Nelson, among others — and who still keep this town running…and the bright younger ones, too: Zac
Read More →Remember Teresa Wagner? Probably not. Maybe this will help: She’s a Republican — an active, pro-life conservative — on the staff at the law school at the University of Iowa, which should narrow it down to one or two people. Wagner was, until the other day, associate director of the school’s
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Posted December 10, 2014in Civic Skinny
Beleaguered property owner Kirk Blunck denies it, but developers say he is trying to sell some of his properties in the East Village. At least two downtown developers say they got calls from him last week asking if they might be interested in buying one or more of his holdings.
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Posted December 03, 2014in Civic Skinny
The city fathers got together. The population of Des Moines had nearly doubled in just 20 years, to about 120,000, and the city needed a great hotel, they said. Des Moines already had 30 hotels, with 4,000 rooms, but most were down near the Rock Island and Union depots around
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