Posted September 03, 2014in Civic Skinny
Democrats will continue to control Polk County for the next four years. That was assured at 5 p.m. on Wednesday of last week, the deadline to file for county offices. No one chose to run against John Mauro, Angela Connolly or Tom Hockensmith, the three Democrats who control the Board
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Posted August 27, 2014in Civic Skinny
Jason Powell, who was told by Iowa State Fair officials and then by Federal Judge Robert Pratt that his sidewalk preaching interfered with traffic, last week appealed Pratt’s ruling to the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals. Powell, a “professing Christian who is compelled to share his faith with others in
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Posted August 20, 2014in Civic Skinny
Marty Tirrell filed for bankruptcy on Monday. The sports-radio talker and serial-defendant said he and his wife, Stephanie, have assets of zero to $50,000 and estimated liabilities of $500,000 to $1 million. The petition listed more than a dozen creditors, including several credit-card companies, three banks, and two of the
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Posted August 13, 2014in Civic Skinny
Dick Olson, a good mayor, a good guy and a good neighbor, died last week in a car crash in Maine. He was 85. This is from Jim Duncan: “Dick Olson was a tough guy. He defined the term. He grew up without parents, raised by grandparents who spoke no
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Posted August 06, 2014in Civic Skinny
Marty Tirrell’s lawsuit against Charles Gabus Motors has been thrown out of court. Tirrell, the radio broadcaster with a long list of judgments against him, had said he had an employment contract with Gabus’ Toyota dealership. As “proof,” he cited two bizarre “to whom it may concern” letters. Not good
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Posted July 30, 2014in Civic Skinny
Gleanings from the latest campaign-finance reports: Eldon Roth, the Dakota Dunes, South Dakota, founder of Beef Products Inc. — maker of the beef product unfortunately known as “pink slime” — has given the Terry Branstad campaign $110,000 since the last election. Bruce Rastetter, the ag entrepreneur who is head of
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Posted July 23, 2014in Civic Skinny
What do you do if you’re a politician picked up for drunken driving? How does it all play out? Here’s how it played out — sometimes minute by minute — when Tony Bisignano was stopped for driving erratically in the early hours of Monday, Sept. 30, last year. It’s a
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Posted July 16, 2014in Civic Skinny
Marty Tirrell Update: The Tirrell homestead in West Des Moines was sold last month at a sheriff’s sale. The sale followed a lawsuit filed against the sports-radio talker and serial defendant by Great Western Bank, alleging the Tirrells took out a $168,000 mortgage on April 1, 2011, and three years
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Posted July 09, 2014in Civic Skinny
Terry Branstad has been governor of Iowa for nearly 20 years. He was elected to four terms, sat out for a bit, was re-elected in 2010 and now is seeking his sixth term. Chuck Grassley has been in the United States Senate for nearly 34 years. He has been elected
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Posted July 02, 2014in Civic Skinny
The state of Iowa isn’t the only one having trouble collecting from wealthy architect but careless — if that’s the right word — landlord and businessman Kirk Blunck. His own lawyers have sued him. The Finley law firm went to district court last month saying that from 2006 through 2009
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