Posted March 27, 2013in Featured Story, Food Dude
Disembarking from a flight in Des Moines a few years ago, I observed a lady behind me being greeted by two children and an older woman. As soon as they saw her, the kids ran up enthusiastically proclaiming, “Mommy, Mommy, guess what? Grandma gave us chicken that had bone in
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Posted March 26, 2013in Featured Story, Iowa Watchdog
DES MOINES — Iowa spent more than half-million taxpayer dollars last fiscal year to pay mileage for out-of-town attorneys who represent the poor, even though local attorneys were available and willing to do the work, state figures show. The state spent some $30.5 million last fiscal year to hire contract
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Posted March 25, 2013in Featured Story, Iowa Watchdog
DES MOINES – Gov. Terry Branstad’s attorney claims that no emails from the governor over the past nine months contain key words that could pertain to the controversial deal to lure an Egyptian company by providing more than half a billion dollars in tax incentives. Iowa Watchdog requested access to
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Posted March 20, 2013in Featured Story, Political Mercury
Oh, for the 1970s — were it not for those wildly ridiculous pants. Those of us in older generations remember a time when K-12 educators were asked to teach reading and writing and arithmetic, with a field trip to the zoo or some such place thrown in maybe once or
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Posted March 20, 2013in Civic Skinny, Featured Story
Maybe Iowa Public Radio should do a special report on organizations that abuse and misuse the Iowa Open Meetings and Open Records laws. The reporter wouldn’t have to leave the office. As Cityview pointed out two weeks ago, the closed meeting in February in which the IPR board decided to
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Posted March 20, 2013in Featured Story, Food Dude
The old fashioned bar and grill has become an endangered species in Iowa. After industrialized farming changed the state’s demographics (most Iowa counties peaked in population more than 100 years ago), towns became too small to support stand-alone restaurants. So taverns added flat-top grills, deep fryers and sometimes full kitchens
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Posted March 14, 2013in Featured Story, Iowa Watchdog
DES MOINES — When the Des Moines School Board began its search for a new superintendent in May, district spokesman Phil Roeder advised the board to present a united front to the public and to applicants. Only the board president should speak to the media, and bold and robust board
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Posted March 13, 2013in Featured Story, Political Mercury
The “Iowa Nice” guy — he of the snark and snarl, the Internet sensation with the clockmaker’s timing for profanity — talked of being nice. Honestly. For real. Even in a virtual world. “We have to somehow transition into listening again,” Scott Siepker said. Siepker, a Mount Carmel native and
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Posted March 13, 2013in Featured Story, Food Dude
One Hispanic restaurant owner tells about a pet peeve: “Time after time I will meet someone at an event, and they will ask me what I do. I say that I own my own restaurant. They say they never heard of it, and they tell me about their favorite Mexican
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Posted March 13, 2013in Civic Skinny, Featured Story
Cityview: “Dear [Rep. Josh] Byrnes. I write a column in Cityview, which sometimes is about politics. I’m told that you have told a few of your colleagues that you are considering switching parties. Is that so? And if so, why?” Rep. Byrnes: “I have a feeling something was taken out
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