Civic Skinny

Posted September 02, 2020in Civic Skinny

2 Comments

How the cops use those 396,000 bullets. How Kim Reynolds handcuffs Tom Miller.

In 2019, Des Moines police officers responded to 202,000 calls. Twice, officers fired their guns in the line of duty. Each time, the officers were fired upon first. So why [...]

Posted August 05, 2020in Civic Skinny

9 Comments

4 notable deaths, 4 lives well-lived. Rich guy gets richer. And Tirrell, of course.

Four well-known Des Moines men — all in their 80s or beyond — died within days of one another last month. All were interesting men who led interesting lives. Owen [...]

Posted July 01, 2020in Civic Skinny

5 Comments

Billionaire Stine gets Coronavirus loans. Cargill gets $822,000-per-job aid. Register circulation is in a free fall.

Companies owned by Harry Stine, the richest man in Iowa, are among the 60,000 or so Iowa companies that have received around $5.1 billion in forgivable loans from the federal [...]

Posted April 01, 2020in Civic Skinny

1 Comments

Drake student sues school, athlete who shot him at party in 2019. Delaney Howell sues Iowa Public TV.

Updated: June 12, 2020 A Drake University student accidentally shot in the head by a Drake basketball player at a party two years ago now has sued the university, the [...]

Posted March 24, 2020in Civic Skinny

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Catching up before a break

CITYVIEW is taking a break with its printed edition — until we’re all hale and hearty again — so here’s an update on news Civic Skinny has been following. Marty [...]

Posted March 04, 2020in Civic Skinny

1 Comments

Door of Faith boots Tirrell; Massachusetts jails him. Christensen to head Court; Young pays back taxes.

Marty Tirrell, the smooth-talking scammer and loud-talking sports-radio host, has been kicked out of the Door of Faith residential treatment center where he was awaiting his April 7 sentencing in [...]

Posted February 05, 2020in Civic Skinny

3 Comments

McCoy needs GOP’s help to become Polk chair. Home sales. CITYVIEW, Register circulation figures.

No one seems to have noticed — there’s not even a press release on the website — but Matt McCoy was elected chair of the Polk County Board of Supervisors [...]

Posted January 01, 2020in Civic Skinny

5 Comments

Jeff Young’s spotty record. Tirrell’s sentencing date set. Kauffman is a reporter again. Godfrey bills. Dog treats.

The Des Moines City Council on Dec. 16 gave the go-ahead for the plan by developer Jeff Young to turn the old Franklin Junior High School into an entertainment center, [...]

Posted December 04, 2019in Civic Skinny

3 Comments

Tirrell makes a plea deal, faces 20 years. ‘Cultures of Basketball’ course for U of I.

Marty Tirrell, the sports-talk guy who shouted on the radio but smooth-talked friends, wives, relatives, acquaintances, advertisers and strangers as he bilked them out of millions of dollars, has made [...]

Posted November 06, 2019in Civic Skinny

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Drake, schools plan new stadium on Forest. A judge calls Branstad’s lawyer a liar. The night they raided the old Cargill Hotel.

UPDATE: On Nov. 13, Drake and the Des Moines School District announced plans to build a $19.5 million stadium just east of the Knapp Center. The 4,000-seat stadium would be [...]