Instead of printing a dump of the raw police blotter, someone with a sense of humor at the PC is in charge articles about local arrests. You have to give credit where credit’s due.
The poet Marvin Bell has a favorite story he tells about a man dressed as a clown who robbed a downtown Iowa City Bank and then “fled on foot and melted into the crowd.” This, for Bell, was emblematic of the relaxed bohemian atmosphere of Iowa City. But that hippie dippie weird Iowa City has been in retreat for 40 years, and I wonder what sort of city will be taking its place.
The Iowa City City Council has passed some new ordinances (the 21-only ordinance and the anti-panhandling ordinance) that seem to be a direct attempt to control and channel the culture of downtown Iowa City. I can see how these two ordinances are meant to improve the safety and quality of life, but I have several problems with them.
Henri Harper filled a difficult position at Iowa City’s City High School for the last 11 years as the juvenile court liaison, helping students transition back into the classroom after personal and legal problems instead of letting them become part of a drop-out statistic. But in December 2007, after a series of fights at City High, Harper realized that his official post at the school wasn’t enough. Along with students, their parents and community support, Harper started the Fas Trac College Bound Program–originally consisting of six black students but eventually growing to more than 40 students from all backgrounds.
Features: June/July 2010~ It’s a seemingly simple solution. Need more women in leadership roles? Then hire more of them, right?
Wrong.
According to Kelly Thornburg, coordinator of Iowa N.E.W. Leadership, an intense six-day workshop for young women, much more diversity and many more women are needed to help find innovative solutions for modern problems.
Thornburg said many young [...]
Chicken of the Woods! I found a 7-10 pounder at Squire Point while hiking with my guy. My faith in the woods has been restored. Morel season left me empty handed and with writer’s block, but now my inspiration has returned.
After our discovery, I researched the sulfur shelf (aka chicken of the woods) to be [...]
Once again, the busybodies have stormed the Barricades of Fun, and managed to pass a 21-only ordinance for bars. While I respect the sincerity of their good intentions, I think it’s a really dumb idea that will hurt local businesses, without significantly curtailing underage drinking.
Iowa City is in the midst of a cultural identity crisis. With the passing of a 21-only ordinance by the city council on April 6, it seems the like the lights of enforcement have turned on way too bright after last call. I encourage everyone to read the transcript of this meeting–it is a brilliant prism of conflict concerning the culture of drinking. However, don’t mistake this ordinance for anything other than a serious shift for Iowa City culturally and economically.
Iowa City residents want a few things. They want alternative modes of transportation and a safe, comprehensive bike path that loops throughout Johnson County. At least they wanted these things back in September of 2001 when The Gazette polled citizens for their top ideas to improve the city.
That was nearly 10 years ago, and today, residents are still looking for the same things. The Johnson County Council of Governments (JCCOG) is working to make these improvements happen. JCCOG has outlined and implemented six plans for bicycle trails since 1968.
It’s a beautiful early spring Saturday, the day before Easter, in fact. The temperature will probably see 70 today, an early gift of the summer to come. The sunshine on my neck is warm, a feeling I’ve missed for many months. As Christians prepare to celebrate the breath of a resurrected spirit promising new life, and as Jews celebrate their people’s new breath of freedom, I work at my personal offices of spring, trying to breathe new air–and re-borning life–into the ground of my home.
Iowa City is often touted as an oasis of culture and liberal thought amidst an otherwise conservative Midwest, even going so far as to be named the third “gayest city” in the United States by The Advocate magazine this February. Where the otherwise cosmopolitan town falls short, however, is in its sexual culture, University of [...]
