These days, Iowa-raised Trump ally Kari Lake is best known for losing — and refusing to concede — her 2022 bid for Arizona governor. But in May 2016, Lake was putting her journalism degree from the University of Iowa to good use, and even scored an interview with President Barack Obama. “I don’t remember at […]
Emma McClatchey
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Five questions with Julia Jessen, the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art’s new lead curator
Since she started as the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art’s lead curator in July, Julia Jessen has been exploring their 8,000-piece permanent collection, scouring shelves, drawers and boxes in preparation for her debut exhibition, “Surprise!” Little Village caught up with Jessen to see what’s catching her eye. Tell me a little bit about your background. […]
Posted inFood & Drink
10 Iowa-made beverages that belong in a beer garden this fall
’Tis the season of Oktoberfests, tailgates, haunted houses, film festivals and some of the best beer releases of the year. Starting in mid-August, Iowa brewers begin announcing the debut of German-style lagers, fall flavors, special collabs and session beers, ideal for sipping as you take in some live, local tunes. Keep an eye out for […]
Posted inCommunity/News
‘They’re devastated. I’m shocked’: Iowa River Power Restaurant is closing
Iowa River Power Restaurant is closing its doors in November. And while it’s possible the restaurant may reopen after the owner of its building finishes a major renovation project of the property, the restaurant’s owners, staff and Sunday brunch beloved by local diners over the past three decades will never be the same. Iowa River […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Amid an anti-LGBTQ culture war in Iowa schools, the GSA is a safe space — with constitutional protections
If you’ve seen a student-organized drag show or queer rights protest over the past couple decades, odds are a GSA is behind it. GSAs — gender-sexuality alliances — serve as both social clubs and advocacy orgs for LGBTQ students, those questioning their identity and straight, cisgender allies in middle school, high school and college, and […]
Posted inUncategorized
Letter to the editor: School districts should stand up to Iowa’s legislative bullies
I’m a glasses-wearing college professor, so no one is surprised when I tell them I was a nerdy kid. Like a lot of nerdy kids, I got bullied in school sometimes. Whenever it happened, some adults and other kids would either look away and act like they didn’t notice, or else they’d give me the […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
Cooling centers around the Des Moines metro and Ames
It’s hot. Really hot. On Thursday, around 150 million Americans were under heat alerts, with temperatures across the Midwest exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit. “Even those places that are used to extreme heat have never seen as hot as it is now for as long as it’s been,” President Joe Biden said Thursday, directing the Department […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Cooling centers around Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, the Quad Cities and Waterloo
It’s hot. Really hot. On Thursday, around 150 million Americans were under heat alerts, with temperatures across the Midwest exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit. “Even those places that are used to extreme heat have never seen as hot as it is now for as long as it’s been,” President Joe Biden said Thursday, directing the Department […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
As ‘Oppenheimer’ drops, local cinemas focus in on nuclear films, Iowa’s atomic history
With the highly anticipated premiere of Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer on the summer calendar, FilmScene staffer Lee Sailor decided to curate a Nuclear Movies series over a few weeks in July. The Iowa City cinema’s series typically last longer, but “we were slightly concerned about how many people would want to go see the world end […]
Posted inBook Reviews
Book Review: ‘Bottoms Up and the Devil Laughs: A Journey Through the Deep State’ by Kerry Howley
Kerry Howley, you had me the title. Maybe your brain hasn’t been colonized but internet worms for the better part of three decades, but I for one recognized immediately the reference to a viral video from 2014 in which a middle-aged white woman presents a practiced two-minute spiel, including visual aids, breaking down all the […]
Posted inCommunity/News
This 14-year-old archer from Waverly is hitting the mark in an elite, precision sport
Three years ago, if you asked Hunter Telleen’s loved ones which sport he’d excel at in high school, archery would likely never have crossed their minds. They’d probably have guessed cross-country or track, pointing to the records Hunter set running meets as a 7th grader at Waverly-Shell Rock Middle School. Buck hunting, a hobby the […]
Posted inRecreation
Fossil Gorge, uncovered 30 years ago, preserves a 375 million-year-old ocean floor in eastern Iowa
Sixty-five million years? Please. You want to see something old, head to the Coralville Dam. It’s not the dam that’s old, though it has survived almost seven decades and two near-apocalyptic floods. In fact, it was the first of these floods in 1993 that breached the 712-foot spillway and inundated the campground below, washing away […]
