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Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie, in office since 2003, will not run for reelection

Frank Cownie announced on Wednesday he will not run for another term as mayor of Des Moines in November’s election. The 75-year-old Cownie is in his fifth term as mayor, and is the longest-serving mayor in Des Moines history. “It […]

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Have a story from Harlan’s Barbershop? Jill Wells wants to make it a part of her new Des Moines art piece

Barbershops have long served as social and cultural hubs for Black Americans, and Harlan’s Barbershop, open for half a century in Des Moines’ Woodland Heights neighborhood, was no exception. Harlan’s opened in 1968; that same year, construction finished on I-235, […]

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Pella’s new one-day, all-Iowa music festival kicks off Saturday

Four months after Tulip Time and less than three months before Kerstmarkt, the Dutch Christmas Market, Pella is hosting a slightly edgier event in their picturesque downtown. The Pella All Original Music Showcase is a free concert featuring exclusively Iowa-based […]

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Special election will decide Sheumaker’s replacement, Des Moines City Council votes — and the first candidate has already declared

The Des Moines City Council voted unanimously on Monday to fill its vacant Ward 1 post by means of a special election. The seat has been officially empty since Aug. 31, when Councilmember Indira Sheumaker resigned after six months of […]

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Indira Sheumaker steps down from Des Moines City Council with more than two years left on term

Indira Sheumaker has resigned from the Des Moines City Council. According to a statement from Mayor Frank Cownie, Sheumaker’s father Randy hand delivered a resignation letter from the councilmember on Monday. The handwritten letter, dated Aug. 31 and signed by […]

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With no word from Indira Sheumaker, Des Moines City Council is officially without a Ward 1 representative

In an Aug. 21 letter to Des Moines City Councilmember Indira Sheumaker, Mayor Frank Cownie asked Sheumaker to explain her “intentions regarding [her] office and the duties of the office at the earliest practicable moment, but in any event, no […]

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Des Moines mayor gives councilmember, absent since March, a deadline to return or risk removal

Des Moines City Councilmember Indira Sheumaker has not attended any city council meeting or communicated with any city official since March 6. Sheumaker, who represents Ward 1, has also not been in touch with constituents during that time, according to […]

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‘There’s a difference between a safe space and a brave space’: Q&A with Waukee GSA leader Naomi Pittman

Rarely are a student’s biggest bullies the governor and legislature of their state. But that’s the case for many queer K-12 students in Iowa, who are now subject to several laws passed by Iowa’s legislature and signed by Gov. Kim […]

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Photos: Drag storytime reaches capacity at Des Moines’ downtown public library as Pride Month approaches

Iowa Safe Schools and Polk County supervisor Matt McCoy hosted an all-inclusive drag storytime at the Des Moines Central Library on Sunday, May 21. Storytellers included celebrity baker Andrew Fuller (Is It Cake?), as well as drag performers Vana B […]

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Des Moines Public School’s new superintendent is a former special ed teacher, principal and Olympic athlete

This story originally appeared in LV Daily, Little Village’s Monday-Friday email newsletter. Sign up to have it delivered for free to your inbox. The Des Moines Public School Board voted unanimously on Tuesday to appoint Dr. Ian Roberts as the […]

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