Pieper Lewis’s case became national news when the 17-year-old was sentenced last month for the June 2020 killing of 37-year-old Zachary Brooks, who allegedly bought her from a sex trafficker and repeatedly raped her. Lewis was arrested when she was 15 and spent two years in jail before her sentencing. According to the Des Moines […]
Central Iowa Community/News
Posted inCommunity/News
Student group demands University of Iowa ensure access to abortion, contraception, gender-affirming care and parental leave
On Thursday, graduate students and undergrads at the University of Iowa joined more than 60 universities and high schools across 29 states for The Day of Student Action for Reproductive Justice, a student-led protest urging governments and educational institutions to ensure access to abortion, contraception, sex education and gender-affirming healthcare. The Campaign to Organize Graduate […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Abortion rights advocates in Iowa City and Des Moines to rally this weekend as part of national day of action
There will be a rally at the Pentacrest on Sunday as part of the National Weekend of Action for Reproductive Rights. The event starts at 4 p.m. A march in downtown Iowa City is scheduled after. “Iowa City Eastside Democrats will be present at the rally to register people to vote. ACLU of Iowa will […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
Buy books, support reproductive education at the 60th Planned Parenthood Book Sale
Autumn is here and you may be looking forward to cozying up with a few books as the weather gets colder. But if your bookshelves are in need of an update, you’re in luck. The Planned Parenthood Book Sale at the Iowa State Fairgrounds is back again this fall. The event celebrated its 60th anniversary […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Des Moines City Council member crowdfunds fine for man ticketed while panhandling
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Councilmember Indira Sheumaker raised more than enough money this month to pay a local man’s $95 ticket based on an ordinance she says “criminalizes poverty,” and may violate his First Amendment rights. Driving home on Sept. 17, Sheumaker, representative for Ward 1 on the Des Moines City Council, witnessed an individual being issued a […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
Built in 1917, Varsity Cinema is getting a $5 million upgrade thanks to Des Moines film lovers
In the mid-1990s, Ben Godar started making the drive from Ames to Des Moines to go to the Varsity Cinema. “Back then, the Varsity was just one of those places that would get films that nobody else had,” he recalls. Now, as four years of renovations on the Varsity come to a close, Godar, who […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
A beekeeper is born: Kara Kelso harvests honey and explains why Des Moines has ‘some of the healthiest bees around’
“Look at this pollen pocket! Look at this girl!” Kara Kelso, co-owner of The Slow Down Coffee Co., excitedly directs my attention to one of her 210,000 bees who is crawling across the frame with big (relative to her size, of course) yellow pockets bursting with pollen. We are in Kelso’s backyard in the Highland […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
Clothing drives begin in Des Moines as temperatures dip
As 80- and 90-degree days grow fewer and temperatures begin to dip into the low 60s, it’s about time to switch out your summer clothes for longer sleeves and layers. The Eastview Community Center is hosting their fall clothing giveaway this weekend. The community center is accepting kids and adult clothing, shoes, outerwear, clothing accessories, […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
Test your beer puppeteering skills at Des Moines Oktoberfest this weekend
Des Moines Oktoberfest will return this weekend with new events, an impressive list of beers and the promise of a great time. Always held the last full weekend of September, Des Moines Oktoberfest is a beer-centered block party that takes place south of Court Avenue on 4th Street. In 2017, organizers added the Party Plaza […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
‘There was no doubt that she loved Des Moines’: Local businesses help raise money for Autumn Rupkey Memorial Build
There are some people who walk the earth and make an immediate and lasting impact on everyone they meet. Whether through their service, their art, their kindness or all of these things combined, they create positive change even if their time is short. Autumn Rupkey was one of these people. “I think that Autumn really […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Sundara Tattoo owner Rayna Ross is a master of Mehndi — both henna and permanent ink
You may not find your path on your own time, if at all. Some give up, others find it later in life. Then you have those who’ve been on their own path since age 15, like Rayna Ross. Indian tattoo artist Ross has shaken the Central Iowa tattoo scene by utilizing her skill and background […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
Central Iowa libraries partner with DART to bring back free bus rides for cardholders
If you don’t already have a library card, Central Iowa library locations are partnering up with DART to give you another reason to get one. The Read and Ride program returns this week, offering free DART services to people who show their library cards while boarding a DART bus. The free rides are available for […]
