Three months after the last performers left the stage at this year’s 80/35, the organization behind the music festival has announced it is shutting down. “After nearly twenty years of volunteers and staff working passionately to grow central Iowa’s music scene, the non-profit Greater Des Moines Music Coalition (DMMC) has made the heartfelt decision to […]
Central Iowa
Posted inCentral Iowa
Polk County ballots contain spelling error on constitutional amendment
The Iowa Secretary of State’s office is determining whether a spelling error in the wording of a proposed constitutional amendment on Polk County ballots would create any problems in counting those votes. As early voting began Wednesday, some ballots in Polk County contained a typo in its section on the constitutional amendment related to the […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
How to vote early in Polk County and Story County
Early voting in the Nov. 5 election began on Wednesday morning, as county auditors across Iowa began mailing out absentee ballots requested by voters, and in-person voting started in the auditors’ offices. Voters who want a mail-in absentee ballot have a few more days to send a completed ballot request form to their auditor’s office. […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
The Slaughterhouse in Des Moines sates its fiendish fanbase with year-round haunts, escapes, ‘spookeasies’ and Slipknot-inspired scares
Driven by a voracious appetite for fright, Central Iowa fans of haunted house experiences continue to seek the best venues for adrenaline rushes. One dark destination stands apart from the others, a haunt with a novel-length backstory and themed experiences all year: The Slaughterhouse. A growing fanbase awaits the latest offering from the immersive fright […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Jazz, drag and ballet combine for Noce’s Voix de Ville, a nightclub cabaret that’s never the same twice
There is a guiding axiom in show business that provides some clarity when things go wrong. That axiom (which we should note is sometimes superseded by, say, a pandemic) is, “The show must go on,” of course.
Posted inCommunity/News
Final two candidates for DMPD chief weren’t the top-rated candidates for the job
Maj. Lillie Parker has had a history-making career since she joined the Des Moines Police Department in 1999. In 2009, she became the first Black woman promoted to the rank of sergeant in the department’s history. Six years later she became the first Black woman to be a DMPD lieutenant. Two more firsts followed — […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Phill the water buffalo’s former owner faces misdemeanor charge
A month after Phill the water buffalo made his escape over a fence in Pleasant Hill, his former owner has been charged with a misdemeanor. Prem Nepal of Des Moines was charged with having an animal at large. It is a simple misdemeanor, and if convicted, Nepal could face a fine of between $105 and […]
Posted inFood & Drink
LV Recommends: The Cave DSM is a purveyor of natural wine, fancy snacks and some of the city’s best live music
I you want to feel like you’re doing something bougie while still on a budget, go chill at The Cave DSM. Situated at the very edge of downtown in a small building so nondescript you’d miss it if you weren’t looking for it (I nearly did), The Cave is a wine bar that might also […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Vietnamese-American painter Teo Nguyen reimagines battlefield photos without the soldiers, violence and ‘machinery of war’
Teo Nguyen, “The Politics of Worthiness” Opening reception, Moberg Gallery, Friday, Sept. 13, 5-8 p.m. Artist reception and discussion, Moberg Gallery, Saturday, Oct. 5, 1-3 p.m. Teo Nguyen is a painter’s painter. His parents were a poet and glass painter, and he applies their attention to detail to his canvas. Moberg Gallery in Des Moines […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
The Mr. Softheart show happened like this
Two valued team members from Principal Financial Group were delivered here to the LiFT — by the divine means of Court Ave, or maybe, Fong’s — and found themselves next to me. There was nowhere else to go. The place was packed on Aug. 1 to welcome Mr. Softheart (the band, not man) into the […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
This Des Moines food stylist can get any dish ready for its close-up
Cellphone cameras and social media have made amateur food photographers of us all. In any high-end restaurant on any given night, you’ll see diners snapping pics of their plates. Of course, the quality of those images varies. Try as we might, most of us don’t have the skills or know-how to capture photos as drool-worthy […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Lanon Baccam shares ‘history of service’ in Iowa State Fair speech
Democrat Lanon Baccam told the crowd at the Iowa State Fair Monday that he would bring his “history of service” and commitment to healthcare access to the U.S. Congress if elected. Speaking at the Des Moines Register’s Political Soapbox Monday, the 3rd District Democratic nominee shared stories of his time serving in the Iowa National […]
