Four percent of Drake University students could see their degree programs eliminated under cost-cutting measures recommended by the college to help recoup budget deficits. Drake University Provost Sue Mattison announced that a faculty program review, launched in November, has recommended the discontinuance of 13 undergraduate majors, minors and certificates. In an email to faculty sent […]
Central Iowa
Posted inFood & Drink
Joe Tripp on his trio of Des Moines restaurants, (accidentally) making gluten-free fried chicken and where the next Basic Bird may roost
If you Google “best restaurants in Des Moines,” you’ll be hard-pressed to find a list that doesn’t include Harbinger. The vegetable-forward, small-plate restaurant co-owned by husband-and-wife duo Joe and Alex Tripp has been a fine dining destination since it opened in 2017. In 2022, the duo opened Windsor Heights’ Little Brother, a breakfast-centric joint with […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Expect ‘all hits,’ cool outfits and ‘epic cardboard hearts’ at Cupid’s Lounge, a Valentine’s show from Ramona & the Sometimes, the Lovin’ Forkful
Cupid’s Lounge: Songs About Love by Talented Locals xBk Live, Des Moines, Saturday, Feb. 10 at 8:30 p.m., $13-18 Des Moines rock outfit Ramona & the Sometimes wants to sweep you off your feet — or at least rock your socks off — at their Valentine’s takeover of xBk Live, Cupid’s Lounge: Songs About Love by […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Contact Buzz: Creative activism helps all voices be heard, from the stage to the canvas
Jill Wells is a Des Moines-based multimedia artist whose murals confronting issues of race, history, accessibility and human experience have been seen—and felt—by thousands. She creates 3D, tactile murals designed with the disability community in mind.
Posted inCentral Iowa, Recreation
Descend into Yellow Banks Park, 576 acres of ancient history
Tucked along a panoramic stretch of the Des Moines River in southeast Polk County is a park that feels many miles away from the state’s largest metro area. Buffered from the usual traffic sounds by dense woods and isolated stretches of natural landscape, Yellow Banks Park exudes an almost zen-like allure, with 150-foot high yellow-colored […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Comedy helped ‘tough guy’ Felonious Munk grow into a family man, actor and stand-up star on the rise
What does comedian, actor and social commentator Felonious Munk want Des Moines to know before his show at Teehee’s Comedy Club on Feb. 3? “My comedy is designed to make you giggle first, but also to make you think,” he said. “I don’t consider myself to be a super smart comedian, but I do think […]
Posted inFood & Drink
LV Recommends: Burgers, bologna and beer reign at Either/Or, a new restaurant from the crew behind Lua Brewing
Either/Or is the latest venture from the restaurant group behind Lua Brewing in the Sherman Hill neighborhood of downtown Des Moines. “Lua is about craft beer and food, and it was our first so [it’ll] always [be] our baby, but it’s small,” said co-owner Scott Selix. “Either/Or is bigger on just about every scale. We […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Officers trained at Fort Des Moines broke barriers during WWI and WWII
Iowa has had three army posts called Fort Des Moines. The first, a ramshackle outpost along the Des Moines River in what’s now Lee County, existed from 1834 to 1837. The second was built at the confluence of the Racoon and Des Moines rivers in 1843 to stop the Sauk and Meskwaki peoples from returning […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
Hunt for golden records in Marshalltown’s sprawling vinyl palace, Wax Xtatic
Wax Xtatic Record Audio Stereo Shop in Marshalltown holds easily one of the largest inventories of new vinyl in Central Iowa, as well as the cleanest used vinyl section I’ve ever seen. Owned, organized and operated by John Blaubaum, the Marshalltown staple survived a mid-pandemic move in 2021 to its new space on Main Street. […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Melissa Vine becomes second Democrat to announce a run for Nunn’s District 3 seat
A second Democrat has entered the race in Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District. Melissa Vine, a small business owner and executive director of a Des Moines nonprofit that assists women in need who are working to overcome trauma, made her announcement in an online video in which she drew a sharp contrast between herself and first-term […]
Posted inCommunity/News
The nonprofit Annie’s Foundation, founded by Johnston parents to fight book bans, is giving away books at pop-ups all month
The aim of Senate File 496 is not to clearly define what is considered problematic. Rather, the law is meant to scare educators into over-censoring the books in their care. Teachers and librarians will be facing harsh penalties after Jan. 1, 2024 if any “questionable” materials are available and under their control. Some zealous school […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Democrat Lanon Baccam launches a run for Rep. Zach Nunn’s District 3 seat
Democrat Lanon Baccam announced on Thursday he is running for Congress in Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District. Baccam is the first person to launch a campaign challenging Republican Zach Nunn, who is in his first term representing the district. “We can all sense and feel our country is incredibly polarized,” Baccam said in a video posted […]
