Central Iowa Water Works (CIWW) imposed a lawn-watering ban on Monday. This is the second year in a row the water utility has banned watering by its 600,000 customers in the greater Des Moines area and beyond. “The lawn watering ban is not due to a lack of water in our rivers or reservoirs,” according […]
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Posted inFood & Drink
With Merle Hay’s food court set for closure, the owner of Vietnam Cafe is fighting for a life beyond the mall
For over 15 years, Brenda Tran’s cafe has served Vietnamese and Chinese staples to the Merle Hay patron. But as developers plan to close the food court, Tran now awaits an inevitable 60-day notice to vacate the premises — and an uncertain future. “If I give up,” she said, “I feel like I’m betraying myself.”
Posted inComics
Public Nuisance — June 2026
This comic was originally published in Little Village’s June 2026 issue.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Review: Veteran rock trio TsuShiMaMiRe and new Q.C. power group Sheer Image had scene kids reveling at Raccoon Motel
Amidst the growing humidity and heat of early June, a nearly sold-out crowd gathered on 2nd street outside and in of The Raccoon Motel in Davenport. The night’s enthusiasm was twofold. Not only did it see the return of the long-running Japanese girl punk trio TsuShiMaMiRe, but this was also the debut performance of a new Quad City hardcore band, Sheer Image.
Posted inLetters
Letter from District 3 candidate Marco Battaglia: Abolishing ICE is the conservative position
By Marco Battaglia, candidate for U.S. House Iowa District 3 Representative Abolish ICE. If you don’t hold this position, do not claim to be a constitutional or fiscal conservative. For starters ICE costs taxpayers tens of billions of dollars annually, and for some, it costs them their liberties, their inherent rights, and for others, their […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Rob Sand chooses his running mate
Less than a week after officially becoming the Democratic nominee for governor, Rob Sand announced Dave Muhlbauer, a farmer and member of the Crawford County Board of Supervisors, as his choice for lieutenant governor. “Dave has a track record of working with everyone to deliver for western Iowa and knows it’s time to rotate the […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
‘What’s more I-O-W-A, Americana, “76 Trombones” than a marching band?’: Iowa Pride Ensembles are making noise all June
“We didn’t know what to expect,” said co-founder Amanda Thomas-Murphy. “We said we would be happy if 10 people performed with us, but the response was huge! So many members of the community from all over the state stepped up, participated and made our first Pride season amazing.”
Posted inCommunity/News
City Park Pool will not reopen this summer, Iowa City Parks and Rec announces
Construction delays have pushed the debut of Iowa City’s new public pool to 2027, the Parks and Recreation Department announced Friday afternoon. Last summer was the first time since Harry Truman was president that there was no outdoor public pool open in Iowa City. City Park Pool, which had been a central part of local […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Rob Sand warns Iowa is facing ‘a fiscal time bomb,’ calls for four debates with Zach Lahn
Iowa’s state budget deficits are a “fiscal time bomb,” and addressing the problem “before the bomb explodes” will be the top priority if he’s elected governor, Rob Sand told the annual conference of the Iowa Association of Business and Industry (ABI) in Coralville on Thursday. ABI had scheduled a nonpartisan forum for gubernatorial candidates at […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Saeed’s Punk Nite puts on free theme parties with games and nostalgic playlists at Maggie’s Rumble Room
Walking through the yellow-tinted double doors of Maggie’s Rumble Room, you’re likely to see a multi-generational Des Moines clientele purchasing drinks and crowding around pool tables. At the far end of the room hangs a sheet with a shag carpet beneath. Atop the carpet sits a chair, a speaker and a microphone. Before long I […]
Posted inCommunity/News
The Blazing Saddle is home to leather daddies, lesbians, cowboys, queens and queer elders who can remember a Des Moines before Pride
The Blazing Saddle is open 365 days a year, but a Thursday afternoon at the bar is very different from a Friday or Saturday night. The doors open at 2 p.m., and the bar quickly fills with men, most at retirement age or approaching it. They’ll drink a few beers, or a cup of coffee, […]
Posted inCommunity/News
University of Iowa launches new research project into state’s health crisis
The University of Iowa on Wednesday announced the launch of a statewide research initiative aimed at understanding how environmental exposures may be causing a range of dire health problems experienced by people around the state. With initial funding of $6 million and a goal for $10 million, the university said it will gather and analyze […]
