From kindergarten through sixth grade, I spent countless hours staring at a wall in the Horn Elementary School library, daydreaming while an adult read a book to the class. Far more compelling than a fire alarm or a poster of LeVar Burton, I would fixate on a massive mural mounted on the wall of the […]
Iowa history
Posted inCommunity/News
How the Clark family of Muscatine helped desegregate schools in Iowa — and nationwide
There’s fascinating history to be found in Muscatine. Before adopting the name Mark Twain, Samuel Clemens briefly wrote for the Muscatine Journal while his brother was the paper’s editor. Long before Field of Dreams, it saw some of America’s earliest minor-league baseball teams take the field. Neither Twain nor those teams left much of a […]
Posted inEastern Iowa, Recreation
Light and nature abound in this Frank Lloyd Wright house, nestled in Cedar Rock State Park
Fans of 20th century American architecture and, in particular, the Prairie Style of Frank Lloyd Wright will be charmed by Cedar Rock State Park, the site of one of his architectural gems. Built on a limestone bluff overlooking the Wapsipinicon River in Buchanan County, near the town of Quasqueton, the house is one of only […]
Posted inCommunity/News
The best invention, sliced bread, is owed to an Iowan
In 1928, an Iowa-born jeweler unveiled a revolutionary invention. The machine Otto Frederick Rohwedder had created was the best thing since… well, that cliche wasn’t available yet. Because what Rohwedder invented was the automatic bread slicer. Born in 1880, Rohwedder grew up in Davenport, where he attended school and apprenticed as a jeweler. After high […]
Posted inStatewide
Contact Buzz: The right to read we will maintain
“Don’t join the book burners. Don’t think you’re going to conceal faults by concealing evidence that they ever existed. Don’t be afraid to go in your library and read every book …” ―Dwight D. Eisenhower In its current, divisive state, Americans are doing a lot of talking at one another and very little listening on […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Lights, camera, inaction: Iowa needs to get back in the blockbuster business
Filmmaking and all of its related fields are perfect for boosting a creative economy. So much so that, 16 years ago, the state of Iowa attempted to brand itself the Hollywood of the Heartland, offering an enticing film tax program. It’s easy to see how this could have worked in the long run. The heralded […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Donna Reed and her Iowa science teacher sought to spotlight the horror of the atomic bomb. Then the White House got involved.
The studio promised it would be a prestigious motion picture, with big stars and stunning visual effects. The movie would tell the true story of the creation of the atomic bomb, and give people a fuller understanding of what it means to live in a world with such weapons. It was 1947, 76 years before […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Elizabeth Catlett documentary captures a trailblazing UI grad who helped shape the 20th century art world
In a new documentary on artist Elizabeth Catlett, Heather Nickels, a curator at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, remarks that Catlett’s mission as a sculptor and printmaker was to excavate the stories of “nameless and faceless” Black women. Standing Strong, directed by Kevin Kelley — and screening at the Des Moines Arts Center on […]
Posted inCommunity/News
The Iowa Underground Railroad Bike Ride will lead cyclists through 136 miles of history
A portion of Iowa’s rich abolitionist history will be revealed for some, and refreshed for others, during the new Iowa Underground Railroad Bike Ride. Presented by Iowa’s National Association of Social Workers, the Des Moines branch of Black Girls Do Bike and the Iowa Bicycle Coalition, the two-and-a-half-day ride combines learning, endurance and community in […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Brenna Bird continues crusade against non-English voting materials once fought by Steve King
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird is trying to prevent people from getting access to official voting forms – such as voter registration forms, absentee ballot request forms and ballots – in any language other than English. In June, a Polk County District Court judge struck down Iowa’s English-only restriction on voting materials that had been […]
Posted inEastern Iowa Food & Drink
LV Recommends: Raise a slice to Leonardo’s, Cedar Rapids’ 70-year-old time capsule
Cedar Rapids — the city of five seasons/smells, and home of Iowa’s best pizza scene. To celebrate the foundational piece of CR pizza that is Leonardo’s (2228 16th Ave SW) let’s take a look at its origins. The story begins in the early 1950s when Tony and Leo Naso opened Cedar Rapids’ first pizzeria, Naso’s […]
Posted inCommunity/News
‘They’re devastated. I’m shocked’: Iowa River Power Restaurant is closing
Iowa River Power Restaurant is closing its doors in November. And while it’s possible the restaurant may reopen after the owner of its building finishes a major renovation project of the property, the restaurant’s owners, staff and Sunday brunch beloved by local diners over the past three decades will never be the same. Iowa River […]
