Sucker for a spiral staircase? Look no further than Des Moines suburb Urbandale and LeMar Koethe’s Spaceship House! A gorgeous one curves around a central pillar rising 35 feet—from the ground-floor garages to the main living area, with an elevator as well—in this stunner of a mansion. Koethke had the home built in 1993, far […]
Urbandale
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa’s Department of Education has no plans to offer guidance for school districts confused by new book law
Despite widespread confusion over which books are to be banned from schools under a bill Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law in May, the Iowa Department of Education (DOE) has no plans to offer guidance to school districts attempting to implement the law. SF 496 requires schools to remove all books with “descriptions or visual […]
Posted inStatewide
Iowa’s broad new law for schools prohibiting books with sex lands nearly 400 titles on Urbandale’s ban list, including sexless LGBTQ children’s books
The impact of a bill Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law on May 26, which has provisions banning certain books from schools and certain topics from being mentioned in K-6 classes, is beginning to be felt around the state. SF 496 requires schools to remove all books with “descriptions or visual depictions of a sex […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
A new natural playscape is coming together in Urbandale, designed for year-round, adaptable recreation
Earlier this month, Jan Herke, director of Parks and Recreation for Urbandale, stepped onto a wooden play structure in Barrett Park. “I can’t wait to climb this today,” she said. Phase I of the city’s Natural Playscape project had just been completed, but Barrett Park, at the southeast corner of 156th Street and Waterford Road […]
