Catch up on the biggest headlines, videos and photos published by Little Village in the past week.
‘There is a time for every season’: David Berman discusses grief and inspiration in one of his final interviews
Published Tuesday, Aug. 13
David Berman was a kind, sensitive artist with many formidable talents — a poet, cartoonist and musician who was often regarded as the best songwriter of his generation. He died at the age of 52 on Aug. 7, after a lifetime of struggling with depression and addiction.
Berman left behind a substantial body of work that includes six studio albums recorded with his longtime band the Silver Jews, two acclaimed books of poetry and an eponymous album by Purple Mountains, his latest recording project. Continue reading…
Footnotes on the 2020 Caucus: A first-time voter encounters buddy-buddy candidates and rude reporters at the Iowa State Fair
Published Tuesday, Aug. 13
Thousands of people converge on Des Moines every year to eat colossal fried foods, ride rickety machines advertised as thrill rides and gaze at that wondrous creation, the butter cow. The annual two-week phenomenon that is the Iowa State Fair is well-known for its ample supply of pigs, people, meals on sticks and, once every four years, its parade of presidential candidates.
Livestock gets judged in the various barns at the fairgrounds, and candidates get judged at the Des Moines Register’s Political Soapbox, a small stage where politicians explain their platforms and pander to Iowans for 20 minutes at a time. Continue reading…
Fight fatphobia — stop commenting on other people’s bodies
Published Wednesday, Aug. 14
Since I was a kid, I’ve had a poor relationship with my body. I remember my ballet teacher Miss Barbie telling me I just didn’t have the right body for dance, and I was humiliated. When I was 8 years old, a family member once pointed out a large-bodied woman with absolute disgust and said, “Look at her. How can she live like that? You need to make sure you watch what you eat so you never have to look like that.”
My experiences are not unusual. Many of us are taught to see our bodies as something to fix or hate. A major component of my therapy practice with clients is focused on body shame and fear of being fat. Continue reading…
The history of public pools in Iowa City shows swimming hasn’t always been accessible
Published Wednesday, Aug. 14
As summer comes to an end, the pool in City Park reaches a milestone — 70 years of service to Iowa Citians looking to float, dog paddle or simply cope with the heat.
But if everything had gone according to the original plan, the pool would have opened in the summer of 1942, and it would now be celebrating 76 years of service. Of course, when that plan was written in 1941, no one knew the Japanese Imperial Navy would attack Pearl Harbor in December. Continue reading…
Hy-Vee investigating possible theft of customer credit card information
Published Wednesday, Aug. 14
Hy-Vee announced on Wednesday it is investigating a suspected data breach after “recently detecting unauthorized activity on some of our payment processing systems.”
“Our investigation is focused on card transactions at our fuel pumps, drive-thru coffee shops, and restaurants (which include our Market Grilles, Market Grille Expresses and the Wahlburgers locations that Hy-Vee owns and operates),” the company said in a written statement. “These locations have different point-of-sale systems than those located at our grocery stores, drugstores and inside our convenience stores, which utilize point-to-point encryption technology for processing payment card transactions.” Continue reading…
Photographing moments of humanity at the border
Published Thursday, Aug. 16
My name is Sergio Flores. I am a documentary photographer and freelance photojournalist currently based in Austin, Texas.
Being Mexican-American, it was really important to me to contribute to the conversations around issues that relate to people like me, or people who look like me. I have made a big push to do more stories centered on immigration, as many of these stories are still being told and photographed by white people. Continue reading…
John Hickenlooper, one of the many Democrats running for president, drops out of the race
Published Thursday, Aug. 15
John Hickenlooper announced on Thursday he is dropping out of the race for the 2020 Democratic Party presidential nomination.
“I ran for president, because this country is being ripped apart by politics and partisan games, while our biggest problems go unsolved,” Hickenlooper, the former mayor and former governor of Colorado, said in a video posted on social media. “Today, I’m ending my campaign for president, but I will never stop believing that America can only move forward when we work together.” Continue reading…
Mormon Trek Boulevard going from four lanes to three, adding bike lanes
Published Thursday, Aug. 16
Mormon Trek Boulevard, one of Iowa City’s most traveled streets, is being converted from four traffic lanes to three. One through lane in each direction between Westside Drive and Melrose Avenue will be eliminated and a dedicated center turn lane will be added.
The change shouldn’t slow traffic on Mormon Trek, because drivers wanting to turn left will now pull into the center turn lane, instead stopping in the left lanes to wait for a break in oncoming traffic. Continue reading…
Videos
Photos: Julián Castro in North Liberty
Out this week: Little Village issue 269
