Des Moines seems to punch above its weight in almost every way. The Des Moines Art Festival has received national acclaim, and now local ones are continuing to pop up and showcase some of the best local talent the city has to offer. The local food scene is marveled at by foodies already. Now, with [...]
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The Des Moines Menace returns for the 2026 soccer season, looking to defend its Great Plains Division title from 2025. After posting a 10-1-1 record, Charlie Latshaw III returns as head coach. Kyle Davy, Des Moines Menace club manager, is excited for Latshaw’s return. “Coach Latshaw led one of the most potent offensive attacks in [...]
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My paternal grandfather died five years before I was born. I know of him only through family lore: Though only 5 foot, 5 inches and weighing more than 220 pounds, he could perform full backflips and run 100 yards in 11 seconds. After a spell in the carnival, his brothers brought him into their auctioneering [...]
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While the technology continues to evolve, many entrepreneurs say its greatest value lies not in replacing human work but in creating more space for it. AI in any industry AI can be incorporated into just about any small business — even an upholstery business. At Repinned, Riana LeJeune’s upholstery business, AI helps streamline proposals, [...]
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The arrest of Kristin Ramsey in the Ashley Okland murder case has raised a few questions, as what the public has been provided so far is not very helpful in determining why it was presented to a grand jury 15 years later. The use of a grand jury is also unusual in Iowa. A person [...]
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Iowa native Don Tate jokes that people often ask if he was born with a pencil in hand. It would explain a lot. Tate, who was raised in Des Moines, has 90 published books to his name as both a writer and illustrator, with a four-decade career in book publishing and newspapers, including stints as [...]
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Back in 1994, director Peter Farrelly made “Dumb and Dumber,” a willfully stupid, aggressively crude but ultimately lovable comic yarn. With his latest Prime Video offering, “Balls Up,” Farrelly attempts to conjure that same magic, but the result has a generic, streaming-ready sheen that feels like the first draft of a pitch meeting. It is a [...]
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The Latin King is an Iowa legend. Begun in 1947 by Rose and Jimmy Pigneri, its name comes from New York City’s Latin Quarter in the days when “Latin Americans” there, and here, were mostly Italian. The restaurant then was limited to what are now parts of the “Pink Room” and the bar. In 1983, [...]
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Radio is still one of the most personal media formats. In a car, it becomes a companion — something you turn on without thinking, something that fills the space of a commute. After a few consistent listening sessions, hosts start to feel familiar, even personal, as if they are speaking directly to you for those [...]
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The sky is definitely falling. How do I know this? Because when we should be heading to the bunker, we’re going to instead fly eight miles high over an ocean in several hundred tons of metal. Yup, my wife and I are flying out of Iowa to visit our daughter and her partner in Ireland. [...]
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Here’s betting District Judge Adria Kester does not read the Aspen Daily News. That Colorado newspaper’s front-page slogan declares, “If you don’t want it printed, don’t let it happen.” What happened to Judge Kester occurred outside of her usual venue — the 22 courthouses of north-central and northwest Iowa where, until recently, she served as [...]
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Welcome to the “Grand Illusion.” Come on in and see what’s happening. Pay the price. Get your tickets for the show. And what a show it’s been for the band Styx. Over the past five decades, Styx’s iconic 1970s and 1980s rock has endured. Its classic keyboard sound, solid vocals and guitar riffs have produced four [...]
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With technology advancing quickly, one car manufacturer skipped the 2026 model year and instead recently debuted the 2027 model. The 2027 Kia Telluride was delivered to dealers in March 2026. According to Kia, the Telluride entered its second generation, and the company wanted to avoid an overstock of outdated 2026 models. Test-driving the Kia Telluride SX Hybrid, [...]
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A four-legged media sensation in Pleasant Hill went viral in 2024. A water buffalo named Phill — named after Pleasant Hill and known as P-Hill — escaped from his handler’s home. The nearly half-ton animal wandered into the city before police shot him. Homeowners captured video on doorbell cameras, and he was eventually captured. Phill [...]
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Michael Egel is the general and artistic director of Des Moines Metro Opera. We asked him to lunch recently and he chose Allora in the Krause Gateway Center. Allora offers full lunch service now after several years of mostly morning hours with coffee and limited food offerings. Choices included panini, pasta, soups, salads and two [...]
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Johnston continues to expand its “new” downtown with the Johnston Town Center, and one of the latest additions is Zeke’s Rooftop and Grill. Zeke’s is named after one of Johnston’s earliest settlers, Ezekiel and Mary Hunt, and opened in January 2026. Zeke’s includes two levels of fun, food and the breezy outdoor vibes Iowans crave. [...]
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New York City’s Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) premiered “Marcel Duchamp,” the first retrospective of the controversial artist in six decades. The reaction has been overwhelmingly positive, ending all controversies about what this year’s event of year will be in the art world. Duchamp has long been considered the third part of the Holy Trinity [...]
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