Culture
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Director of African American Museum of Iowa: why is Juneteenth important?
You probably heard all about Juneteenth, but do you know what it is? Do you know why it’s important? Many people don’t actually know the history. LaNisha Cassell, executive director of The African America Museum of Iowa explains the history, importance, and why owning slaves in the USA didn’t end with the Emancipation Proclamation. Iowa…
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Iowa secrets, fun travel destinations, and structural popcorn balls?
Iowa has secrets! Some are hidden in plain sight like a few mysterious concrete structures in a popular kids area at the Iowa State Fair. Megan Bannister, author and editor of Olio in Iowa is a walking encyclopedia of Iowa’s craziest stories and tells us the most famous destinations in Iowa! Famous destinations in Iowa…
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Iowa Cubs to invest $65 Million in renovations. “Cubbie Village” coming soon?
Iowa Cubs General Manager Sam Bernabe is celebrating 40 years with the Iowa Cubs this year in a big way. Principal Park will soon begin a $65 Million renovation, with the goal of becoming an entertainment district resembling Gallagher Way at Wrigley Field, or Ballpark Village at Busch Stadium. Will downtown Des Moines soon connect to a…
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Meet the creators of Shift: The RAGBRAI documentary
Shift, The RAGBRAI Documentary People travel from across the globe to ride RAGBRAI and this week on May 4th, a new documentary premiers in Iowa revealing the stories, people and places that make up this ride. The documentary, titled Shift, was directed by Courtney Crowder and Kelsey Kremer of The Des Moines Register. The film explain…
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Media chaos! Jason Clayworth at Axios shares the Iowa perspective.
BuzzFeed is gone. Vice is filing for bankruptcy. Fox News fired Tucker Carlson. CNN fired Don Lemon. The Des Moines Register lost 70% of its subscribers, and two papers close every week in the USA. As journalism faces a crisis, why did Axios just hit one million subscribers? Journalist Jason Clayworth of Axios Des Moines…
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Biking in Iowa: Everything you need to know for summer.
What bike should you get for Iowa trails? What tires? What frame? Should you get an e-bike? How do you prevent a flat? Where are the famous bike hangouts? Why do people from out of state come to Iowa for RAGBRAI? Iowa bike icon Dan Koenig of Ichi Bike packs everything you need to know…
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Des Moines Art Center Celebrates 75 Years of Iowa Art
When thinking of Iowa Art, most people think of American Gothic and that’s where the conversation ends. But Jeff Fleming, of The Des Moines Art Center, explains why Iowa is art savvy, and why smart business leaders and civic leaders use art as a secret weapon to grow local economies and development. 75 Years of…
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Special: Will Keeps of Starts Right Here Shooting
A message from Justin Brady, host of The Iowa Podcast: News broke today of a targeted shooting at Starts Right Here, an organization that helps kids that have challenging backgrounds. Two children have died and Will Holmes, whose stage name is Will Keeps, the organizations founder, was injured in the shooting. As of writing this,…
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Homelessness and at risk kids in Iowa. The real story.
You see them holding cardboard signs on your commute to work, but have you ever wondered how Iowa’s homeless population ended up there? There are many opinions on the matter ranging from “they deserve it” to “anyone can be homeless,” but neither of these beliefs is entirely accurate. In fact, the issue is a bit…
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Iowa Puppy mills are a legal grey area
Any dog lover has probably heard the term puppy mill, but what exactly does that mean? Cathy Erickson, the director of the Iowa Pet Expo walks us through the definition and how they operate in a legal grey area.