Crow Tow keeps getting contracts in Polk County, despite years of consumer complaints. Some officials are calling for an overhaul.
On Feb. 23, the Des Moines City Council voted 5-2 to extend its contract with the controversial towing outfit Crow Tow, which has had the city’s towing contract since 2019. This reignited the public debate on local and state towing laws, which are among the loosest in the nation. Crow Tow has been accused of predatory behavior and…
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Letters to the Editor
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Letter to the editor: Vote to keep Jon Green as a Johnson County Supervisor
By Jutta Rubright, Solon County Supervisor Jon Green has been quietly leading the Board of Supervisors and other officials for the past two years toward a plan for a new…
Letter to the editor: Johnson County has endured 20 years of Rod Sullivan’s conduct
By Solomon Fenton-Miller, Coralville My partner attended her first Johnson County Board of Supervisors meeting on May 6 to share concerns about the county jail survey. Most supervisors listened respectfully…
Letter to the editor: Supervisor Jon Green’s leadership is essential in Johnson County
By Alisa Meggitt, Iowa City Supervisor Jon Green is the steady, thoughtful leader Johnson County needs in turbulent times. His colleagues on the Board recognized that leadership by electing him…
Letter to the editor: Re-elect Supervisor Jon Green in District 2
By Laurie Tulchin, Johnson County I will be supporting Jon Green for Johnson County Supervisor in the June 2 primary. Jon was raised on an Iowa farm and currently lives…
Local Album Reviews
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Album Review: Jacob Lampman — ‘Jacob Lampman’s Ego Death’
Jacob Lampman's Ego Death by Jacob Lampman When singer-songwriter Jacob Lampman and his cohort take the stage and you spot the upright bass, flute, mandolin, electric and acoustic guitars, you…
Album Review: OHYUNG — ‘IOWA’
IOWA by OHYUNG My first recollection of meeting Lia Ouyang Rusli was at a Feed Me Weird Things show she performed at as OHYUNG. I had been asked to provide…
Album Review: Hambone and the Maple Babies — ‘Hootenanny’
Have you heard of “word painting”? It’s the musical technique in which instrumental choices illustrate the lyrical ones — and vice versa — in a positive feedback loop. Synergy at…
Album Review: Greg Wheeler and the Poly Mall Cops — ‘Slimephone Surveillance’
Smartphones are everywhere, and you can still catch a glimpse of a flip phone now and then, courtesy of the “dumphone” resurgence. But have you considered the slimephone?
Book Reviews
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Book Review: ‘2008’ by Susan McCarty
It’s official, I’ve reached an age when books set in the past are set in my past. With Susan McCarty’s 2008 I found myself so deeply rooted in a former…
Fully Booked at ICPL: Stories Between Generations, a pen-pal summer reading program
This summer the Iowa City Senior Center and Iowa City Public Library are partnering to present Stories Between Generations, a program that connects local seniors and school-aged children through a…
Book Review: ‘Release of Information and Other Linked Stories’ by Kali White VanBaale
For her latest collection of short stories, Kali White VanBaale bolts out of the gates with the attention-grabbing, slice-of-life “Hyatt and the Arch.” She doesn’t slow her literary gait until…
Book Review: ‘Dreams are for the Dead’ by S. Elias W Sharp
“‘You ever smoke meth?’ he asked, casual like he was offering a cigarette.” So begins a passage in S. Elias W Sharp’s unforgettable debut memoir, Dreams are for the Dead.…
Food & Drink
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Review: Bar Martinez boasts thoughtful cocktails, an intimate space and a bathroom fit for the pope
I’m in a bathroom in Highland Park at 11 p.m. on a Friday night. The walls are painted deep red, and the room is lit almost exclusively by prayer candles.…
Iowa is home to a colorful variety of THC beverage and candy brands. They could all disappear come November.
Last year, after the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, Congress finally passed a stopgap funding bill — and ignited a ticking timebomb for the billion-dollar THC beverage industry. A…
Czech Village’s new, women-owned bookstores bring two different vibes to the neighborhood
Most Iowans are lucky to have a single bookstore in their neighborhood. As of December, Cedar Rapids’ Czech Village has two. Sisters Books and Nooks debuted in September, founded by…
Linzi Murray and her West Des Moines bookstore/cafe are hitting their stride
Linzi Murray, owner of Reading in Public Bookstore and Cafe, lifted her pants leg, pointing to a tattoo on her left ankle. Although her dad, Keith, died of lung cancer…
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