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Des Moines’ plan to solve its budget crisis: gentrification.

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Des Moines is facing the culmination of multiple long standing budgetary crises resulting in its present $17 million annual deficit. Without room in the general fund, transportation is facing cuts, utility rates have been hiked, and agencies reorganized. The city manager Peter Zamansky in January released a proposal to lay out reductions in spending to shrink the deficit this fiscal year. However, policy makers are looking for larger cuts and structural changes to address the city’s long increasing debt burden. Image via axios One of the largest services under scrutiny is Des Moines’ DART bus system. Reimagine Dart is the … Continued

Music
On Speaking Aloud and Breaking Boundaries: Mannequin Pussy Mission Creek Festival

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Ignore the name. Or don’t, because truthfully the heart of Mannequin Pussy’s art lies in its name. Mannequin Pussy, of Philadelphia origin, gracefully blessed the hall of the Englert Theater for Iowa City’s annual Mission Creek Festival in April. As someone who has been a longtime listener, I was ecstatic when I learned they were performing on day 2. For those who are new to the band, Mannequin Pussy consists of 4 artists, Missy Dabice on vocals and lead, Kaleen Reading on drums, Bear Regisford on bass and secondary vocals, and Maxine Steen on guitar. They weren’t always called Mannequin … Continued

Music
Isabel Zuppa

Mood Ring: Nostalgia

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It’s hard to really describe the feeling of nostalgia. The dictionary definition recounts it as “a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations.” Everyone has different triggers which throw them back into that universal sense of melancholia. You may hear a song and be swept into a brisk fall sunset in 2006. You laid in the grass watching the sunset with your childhood neighbors (but more importantly, best friends), as time stopped existing. Or maybe it was the summer after high school graduation. You were depressed and sneaked out … Continued

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