Iowa City Owl

With the National Cherry Blossom Festival coming up this March 27th in the US, some people have yet to note the cultural significance of the festival in Japan.Hanami, or a cherry blossom festival, is an important and long-standing custom in Japan, held across the country every spring.

Late yesterday afternoon the Iowa state Board of Regents voted unanimously to approve ceasing 58 majors, minors, and graduate programs at the University of Northern Iowa.A few last-minute changes to the list were announced this morning, including suspending, rather than cutting, two programs offering geography and theater education minors.

Earlier today at the State of Iowa's Board of Regents meeting held at the Iowa Memorial Union, the Board of Regents approved demolishing the current University of Iowa Field House entrance to make room for a new UIHC project.

The month of love is sizzling hot with big names and bacon. That’s right, Des Moines will be hosting its 5th annual Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival. This festival is extra crispy with a rich history that was started by a group of Iowans in Crystal Lake.

This February, Cedar Rapids is going to see something pretty unique as anime characters will be coming to life as fans celebrate for a four-day convention. Anime-SPARK. is an "anime convention" that is happening February 16-19, 2012 at the Clarion Hotel and Convention Center in Southwest Cedar Rapids.

Remember “Joe the Plumber,” the disgruntled voter who questioned then-Senator Barack Obama about his tax policy during the 2008 campaign. He’s back. We’ll, he never really went away. The “plumber” turned media star, political commentator, author, and Tea Party headliner announced on Wednesday that he would be running as a Republican candidate for Congress in Ohio’s 9th Congressional District.

It’s 8:45 p.m. on a Thursday. Amid the downtown disarray, three twenty-something-year-olds are illuminated under green and pink stage lights. They pluck the strings of their guitars and stroke the snare heads for last minute tuning adjustments.

On the eve of the November 8th city council election, Raj Patel and his family hosted a large gathering at Takanami for friends and supporters. The room was silent and tense as I walked in just ten minutes before the official election results were announced.

For the first time since I was finishing my senior year of high school or 1999, the University of Iowa is conducting a search to fill a major coaching vacancy on its football team. Beloved Norm Parker, who has coordinated the Hawkeye defense for the past 13 seasons, has retired.

I’m writing to tell you what you should already know but recent events have caused me to sadly acknowledge is a reality so many whom are fans of professional sports teams are refusing to deal with. Money rules the world.