Tuesday, November 6, 2012
The mother of two children, 4 and 8, wants to send message that “It is not OK to not speak your voice."
Andrew McGregory voted this morning as if his job were on the line. If Republican Mitt Romney wins the presidency today, it might well be, he said. McGregory, who voted at his West Des Moines precinct at Valley Junction, works as an escort for drivers trucking gigantic wind turbines across Iowa, the No. 2 wind-energy producing state with dozens of wind farms. The wind energy boom has become an election-year squabble between Romney and President Barack Obama over taxpayer support of the industry. The tax credit supporting the industry is set to expire in December and the industry is already starting to shed jobs – as many as 37,000 nationwide, the wind energy association has estimated. Obama wants to renew the credit. Romney doesn’t. …
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Come out to Valley Junction and help us celebrate our first birthday at Cooper’s on Fifth, which is also turning 1.
Sunday, May 20, 2012
If you can't join 'em, beat 'em says West Des Moines-based Goodsmiths, an online "marketplace for makers."
A little over a year ago, Julie Eliason found herself with an unusual problem. The West Des Moines woman was interested in marketing and selling a few of her handmade aprons online. Naturally, she consulted her husband, James, a software developer, about how she should get started. "She asked me, 'Where should I go?' so I sent her out to a couple different websites like Etsy and almost immediately she was frustrated with the whole process," James Eliason said. Etsy.com, founded in 2005, is the world's largest online marketplace for artists and craftspeople interested in hawking their handmade wares. According to a recent TimeBusiness article, Etsy "gets more than 39 million unique visitors every month, and last year rung in sales of $525.6…
Monday, April 30, 2012
Heart of Iowa Market Place has received a state designation that opens it up to broader sales and investment, according to a news release.
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Monday, April 30, 2012
The Heart of Iowa Market Place has earned targeted small business certification status from the State of Iowa, according to a news release, making the Valley Junction retailer eligible for expanded sales opportunities and potential financial backing. Businesses that receive the Targeted Small Business certification from the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals must: Certified targeted small businesses are eligible to apply for low-interest loans and equity grants through the Iowa Department of Economic Development. State purchasing officers also consider those designated businesses when seeking bids for state-purchased goods and services, the release said. “The Heart of Iowa Market Place is known and loved as a Valley Junction retail…
Monday, April 16, 2012
Neighbors help each other out after high winds down trees and rip roofs from structures.
Sam Doty thought he might get dinner out of chainsaw duty Sunday in Valley Junction as he cut trees from his sister and her boyfriend’s residence in the 100 block of Third Street. There was plenty to keep Doty and his chainsaw busy. Limbs tossed violently about in Saturday night’s storm lay in tangled webs on curbs, in driveways and throughout Valley Junction. Do you have pictures and video from the storm and cleanup? Upload them to West Des Moines Patch's Neighborhood Gallery. A column of acrid gasoline vapors marking his path, Doty went after large limbs first, cutting them into manageable pieces that could be hauled away to a friend’s bonfire pit or bundled for the Compost It! curbside program The same scene played out throughout Valley…
Sunday, April 15, 2012
The former Wright Tree Service building lost its roof, other businesses in Historic Valley Junction sustained damage.
Cleanup began early Sunday after Valley Junction sustained damage in Saturday's storms. Here are some shots taken around noon.
KCCI-TV reports that the old Wright Tree Service building lost its roof, a window was shattered at Heirlooms By Design and Chisme restaurant lost its sign. Cleanup is ongoing this morning.
Valley Junction businesses in West Des Moines sustained damage — including a roof torn off and a window blown out — during Saturday's storms, according to KCCI.com. Heavy rain and high winds ripped the roof off the old Wright Tree Service building at the corner of Maple and Sixth streets. Wood and insulation were scattered for blocks, the TV station reported Sunday. Do you have storm stories from Saturday to share? Do so in comments below. Or upload your storm photos to West Des Moines Patch. Heirlooms By Design lost a front window in the storm, the KCCI story said. Shattered glass was swept into a pile out front and the window was boarded up sometime Saturday night. El Chisme Taqueria and Pizzeria's sign blew away. A diner told the TV …
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Award will be presented Monday morning in Baltimore. Check with Patch mid-morning Monday for an update.
Historic Valley Junction is one of 10 finalists for the 2012 Great American Main Street Awards to be presented Monday in Baltimore by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The awards will be announced at the National Main Street Conference. Valley Junction has been a designated Main Street community since 1987, but the awards are a sought-after nod to the best of that group. What do you love about Valley Junction? Tell us in comments. Other finalists are: Up to five communities will be designated Great American Main Street Award winners. Winners are selected by a national jury composed of former award winners, community development professionals, representatives from government and foundations, and journalists active in community …
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
The Iowa Senate votes to begin taxing Internet sales.
Iowa lawmakers are moving to close a loophole some businesses use to avoid paying tax on sales through the internet and by mail. The move would charges sales tax on Internet sales. It would bring the state more tax dollars and address complaints from many brick-and-mortar businesses that they are at an unfair disadvantage because their sales are taxes while Internet sales are not. The move in the Iowa Senate follows a situation in Texas last year in which that state billed Amazon.com $269 million in taxes officials say were wrongfully avoided, The Des Moines Register reported. In Iowa, the loophole is costing the state about $6.8 million, according to an estimate by the non-partisan Legislative Services Agency. Would you like to …
Friday, March 16, 2012
Loaded with local talent, "Music in the Junction" opens with Brother Tucker on May 3.
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Friday, March 16, 2012
The Historic Valley Junction Foundation’s 2012 “Music in the Junction” free concert series held in conjunction with a weekly farmers market opens Thursday, May 3 with Brother Tucker, according to a press release. What band do you most want to see – or if your favorite isn't on the list, what group is West Des Moines' best-kept local music secret? Tell us in comments. Here’s the 2012 lineup: At each concert, the beverage garden is open in Railroad Park from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Concerts go from 6 to 8:30 pm. on the Railroad Park stage, located at the corner of Railroad Avenue and Fifth Street. The Historic Valley Junction Farmers Market is held each Thursday, May through September, in the 100, 200 and 300 blocks of Fifth Street. The Farmers …
Deb Belt
2:02 pm on Wednesday, May 16, 2012
What a great idea, hope that local artists and crafters give these folks a try. more ›