ArtStop is a two-day celebration of the performing and visual arts in the Des Moines area. This will be the first-ever annual event connecting the Des Moines metro’s many cultural centers’ galleries, museums, performing arts centers and artists’ studios. This year’s event will take place on Friday, September 5th from 5pm to 9pm and again on Saturday, September 6th, from 11am to 7pm.

Participating galleries, businesses, restaurants, non-profit arts and performing centers and artists studios plan and host coordinating performances, exhibits, demonstrations or entertainment during the 2-day event. All you have to do is grab your friends and hop on the free ArtStop bus. The bus will take you around downtown to the events. Be sure to check out the bus schedule to find your best route. There are stops n the East Village, Valley Junction, Roosevelt Cultural District, Gateway West, Ingersoll Avenue and the Heritage Art Gallery.

Check out the ArtStop website for more details.

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A factor in a lot of people’s decision to move somewhere is the crime rate. So I thought I would set out and try to do some research and find out what’s Des Moines’ crime rate compared to some other mid-western cities and what crimes are happening here in the local area.

I moved to the Des Moines area from Fort Lauderdale, Florida back in May of 2003. Based on feelings alone I think Des Moines has a pretty low crime rate, I mean you hear about a shooting now and then on TV, but those almost always come from the East Side or South Side of Des Moines. At least that’s my perception. Currently, Des Moines has about 360 police officers on the force.

A recent report on WHO-TV though says that ’s been a violent year so far in the Des Moines metro area. Accordingly, the metro area has seen more homicides in the first seven months of 2008 than it did overall in 2007. Last year, eight people were murdered in Des Moines. So far this year, nine people have been the victims of homicide. The Des Moines Police Department has stated that since 2005, every one of Des Moines’ murder cases has been solved and that the vast majority of murder cases are not random acts. Officials say overall, from burglaries to graffiti, it’s been a busy summer.

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