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Axios Des Moines
Iowa is restructuring mental health services and seeks districting feedback
Iowa will merge mental health and substance abuse systems through a series of public comment sessions that begin Thursday to determine new local districts.Why it matters: The legislation, passed with broad bipartisan support this year, aims to streamline services and improve patient access after years of gaps that have occasionally left hundreds of people on waiting lists.Catch up fast: Iowa's system includes 13 Mental Health and Disability Services Regions and 19 Integrated Provided Networks, which focus largely on substance abuse and gambling problems.The challenge: many people need assistance from both systems, leading to duplicative and inconsistent programming, the Cedar Rapids...
Mosquitoes return to Des Moines with a vengeance
If you're feeling extra itchy, thank Des Moines' spike in mosquitoes.Driving the news: Mosquitoes buzz around every summer, but recent wet conditions have created perfect breeding grounds for floodwater mosquitoes, increasing pests compared to the last four years of drought.State of play: Clarke Mosquito Control and Management, which helps the city manage pests, is spraying neighborhoods in sections based on which areas have the highest numbers of mosquitoes in traps, Laura McGowan, spokesperson for Clarke, tells Axios.The intrigue: Some mosquitoes have tested positive for West Nile virus in the northside near the Riverview and Union Park areas, the city announced yesterday.Additional spraying occurred Monday, and the Beaverdale area was sprayed with precaution yesterday.There are no known cases yet in people or pets.Be smart: Wear bug repellent, long-sleeved apparel or stay inside during peak pest hours, dusk and dawn.Residents can report high levels of insects, learn when their neighborhood is being sprayed or opt out of treatments here.Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Des Moines.
Antiques Roadshow attracts around 5,000 to Urbandale
I was one of about 5,000 people who participated in Monday's "Antiques Roadshow" tour at Living History Farms.Why it matters: It's phenomenal publicity for the metro because the show generally highlights the host city and its local history.Plus: One of the appraisers believes the Grant Wood painting I purchased from eBay is an original work. Score!Catch up fast: The public television show's 29th season will air next year.Living History Farms is the fourth of five 2024 stops, each at exclusively distinctive and historic locations, show spokesperson Demee Gambulos tells Axios.More than 140 individual segments were filmed yesterday, enough for three...
Local nonprofit reports Pride flag thefts
A local nonprofit that delivered rainbow flags across the metro for Pride month says more than a dozen of them have been stolen.Why it matters: The flags are part of the group's mission to raise LGBTQ visibility and show support for the community.State of play: Project Rainbow of Iowa delivered 255 rainbow flags to homes and businesses around the metro, raising $7K for Iowa Safe Schools and Iowa Trans Mutual Aid Fund.The group delivers the flags for $15 and picks them back up at the end of the month.Driving the news: Volunteers started deliveries on Memorial Day and within 24...
Metro governments are forging new alliances in a scramble for cash
Des Moines city and school governments have vowed to work more closely to tackle upcoming budget pressures.Why it matters: Cost sharing could help both governments avoid harsher future cuts.Plus, some of the biggest pieces of recent state legislation to limit local government tax growth go into effect next year.Driving the news: The full City Council and Des Moines Public Schools (DMPS) board met jointly last week for the first time since 2016 to discuss ways to save money.The 90-minute meeting included conversation about parks, preschool, libraries and housing initiatives.Catch up quick: A bipartisan bill approved by Iowa lawmakers last year...
Mornings with Chocolate Storybook owner Meg Shearer
When you're running a candy business, you can't be afraid to let your ideas get a little wild.Driving the news: In 2001, entrepreneurs Meg and Steve Shearer took a "leap of faith" and purchased Chocolate Storybook — a popular West Des Moines lacking broad name recognition.State of play: Since then, they've reached national distribution thanks to their creative ideas with sales at popular shops like Macy's, CVS, T.J. Maxx and Five Below.Some of their most popular creations have also been the most creative like "Muddy Pigs" — a chocolate-covered bacon treat and "Trump Hair Cotton Candy" — a controversial butterscotch-flavored sweet.Here's how Meg Shearer starts her day:⏰ Wake up: 7am.☕️ Breakfast: Don't expect anything sweet. She just drinks coffee.📚 What she's reading: Work emails and anything that pops up, ranging from People magazine to royal family updates.💡 Her piece of advice: "You can't be afraid to come up with ideas and throw it out there and see what happens."
Tell me, Antiques Roadshow, is this Grant Wood real?
"Antiques Roadshow" is at Living History Farms today and I'm taking what is allegedly an original Grant Wood painting for valuation.Catch up fast: I bought the painting on eBay for $6,100 in early 2021 as a congrats gift to myself for landing my gig at Axios Des Moines.It hangs in my office, and I gaze at it for creative inspiration.Zoom in: It's a small, untitled landscape that local appraiser Marie Louise Kane tells me may have been painted in France around 1920.That was the year Wood — who grew up in Cedar Rapids and would have been around 29 at...
"The Last American Gay Bar" docuseries to debut in Des Moines
A new television docuseries filmed in Des Moines about the decline of gay bars debuts next week at Varsity Cinema.Why it matters: "The Last American Gay Bar" weaves decades of Iowa's queer history together to show how the state's LGBTQ+ community organized against discrimination locally and influenced nationwide change.Iowa was one of the first states to legally recognize gay marriage following a court challenge.Zoom in: The six-part series focuses on the employees and patrons of The Blazing Saddle. The downtown bar opened in 1983, and some patrons call it "the gay 'Cheers.'"Owner Bob "Mongo'' Eikleberry — one of several gay...
Iowa LGBTQ+ pastor to be ordained
Rev. Jordan Derhammer Capek of West Des Moines United Methodist Church will be ordained as a full elder on Sunday.Why it matters: She's openly gay, and her ordination comes a month after the church repealed its longstanding ban on LGBTQ clergy.Catch up fast: The United Methodist Church's world delegates overwhelmingly voted to end the ban during a May 1 General Conference, contrasting with past votes that reinforced prohibitions against "self-avowed practicing homosexuals," the AP reports.The change doesn't mandate or explicitly affirm LGBTQ clergy, but it means the church no longer forbids them.Delegates also approved a measure forbidding the church's regional administrators from penalizing clergy for performing same-sex weddings.Zoom in: Around 11% of Iowa's Methodist churches — 80 of 750 — disaffiliated from the United Methodist Church last year, mostly because of disagreements over theology and social issues.Those that left faced financial consequences including debts and other obligations to the larger organization, the Cedar Rapids Gazette reports.What's next: Derhammer Capek, who did not reply to Axios' request for comment by deadline, is one of five people being ordained during a ceremony on Sunday at 9am during the Iowa Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church.The ceremony will be live-streamed.
We tried the new "Wasabi Urbandale"
I am on a constant quest to find a good, umami-filled ramen bowl, and I keep turning to the Wasabi restaurants.What I ate: Black garlic tonkotsu ramen ($16.95) at the new Wasabi Urbandale restaurant after my fave Wasabi Chi closed (RIP).It has char siu pork, mushrooms, spinach, scallions, soft-boiled egg and chicken broth.What I liked: Wasabi's ramen broth is a creamier, rich, chicken soup with hints of toasted garlic, giving the meaty flavor a unique edge.The pork was soft and sweet on the edges, while the egg wasn't overcooked.💭 My thought bubble: The best way to eat ramen is to put a little broth in the spoon, add some noodles to it and then top it with some meat and veggies — everything you want, all in one bite!Where to find it: 11am-10:30pm Friday-Saturday; 11am-9:30pm Sunday-Thursday.2301 Rocklyn Dr. in Urbandale
Cancer therapy breakthrough linked with COVID-19 vaccines
Des Moines University (DMU) scientists may have discovered a treatment breakthrough for cervical cancer using COVID-19 vaccine spike proteins, according to findings published in a new study.Why it matters: Cervical cancer is the leading cause of oncological death in women globally.Plus, the findings open new avenues for treatment across other types of cancer, too, Yujiang Fang, an associate professor at DMU who spearheaded the research, said in an online statement.State of play: The research builds on earlier work that demonstrated the protein's ability to diminish certain cancer cells.How it works: COVID-19 vaccines use spike proteins to help people develop an...
First bite: We tried Pizza on the Prairie
I snagged a reservation for this year's first "Pizza on the Prairie" last week.Catch up fast: POTP is a Friday night event with live music hosted throughout the summer by Wallace Centers of Iowa (WCI).The from-scratch brick-oven pizzas lean heavily on ingredients grown or raised on the farm, which means menus change with the season.The vibe: The event takes place on the lawn of the Wallace Farm near Orient, a historic site and birthplace of former Vice President Henry A. Wallace.Guests bring lawn chairs and can watch the sunset as they eat.Driving the news: This year's event is overseen by...
Hundreds of unaccompanied migrant children arrived in Iowa in recent years
Data: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services via New York Times; Chart: Kavya Beheraj/AxiosAlmost 600 unaccompanied migrant children arrived in Des Moines between 2015 and last year, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.Why it matters: As federal, state and city leaders spar over sheltering and supporting foreigners who have crossed the border without permission, these children are an especially vulnerable group.State of play: Minor new arrivals have been coming to the United States without their parents in record numbers, and some end up in "the most punishing jobs in the country," per a recent New...
Lanon Baccam will take on GOP Rep. Zach Nunn after primary win
Lanon Baccam won Tuesday's 3rd District Democratic primary and will challenge incumbent Republican Rep. Zach Nunn in November, per AP.Why it matters: The southwest Iowa district represents a big chunk of the Des Moines metro, including Polk and Dallas Counties.Driving the news: Baccam, an Army veteran and former USDA official, won the primary handily against Melissa Vine, a mental health therapist and nonprofit executive, according to preliminary results.Baccam had raised about twelve times more campaign funds than Vine.The big picture: The District 3 election is expected to be the state's most competitive House race this year.Nunn, a former Iowa state...
Iowa's 3rd District Democratic primary: Live results
Southwestern Iowa voters, including portions of the Des Moines metro, are deciding which Democrat will challenge Republican U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn, who flipped the seat just two years ago. Polls close at 8 pm. The big picture: Nunn won the district by just over 2,100 votes in 2022, and it's...
Des Moines has removed 70 homeless encampments so far this year
Des Moines had cleared at least 70 encampments of people experiencing homelessness this year as of last week, according to city data obtained by Axios.Why it matters: The actions come as the number of unsheltered people in Polk County hits a record high, according to the most recent report from Homeward, a local homeless advocacy nonprofit.Driving the news: Polk County officials recently asked DSM police for assistance with people sleeping under an awning at River Place, a county office building.The county cited safety as the reason for the removals, noting that some doorways were blocked by the campers.Human waste...
Meet the Des Moines designers making homes more cheerful, one colorful kitchen at a time
Des Moines-based designers Alicia Held-Morris and Jillian Lare were recently announced as members of House Beautiful's Next Wave Class of 2024.Why it matters: The list highlights big up-and-coming names in interiors across the U.S. There are only 13 spots and Des Moines received a nod.The intrigue: Morris Lare Interiors is a pandemic-era success story, launched by friends turned business partners. Natural colors play like neutrals for these designers. Photo: Lauren Konrad PhotographyAxios had the chance to ask them few questions about their work.Get to know the design duo you're about to see everywhere, in their own words.Describe your...
Des Moines summer camp has a 600-kid wait
A free summer camp operated through the city of Des Moines starts today with a waitlist of nearly 600 kids, city spokesperson Debbie McClung tells Axios.Catch up fast: The program is a public-private partnership with donors and nonprofit groups that began in Evelyn K. Davis Park more than a decade ago.Four additional park locations were added in 2022.Zoom in: Sites are selected based largely on community need, include lunch and offer about seven daily hours of weekday activities.Flashback: Almost 370 kids participated last year.The latest: This year's program offers a June and July session with room for a total of 500 children.Capacity was booked weeks ago. Crafts, sports, swim lessons and nature-based programs are among the camp activities. Photo: Courtesy of the city of DSM
Des Moines metro sinks on "best places" list
The Des Moines metro tumbled three dozen spots on U.S. News & World Report's latest best places to live list compared to last year.Why it matters: Annual rankings indicate a community's overall vibrancy and can help companies and families determine where to relocate.State of play: Scores are based on crime rates, public schools and health care.DSM ranked 55 out of 150 major cities, down from 19 in the previous year.Reality check: Many factors influence the score, including a "desirability index" that asks people from all over the U.S. where they'd prefer to live.DSM's overall score remained about 6.4 out of 10 compared to 6.6 the previous year.What they're saying: "The drop is very surprising because as the region's tourism and sports commission, we see more and more visitors and events coming here every year," Greg Edwards, CEO of Catch DSM, tells Axios.👃🏼Our thought bubble: We predict the score will bounce back next year — because we smell better.
E-book struggles create another library hurdle in Des Moines
E-book restrictions and costs are forcing local libraries to make tough choices as the popularity of digital checkouts grows.Why it matters: Loan limits and price disputes between libraries and publishers threaten to limit patrons' access.Driving the news: About a dozen states have shown interest in taking up model e-book legislation drafted by Harvard librarian and lawyer Kyle Courtney to prohibit many of the restrictions next year, Courtney tells Axios.Iowa librarians are watching that movement closely for a possible solution to local struggles, Jennifer Tormey, technical services supervisor at the Des Moines Public Library (DMPL), tells Axios.Stunning stat: Digital checkouts comprise...
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