‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ 
Friday, July 17, 2026
Good morning to you! 

Welcome to the Friday mailbag where you will find some of the comments, questions and ideas sent recently by readers of this newsletter or our publications. They are edited for space and clarity.

“Good morning, Shane. Did you want to check out my headphones (Big headphones, July 6, 2026)? Shockingly, I STILL have them and believe they are still good to use. That was a super awesome piece that really lit up my day.” - Michael

We all need a little ray of sunshine. - Shane

“You can buy replacement ear cups for those Beats headphones for about $10 on Amazon (Big headphones, July 6, 2026).” - Kirk

You are my hero, Kirk! - Shane

“Kudos to your CITYVIEW leadership — so far (Get bigger or get beaten, July 7, 2026). Thanks for it.” - Margaret

Thank you, Margaret. I appreciate your comments — so far. - Shane

“Big eggs (Big chicken, July 9, 2026)? I wonder where all the turkey eggs go?” - Mike

If you really want to know… turkey eggs are primarily used for hatching baby turkeys rather than for consumption, as turkeys lay fewer eggs than chickens. Additionally, they are not commonly found in stores due to their lower production rate and the focus on raising turkeys for meat. - Shane

“Thank you for your column paying tribute to Iowa's small towns (In a small town, July 14, 2026). I would not trade my childhood in my small hometown to grow up anywhere else. It is true that you may lack a certain degree of privacy, but when someone dies or if someone needs help, the small town changes from a community to a family. I'm reminded of an article that appeared many decades ago in Mad magazine that said: You know you live in a small town when you never use your turn signal because everyone knows which direction you are going.” - Bob

That’s one more reason to love Mad magazine.

Have a fantastic Friday, and thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman

President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305
www.thedailyumbrella.com 

Read more of Shane Goodman's columns here.

 

FROM KCCI: West Des Moines police arrest second teen in Fourth of July party shooting that left 17-year-old dead. A second teenager has been arrested and is now charged with first-degree murder in connection with the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old girl during a Fourth of July party in West Des Moines. ... READ MORE

FROM WHO-TV: Des Moines mayor seeks ‘payments in lieu of taxes’ to cut budget gap. The City of Des Moines is having to get creative with ways to shrink its $12 million budget shortfall. Newly acquired letters show that Des Moines Mayor Connie Boesen has reached out to hospitals, state agencies and a university to voluntarily provide payment in place of taxes, or PILOT. ... READ MORE

FROM WOI: Former Des Moines radio show host Marty Tirrell convicted of fraud for second time. Martin "Marty" Tirrell, known to some as the "Mouth of the Midwest" for his former role as a host of sports talk radio shows on 1460 KXNO and 1700 The Champ, was found guilty by a federal jury Thursday on 11 counts of wire fraud.
Its not the first time he's been found guilty of fraud — Tirrell was on supervised release for a 2019 mail fraud conviction when he was indicted in October last year. 
... READ MORE

 
 

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: US strikes bridges and collapses a tower at a key port as its Iran campaign expands. The United States expanded its airstrike campaign against Iran early Friday by hitting more bridges, energy sites and collapsing a tower at a key Iranian port, part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to start striking infrastructure to pressure Tehran to ease its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz. ... READ MORE

FROM AROUND THE NATION: To air or not to air? Nation’s TV networks struggle to find the right balance for Trump speech. As President Donald Trump threatened sanctions for those who didn’t cover his address live Thursday night, the nation’s broadcast and cable news operations wrestled with the thorniest of questions: To air or not to air? Networks and their news operations, broadcast and cable alike, spent the hours leading up to Trump’s address debating how to cover it — and struggling to balance delivering the news with handing over their airwaves to potential falsehoods about the 2020 elections. ... READ MORE

FROM AROUND THE STATE: Con-Quest brings pop culture event to Waterloo this weekend. A new pop culture convention is coming to Waterloo this weekend, bringing together fans of comics, gaming and all things geek culture. Con-Quest kicks off at the Waterloo Convention Center Friday afternoon and runs through Sunday. The three-day event will feature hundreds of vendors, celebrity guests and artists. ... READ MORE

 
Weather forecast
Friday, July 17
 
Mostly sunny and hot
High: 93
Low: 73
Rain chance: 20%
 
Saturday, July 18
 

Mostly sunny and hot
High: 92
Low: 71
Rain chance: 10%

Sunday, July 19
 

More of the same
High: 92
Low: 71
Rain chance: 0%

 
Allergy alert
 
Today: 5.2, medium range
 
Top allergens:
Dock weed
Cattail
Grasses
 
 
The 2026 results: CITYVIEW's Best of Des Moines®
 
 
Best South Bar
1. Francie’s Bar & Grill
2. Angry Goldfish Pub & Eatery
3. Monsterama Pubcade
 
See all of the results
 
 

The hottest recipe of Summer 2026
It’s the summer of dirty martini pasta. “Delish” is touting the dish with a million-plus views from its Tik Tok origin. It includes 1 cup pitted Castelvetrano olives, plus 1/4 cup olive brine; 3 tablespoons dry vermouth; Kosher salt; 8 ounces mafalde corte or farfalle pasta; 1 large garlic clove, grated; 1 large lemon, zested, juiced; 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard; freshly ground black pepper; 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil; 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan; 1 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley; and 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese (optional). 

Weekend deals
• Exile offers half-priced kids meals on Fridays. 
 
• Kelly's Little Nipper's corn-eating contest begins at 3 p.m. Saturday. 
 
• Fresh Thyme (2800 University Ave., West Des Moines) has $6 buckets of eight pieces of baked chicken on Fridays. 
 
• Desi Bites (1475 S.E. Bishop Drive, Waukee) has weekend specials on nine biryanis and five pulavs. 
 
• Marianna's (1305 University Ave., Des Moines) offers green enchiladas combos for $10 Fridays and Saturdays and four shrimp tacos for $12 Sundays.
 
Talk Shop Lounge (3357 St. Charles Road, St. Charles) has a steak dinner deal Friday $16. 
 
The False Nine Social Club (206 Fifth St., Valley Junction) has wings on sale Fridays for $8.
 
Waveland Cafe (4708 University Ave., Des Moines) offers southwest chicken salad specials today.  
 
• Friday lunch special is $12 Italian beef with fries and soda, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Striking Sparrow (1930 S.E. Sixth St., Des Moines).
 
• Friday is ramen day at Wilson Orchard & Farm (3201 15th Ave., Cumming). 
 
• Most Hy-Vees offer $5 fish and chips Fridays, $14 ribs Saturdays and eight-piece chicken buckets for $10 on Sundays.
 
Sale Barn Cafe (Lamoni) is offering lemon pepper chicken thigh specials today.
 
• Machine Shed (11151 Hickman, Urbandale) offers smoked prime rib on Saturday only. Whatcha Smokin? (Luther) offers smoked Dino beef ribs on Saturday only. 
 
• Pork ribs are today's special at Crouse Cafe (115 E. Salem, Indianola). Saturday's will be chipped beef on toast and Sunday's is fried chicken.
 
• Saturday is wine sampling day at Graziano Brothers.
 
 ShortE's BBQ (8805 Chambery Blvd., Johnston) offers  "kids eat free" deals on Friday and Saturday.
 
• Amruth (9974 Swanson Blvd., Clive) has 20 dishes on their Saturday and Sunday buffet, noon to 4 p.m. Of course, there will be dosas.
 
• Waterfront stores' Saturday special includes cocktail shrimp or raw oysters on the half shell for half price until 4 p.m.

Guesthouse Tavern and Oyster (9500 University, West Des Moines) offers Surf & Turf specials Fridays and $33 prime rib dinners Saturdays.
 
• Gilroy's (1238 Eighth St., West Des Moines) does Saturday and Sunday brunch buffets for $24.99 for adults. Kids 6 and younger eat free.
 
• Rube's steakhouses offer a prime sirloin special on Sundays only, $29.
 
 Beaver Tap (4050 Urbandale Ave., Des Moines) offers $9 Philly cheesesteaks or hot honey chicken plus $8 biscuit and gravy breakfasts on Fridays.
 
Smoking Goat Pub (3015 Merle Hay Road, Des Moines) offers walleye or steak dinner specials tonight and karaoke after 9 p.m. They have a 10 for $10 wings deal on Sundays. 
 
•  Jethro's Sunday special is burger baskets with fries for $9.95. Fridays they have Buffalo turkey sandwiches with a side for $9.95. 
 
Paula's (Elm at Sixth, Valley Junction) has a Friday special Rachel (turkey Reuben) with fries for $14.
 
• Heavenly Asian (225 Fifth St., Valley Junction) has an all-day Friday sale on orange chicken served with soup, crab Rangoon, egg roll and rice, $14, available for dine-in and phone carry-out.
 
Destination Grille (2491 E. First St., Grimes) has a $40 prime rib dinner special Friday and Saturday. 
 
• Court Avenue Brewing Company (309 Court Ave., Des Moines) hosts Saturday and Sunday breakfast buffets for $23.99.
 
• It's French dip Friday at Club 2000 (420 Indianola Road, Des Moines).
 
Price Choppers have sales through Monday on red cherries at $2.99/pound, watermelons at $5.99 and Colorado peaches at $1.99/pound.

Aldi stores have sales through Tuesday on cherries at $2.79/pound, strawberries at $1.89/pound, and pork bellies at $2.99/pound.

Fresh Thyme (2800 University Ave., West Des Moines) is running a sale through Sunday on boneless USDA prime ribeye at $19.99/pound and snow crab clusters at $10.99/pound and through Tuesday on red leaf, green leaf or Romaine lettuce heads at $1.49.

Fareway has sales through Saturday on Land o' Lakes butter at $2.99/pound, peaches at $.99/pound and top sirloin at $9.99/pound.

Dinner with a show
Neva Alden plays Kelly's Little Nipper at 7 p.m. Friday... El Toreado Mexican Bar & Grill on EP True has live music from The Juan and Only on Friday from 6 p.m... Willie Shay plays Simon’s at 7 p.m. Friday... Josh Sinclair plays Exile Brewing Sunday at 5 p.m.... Fred Gazzo Quintet  plays at Anna Dolce at 6:30 p.m. Saturday... George Michael Reborn plays at The Ingersoll at 5:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Tune in to KFMG Saturday at 10 a.m. as Kitchen Insider talks about the best burger buns ever and the greatest dishes in Italian cuisine. 

— Jim Duncan, jd91446@aol.com

 
Featured in the current issue of CITYVIEW Living magazine.
 

 SOUND CIRCUIT
XOLEX chases a dream

By Jackie Wilson

Ten years ago, country-rock singer Alexis “Lex” Curran was confined to a wheelchair because of an autoimmune disease. After prayers and treatments, she recovered. Struggling with what she describes as survivor’s guilt, Curran questioned why she had been given a second chance. Her answer, she believes, was to share her gift of singing and her faith in God.

Today, the Chariton native lives in Nashville, writes music and performs throughout the Midwest with her band, XOLEX. The stage name comes from the way she often signed her name: XO, Lex. ...

 
Read more
 
Featured home for sale
 
Post listings here for only $50. Contact jolene@iowalivingmagazines.com for details.
 
$485,000
702 Polk Blvd.
Des Moines, IA 50312
 
Beautifully updated historic home on Polk Boulevard featuring 6 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, and a 2-car attached garage. Step inside to a spacious modern kitchen, perfect for entertaining and daily living. The living room showcases a stunning floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace, creating a warm focal point for the home. ...
  
See the listing here.
 
See more homes for sale
 
SOLD: Featured commercial real estate transaction
 
8951 WINDSOR PARKWAY, JOHNSTON
SALE DATE: 2025-12-22
SALE PRICE: $2,700,000
SELLER: 7G DEVELOPMENT LLC
BUYER: INTEGRITY POINT REAL ESTATE LLC
ACRES: 1.394
SQUARE FEET: 11,595
 
More transactions
 
 
Sports headlines
FROM ESPN: NBA's Silver says Fever's Clark has become 'political football'. Conversations about WNBA officiating and Caitlin Clark have now expanded to include NBA commissioner Adam Silver. Silver said Thursday that Clark has become a "political football" amid debates about officiating and physical play in the WNBA, spurred by a recent play involving the Indiana Fever star guard and Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas. ... READ MORE
 
FROM SPORTS ILLUSTRATED: Bryson DeChambeau made one golf legend look really silly Thursday at the British Open. It’s safe to say that nobody faced more pressure heading into the first round of the 2026 British Open than Bryson DeChambeau. The LIV Golf star has missed the cut all all three majors so far this year and desperately wants to avoid another Friday night trip to the airport this week in England. ... READ MORE
 
FROM YAHOO SPORTS: World Cup 2026: Spain practices outdoors amid smoke from Canadian wildfires blanketing northeastern U.S. As smoke from Canadian wildfires in Ontario blankets the Northeastern and Upper Midwestern United States, the Spain national team practiced outdoors in northern New Jersey on Thursday in preparation for Sunday's World Cup final versus Argentina. ... READ MORE
 
 

1955: Disneyland opens. Disneyland, Walt Disney’s metropolis of nostalgia, fantasy and futurism, opens on July 17, 1955. The $17 million theme park was built on 160 acres of former orange groves in Anaheim, California, and soon brought in staggering profits. Today, Disneyland hosts more than 18 million visitors a year, who spend close to $3 billion. … READ MORE

1975: Superpowers meet in space. As part of a mission aimed at developing space rescue capability, the U.S. spacecraft Apollo 18 and the Soviet spacecraft Soyuz 19 rendezvous and dock in space. As the hatch was opened between the two vessels, commanders Thomas P. Stafford and Aleksei Leonov shook hands and exchanged gifts in celebration of the first such meeting between the two Cold War adversaries in space. Back on Earth, United Nations Secretary General Kurt Waldheim congratulated the two superpowers for the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project and praised their unprecedented spirit of cooperation and peace in planning and executing the mission. … READ MORE

1940: FDR nominated for unprecedented third term. On July 18, 1940, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who first took office in 1933 as America’s 32nd president, is nominated for an unprecedented third term. Roosevelt, a Democrat, would eventually be elected to a record four terms in office, the only U.S. president to serve more than two terms. … READ MORE

www.history.com

 
Birthdays and notables
 
These celebrities were born on this date:  David Hasselhoff,  Luke Bryan, Billie Lourd, Angela Merkel, Camilla Parker Bowles, Craig Morgan, Summer Bishil, Heather Langenkamp, Kali Uchis
 
Historical birthdays
Notable people born on this day include American actor James Cagney (born 1899), German Chancellor Angela Merkel (born 1954), and Camilla, Queen Consort of the United Kingdom (born 1947).
 
Morning chuckle

The answer to the last riddle: How did the vegetarian quit smoking? THEY WENT COLD TOFU! - Judy Anderson. OR BY GOING TOFURKEY! - Gail Tomlinson. OR, BY APPLYING CORN PATCHES! - Carolyn Rogers.

Today's riddle: How do you kill a vegetarian vampire?

Have a guess? Email tammy@iowalivingmagazines.com BY NOON to be sure your answer gets included!

 

To advertise in the Daily Umbrella, CITYVIEW, SENIOR VIEW, HOME VIEW, EXPLORE DM OR RELISH DM, contact:

Mary Fowler
Account Executive
515-953-4822 x311
c: 641-485-0555
mary@dmcityview.com

 

 

This email was sent to: email@example.com

Big Green Umbrella Media, Inc.
8101 Birchwood Ct Suite D
Johnston, Iowa 50131

Logo