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Monday, Sept. 7, 2026
Good morning to you! 

I saw a group of kids riding bicycles the other day, and I had to stop and smile. It was something I don’t see as often these days. Or maybe I just don’t notice it.

Regardless, there they were, pedaling down the street, talking, laughing and going somewhere that probably didn’t matter nearly as much as the fact that they were going there together.

It took me right back to the bicycling days of my youth. I can’t remember the details of my very first bicycle. I am confident it was a hand-me-down from my brother Steve, which was probably a hand-me-down from our brother Brian. I didn’t mind. Hand-me-downs from big brothers were cool — except for those brown plaid pants I inherited from Steve in third grade. Those looked like something straight out of Greg Brady’s closet.

But the bicycle? That was different. I didn’t care about the brand, make or model. I didn’t care about the color or how many gears it had. As long as it had two wheels and could get me from Point A to Point B — and a couple hundred other random points along the way — I was happy.

That bicycle represented something much bigger than a frame, tires and a chain. It represented freedom. For a young boy who had not ventured more than a block or two from home without an adult, that was a big deal. My bicycle took me places I had only visited before from the back seat of Mom’s Chrysler. The swimming pool. The ball fields. The state park. Friends’ houses. The convenience store. Suddenly, the neighborhood was not just the place where I lived. It was a place I could explore.

I imagined myself as Arthur Fonzarelli, except my motorcycle was a bicycle and my leather jacket was a T-shirt with the word “Dyn-o-mite!” and a picture of Jimmy JJ Walker on it. I would “rev” my bicycle down Main Street, convinced I looked incredibly cool with my Shaun Cassidy-like hair blowing in the wind.

Of course, the bicycle also taught me a few lessons. For one thing, bicycles have a way of making you think you are invincible — until your front wheel catches a rut along the edge of a sidewalk. Then gravity introduces itself. I learned that speed was fun. Scrapes and bruises were not.

And, unlike today, helmets were not exactly standard equipment. Back then, the most sophisticated safety system was my big sister yelling, “Be careful!” as I disappeared around the corner.

Looking back, I realize that my bicycle was more than transportation. It was independence. It was adventure. It was the first little taste of adulthood, with considerably less responsibility and considerably more scraped elbows.

That’s why seeing those kids on their bicycles stopped me for a moment. They could have been simply riding around the neighborhood, but I knew better. They were going somewhere. And for a few glorious miles, they were free.

Have a memorable Monday, 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: Water main break damages Highland Park street, leaves some residents without water. A water main break damaged a street in Des Moines’ Highland Park neighborhood Sunday, leaving behind broken pavement, exposed bricks and a large hole in the road. The damage and flooding were reported on Eighth Street between Euclid and Clinton avenues. The road is closed while crews work in the area. ... READ MORE

FROM WHO-TV: Two charged with attempted murder following Marshalltown shooting, police say. Police say two Marshalltown men have been charged with attempted murder and several other felonies following a Saturday shooting. Officers responded to a home in the 300 block of North 14th Avenue around 6 a.m. Saturday, on reports of a possible drive-by shooting, according to the Marshalltown Police Department. Officials say that upon arrival, it was determined that shots had been fired at a residence in the area. ... READ MORE

FROM WOI: Valley West Mall update: Potential new owner on the horizon. The Valley West Mall has a new buyer, and that could mean big changes coming to the community. This long journey for a new owner began when the mall's previous owners defaulted on their mortgage in 2022. Mall walkers told Local 5 that, since then, it's been a long decline for the historic mall. "Used to come to this mall quite a bit back in the day. We're in the area today and figured we'd stop by and see what's going on, and it's pretty empty," one walker shared. ... READ MORE

 
 

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: Israeli airstrikes on a village in southern Lebanon kill 9 people, wound 13. Israel’s air force carried out two airstrikes early Monday on a southern Lebanese village, killing at least nine people and wounding others, including women and children, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said. Monday’s strikes came amid a new round of escalation between Israel and the militant Hezbollah group despite a truce reached more than two months ago. The strikes also came days after Israel’s military said it is in “operational control” of the strategic Ali Taher hill that overlooks several villages as well as main roads leading to the city of Nabatiyeh. ... READ MORE

FROM AROUND THE NATION: Investigators hunt for what went wrong after cargo plane crash in Miami kills at least 5. Federal investigators on Monday are detailing their plans for determining what caused an Amazon cargo jet to barrel off a runway at Miami International Airport, killing at least five people and injuring five others as it struck vehicles and was engulfed in flames. The aircraft overran the runway around 2 p.m. Sunday after arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico, and plowed across a road used by warehouse workers and other businesses that surround the airport. Five people were killed, three critically injured and two others hospitalized with less severe injuries, officials said. ... READ MORE

FROM AROUND THE STATE: Iowa leaders mourn passing of Ray Gaesser. State leaders are mourning the passing of Ray Gaesser, whose death was confirmed by a friend on his Facebook page Saturday morning. According to that post, Gaesser died in a farming accident. Gaesser was the head chair of the Iowa Conservative Energy Forum, which also posted news about his death. He was a corn and soybean farmer, the former president of the Iowa Soybean Association, and a leader in other groups like Solutions from the Land and the North American Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance. ... READ MORE

 
 
Weather forecast
Monday, Sept. 7
 
Partly cloudy
High: 87
Low: 71
Rain chance: 0%
Tuesday, Sept. 8
 

Partly cloudy
High: 94
Low: 71
Rain chance: 30%

Wednesday, Sept. 9
 

Partly cloudy
High: 85
Low: 63
Rain chance: 20%

 
 
Allergy alert
 
Today: 10.3, high range
 
Top allergens:
Nettle
Chenopods
Ragweed
 
 
 
The 2026 results: CITYVIEW's Best of Des Moines®
 
 
Best Local Live Music Venue
1. Wooly’s
2. xBk Live
3. Hoyt Sherman Place
 
See all of the results
 
 

Back to the Biz
Chicken wings are looking like the next big thing for Casey’s. The Ankeny-based company that is the nation’s fifth-largest pizza seller wants to rule the wing roost, too. They plan to sell them at all 3,000-plus stores inside two years. Sauces and varieties include Buffalo, barbecue, sweet chili, garlic parmesan, mango habanero, and store-made buttermilk ranch. A standard eight-count order is priced around $7.99. “We don’t want to just participate; we want to win with wings,” Casey’s Senior Vice President Brad Haga told the Business Record.   

Longtime Pancheros franchise owners Shelly and Tyson Robinson are opening their third location next month in Waukee at Grand Prairie Parkway and Ashworth Road.

Deals today
(The holiday may affect these)

• Guesthouse Tavern + Oyster (9500 University, West Des Moines) offers all-day happy hour prices Mondays. 
 
• High Life Lounge (200 S.W. Second St., downtown) has a Monday special tater casserole for $8.99.
 
• Fong's Pizza offers a free crab Rangoon with a pizza Mondays.
 
• Food Truck Mall Mondays, 4-7 p.m., held at 5299 East University Ave., Pleasant Hill.
 
• Fresh Thyme (2800 University Ave., West Des Moines) has $6 quarts of prepared soup on Mondays. 
 
• The Empire's (223 Fourth St., Des Moines) Monday special is spaghetti Alfredo with grilled chicken for $10.
 
• Marianna's (1305 University Ave., Des Moines) offers carnitas tacos for $2 Mondays.
 
• Centro (1003 Locust St., Des Moines) offers half-price pizza and Peronis on Monday.
 
• Cowboy (1234 E Euclid Ave., Des Moines) has a Monday special fajitas lunch for $11.99.
 
• The False Nine Social Club (206 Fifth St., Valley Junction) has British pies on sale Mondays for $10.
 
• District 36 (1375 S.W. Vintage Parkway, Ankeny) has a Monday special $60 dinner for two. Two entrees starring sea bass and NY strip de Burgo with soup or salads, a bottle of wine and a dessert to share. 
 
• The Key (360 Sixth St., Waukee) offers a half-pound sirloin dinner for $19 Mondays 5 p.m. till sold out.
 
• Cottontail Lounge ( 3700 Dennis Drive, Urbandale) offers first Monday sirloin, filet and prime rib dinner deals.
 
• Today is bang bang shrimp day at Sale Barn Cafe (Lamoni).
 
• It's catfish night at Waterfront stores. Dinners cooked any way you like it for $19.99.
 
• It's Meat Loaf Monday at Mickey's in Yale.
 
• Chuck's (3610 Sixth Ave.) Monday special is three for $25 on all appetizers.
 
•  Bubba (200 10th St., Des Moines) has a Monday night sirloin dinner special for $20. 
 
• Kelly's Little Nipper (1701 E. Grand Ave., Des Moines) offers a "Monday grind" special grinder and fries basket for $9.50.
 
• Monday brings prime rib specials to both Chicago Speakeasy (1520 Euclid Ave., Des Moines) and Christopher's (2816 Beaver Ave., Des Moines).
 
• Trostel's Greenbriar (Merle Hay Road, Johnston) has a Monday burger with a side and beer deal for $14.   
 
• Beaver Tap (4050 Urbandale Ave., Des Moines) has $8 omelets and $10 hot beef sandwiches or Mexican bowls on Mondays.
 
• Johnny's Italian Steakhouses have a chicken de Burgo special on Mondays before 4 p.m., $14 including beverage.
 
• Smoking Goat Pub (3015 Merle Hay Road, Des Moines) hosts Shelby Smokehouse Soul Food on Mondays, 5-9 p.m.
 
• G Mig's (126 Fifth St., Valley Junction) has $11 smashburgers today including a side.
 
• The Station on Ingersoll (3124 Ingersoll, Des Moines) has a Monday special Graziano grinder with a side for $12.
 
• The Continental (407 E. Fifth St., Des Moines) offers a Monday special double smash burger and shoestring fries, $12.
 
• Jethro's have a Monday chicken tenders and fries special $9.95 in Altoona and West Des Moines.
 
• Angry Goldfish (2301 S.W. Ninth St., Des Moines) has specials on chicken Parmesan and lasagna today, $15 with garlic bread and salad.
 
• Eastside Eddie’s (3517 E. 26th St., Des Moines) Monday special is a burger with domestic beer, soft drink or well drink for $10.  
 
• Pelican Post (265 50th St., West Des Moines) has a special today on hot beef sandwiches, $10.95 all day. 
 
• Tito’s Lounge (3916 Urbandale Drive, Urbandale) offers all-you-can-eat wings Mondays. 
 
• Johnny's Hall of Fame (302 Court Ave., Des Moines) has $12 burger baskets on Mondays and Fridays.
 
• Urban Cellars (640 S. 50th St., West Des Moines) offers $60 wine dinners for two on Mondays including two entrees with soup or salad, a dessert and a bottle of wine. 
 
• Club 2000 (422 Indianola Road, Des Moines) has a burger basket with fries deal Mondays for $9. 
 
• Red Lobster's Monday special is lobster and shrimp scampi with a side for $20. 
 
• Paula's (524 Elm St., Valley Junction) has a Monday special loaded chicken on a croissant sandwich for $14. 
 
 • Destination Grille (2491 E. First St., Grimes) has a Monday steak night special, sirloins and truffle fries for $18.
 
• Price Chopper delis offer two-piece, bone-in fried chicken dinners with two sides and a roll for $8 on Mondays. 

• Fareways have specials through Saturday on Iowa pork chops at $1.99/pound, cucumbers and green peppers at $.88 and chicken legs for $1.38/pound.

— Jim Duncan, jd91446@aol.com

 
 
Featured in the current issue of Adel Living magazine.
 

From dream to reality
Residents reimagine their homes to fit their lives.

By Rachel Harrington

Home improvement projects are often about much more than a few repairs, fresh paint and new appliances. They are about creating living spaced that fit the owners’ needs, style and desire for a home that is “just right.” Residents share how their renovations made their dreams into a reality.

Personal style
For Lisa Payne, transforming part of her 1908 Adel home into a salon was about more than creating a place to work. It was an opportunity to design a space that reflected her personal style while preserving the character of the historic home.

Nine years ago, Payne and her family bought a 1908 home in the heart of Adel. She is a hairstylist and had a dream of working from home. About a year after they purchased the home, they decided to convert a bedroom on the corner of the house into a small salon.

“The room used to be a bedroom with a closet that was a deep — but not very wide — walk-in,” Payne said. “The floor was an orange-colored stained hardwood with dark, basic trim and lighting. There was no bathroom.” ...

 
Read more
 
Featured home for sale
 
Post listings here for only $50. Contact jolene@iowalivingmagazines.com for details.
 
$265,000
1011 24th St.
Des Moines, IA 50311
  
Historic character, modern updates, and an unbeatable location come together in this move-in-ready 2-story home at 24th St & Cottage Grove Ave! Enjoy quick access to 235 and downtown, scenic park views across the street, and a short walk to Gateway Market and Smokey Row Coffee. ...
  
See the listing here.
 
See more homes for sale
 
SOLD: Featured commercial real estate transaction
 
5210 N.E. 17TH ST., DES MOINES
DATE: 2026-03-27
SALE PRICE: $1,358,555
SELLER: CMI PROPERTIES LC
BUYER: TENET EQUITY FUNDING SPE V LLC
ACRES: 1.840
SQUARE FEET: 11,124
 
More transactions
 
 
Sports headlines
FROM ESPN: CJ Carr, Notre Dame pull away, beat Wisconsin in opener. Notre Dame is a popular pick to win its first national championship since 1988. After last year's snub, the fourth-ranked Fighting Irish are expected to return to the College Football Playoff and have a fairly easy path to get there. But the games still must be played, and the outlook others have for the Irish -- perhaps even what Notre Dame envisions for itself -- doesn't always follow the script, such as during the first half Sunday night against three-touchdown underdog Wisconsin at Lambeau Field. Notre Dame was sluggish, mistake-prone and fortunate to be leading. In the second half, the Irish followed coach Marcus Freeman's motto and left no doubt, overwhelming Wisconsin 41-13 to open the season. ... READ MORE
 
FROM SPORTS ILLUSTRATED: College Football Week 1 takeaways: LSU rolls past Clemson, Michigan stuns Western Michigan on Hail Mary. The first full Saturday of the college football season is behind us, and we have already had a massive weather delay, an explanation from a power conference on the end-of-game clock and plenty of nail-biters. Here are four takeaways from Week 1: ... READ MORE
 
FROM YAHOO SPORTS: Wrigley Field volleyball match between Nebraska and Missouri postponed after humidity leads to wild towel effort. Nebraska and Missouri tried to play a volleyball match at Wrigley Field on Sunday night in what seemed like a fun, unique battle for the two programs as part of the Big Ten-SEC Volleyball Challenge. It was just way, way too hot and humid in Chicago for the game to work. The Big Ten suspended the match after a long delay on Sunday night, ending the contest early in front of a sold-out crowd at Wrigley Field. It's unclear when the match will be played between the two schools, if at all. ... READ MORE
 
 

1813: United States nicknamed Uncle Sam. On Sept. 7, 1813, according to the most cited — and Congressionally approved — account, the United States gets its nickname, Uncle Sam. The name is linked to Samuel Wilson, a meat packer from Troy, New York, who supplied barrels of beef to the United States Army during the War of 1812. Wilson (1766-1854) stamped the barrels with “U.S.” for United States. But because Wilson was known locally as "Uncle Sam," soldiers began referring to the grub as “Uncle Sam’s.” The local newspaper, the Troy Post, picked up on the story and Uncle Sam eventually gained widespread acceptance as the nickname for — and personification of — the U.S. federal government. … READ MORE

1911: Guillaume Apollinaire is arrested for stealing the Mona Lisa. French poet Guillaume Apollinaire is arrested and jailed on suspicion of stealing Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa from the Louvre museum in Paris. … READ MORE

1996: Tupac Shakur is shot. Actor and hip-hop recording artist Tupac Shakur is shot several times in Las Vegas, Nevada, after attending a boxing match. Shakur was riding in a black BMW with Death Row Records founder Marion “Suge” Knight when a white Cadillac sedan pulled alongside and fired into Shakur’s car. Knight was only grazed in the head, but Shakur was hit several times. He died in a hospital several days later. … READ MORE

www.history.com

 
Birthdays and notables
 
Happy Birthday to Brent Antisdel and Pat Checketts!

These celebrities were born on this date: Evan Rachel Wood, Leslie Jones, Gloria Gaynor, Chrissie Hynde, Corbin Bernsen, Michael Feinstein, Leslie Jones, Kevin Love, Ian Chen, Wes Willis, Chad Sexton
 
Historical birthdays
1533: Queen Elizabeth I – The iconic Tudor monarch who ruled England and Ireland for 45 years. 
 
1860: Grandma Moses (Anna Mary Robertson Moses) – Celebrated American folk artist who began her highly successful painting career in her late 70s.
 
1867: J. P. Morgan Jr. – Prominent American banker, financier, and philanthropist who took over the J.P. Morgan financial empire.
 
Morning chuckle

The answer to the last riddle: What classical ballet did the pig pen perform? SWINE LAKE! - Rex Post. Joan ‘Ski’ Sieczkowski, Gail Tomlinson.

Today's riddle: What do you call a rude cow?

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

 

To advertise in the Daily Umbrella or the Grimes/Dallas Center, North Polk or Adel Living magazines, contact:

Dan Juffer
Senior Account Executive
Office: 515-953-4822 ext. 303
Mobile: 515-371-2290
dan.juffer@dmcityview.com

 

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