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Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026
Good morning to you! 

Do you ever wonder why some people seem to be continually dealing with an emergency? You know the type. Their car breaks down. Their neighbor is mad at them. Their boss is unreasonable. Their dog has an attitude. Their cousin said something at Thanksgiving in 2017 that still has not been resolved. And somehow, every Tuesday is a crisis.

That person may be a family member. Or a friend. Or a coworker. Or — and this is the uncomfortable part — that person may be the one in the mirror.

Why do some people seem to have a permanent backstage pass to chaos? Psychologists say there can be several reasons. Some people may unconsciously seek attention through drama. A crisis brings people running. Suddenly, everybody is calling, texting, listening and asking, “What happened?” That attention can provide validation. It also can serve as a convenient distraction from uncomfortable feelings or problems that are harder to deal with. In other words, sometimes it is easier to have a problem with your neighbor than to have a problem with yourself.

Childhood experiences can play a role, too. People who grew up around conflict, unpredictability or inconsistent caregiving may become accustomed to chaos. When you grow up thinking normal life sounds like yelling from the kitchen, calmness can feel strangely suspicious. Peace and quiet? “What’s wrong? Nobody has slammed a door in 20 minutes.”

Personality also matters. Some people are simply more emotionally sensitive and react more intensely to everyday situations. A minor inconvenience can become a five-act Shakespearean tragedy. The grocery store is out of their favorite cereal, and suddenly civilization is collapsing.

There is also the need for stimulation. Drama creates excitement. The emotional highs and lows can become a cycle, much like other behaviors that provide a rush. And once someone becomes accustomed to living at DEFCON 1, ordinary life can seem boring.

That doesn’t mean every person with a lot of problems is creating them. Life happens. Cars break down. Pipes leak. People get sick. Dogs eat things they should not eat. Sometimes your day really does go sideways. But if every day is an emergency, it might be worth asking why. Are we actually dealing with one crisis after another? Or are we creating little fires because we have become uncomfortable sitting in the quiet? The reality is that calm doesn’t make a lot of noise. No flashing lights. No dramatic soundtrack. No group text exploding at 10:30 p.m. Just peace.

Sometimes the healthiest thing we can do is stop looking for the next emergency and learn to be comfortable when nothing is wrong. After all, if our lives are always a crisis, eventually we have to wonder whether we are the firefighters — or the ones carrying the matches.

Have a terrific Tuesday, and thank you 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: Des Moines plumbing crews rush to fix backed-up drains and flooding. Steady and heavy rainfall is keeping plumbing crews busy as homeowners report flooded foundations, backed-up drains and failed sump pumps. Nick Mallory, drains manager at Holt Plumbing, Heating, Cooling and Electrical in Des Moines, said severe weather can create several problems. ... READ MORE

FROM WHO-TV: Des Moines City Council approves $11.5M in budget cuts. Council members voted 6-1 in favor of $11.5 million in budget cuts to lessen the $12 million budget shortfall in fiscal year 2028 on Monday night. The city council had two weeks to review Des Moines City Manager Scott Sander’s proposed package of $11.5 million worth of budget cuts ahead of Monday’s vote. Now, with the vote passing, over 40 positions are being cut, along with funding to the fire and police departments. ... READ MORE

FROM WOI: 2 drivers sustain 'life-threatening injuries' in head-on crash east of Winterset. Two drivers sustained life-threatening injuries in a two-vehicle crash on State Highway 92 Monday, approximately four miles east of Winterset. The Madison County Sheriff's Office said first responders were dispatched around 11:30 a.m. to a crash in the 2600 block of Highway 92, near Bevington. ... READ MORE

 
 

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: Saudi pipeline hit by drones will be out of service for weeks, further restricting oil flow. A crucial Saudi oil pipeline that was struck in an attack will be mostly out of service for weeks as the damage is repaired, two regional officials said Monday, as Yemen’s Houthi rebels seized more islands along Red Sea shipping routes in a new blow to Saudi Arabia’s oil exports. ... READ MORE

FROM AROUND THE NATION: Supreme Court rejects Trump mail ballot restrictions ahead of midterms. The Supreme Court on Monday rejected President Donald Trump’s bid to restrict mail ballots for the midterm elections, capping a flurry of last-minute legal action with voting already underway. The decision allows states to continue sending out mail ballots under the same processes they’ve used for years and have accounted for nearly a third of votes cast. ... READ MORE

FROM AROUND THE STATE: 2 hospitalized after boat crash on East Okoboji Lake. Two people have been hospitalized after their boat crashed Saturday night, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources said. Around 7 p.m., a 42-foot-long catamaran-style racing boat was on East Okoboji lake between Stoney Point and the Narrows Point. Iowa DNR said it hit a dock, launched over a boat hoist, came ashore and then crossed 255th Avenue before it stoped. ... READ MORE

 
 
Weather forecast
Tuesday, Sept. 15
 
Rain
High: 71
Low: 51
Rain chance: 80%
Wednesday, Sept. 16
 

Thunderstorms
High: 72
Low: 65
Rain chance: 80%

Thursday, Sept. 17
 

Scattered rain
High: 79
Low: 67
Rain chance: 60%

 
Allergy alert
 
Today: 3.1 low-medium range
 
Top allergens:
Nettle
Chenopods
Ragweed
 
 
 
The 2026 results: CITYVIEW's Best of Des Moines®
 
 
Best Local Place to Take Visitors
1. Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden 
2. Pappajohn Sculpture Park
3. Iowa State Capitol
 
See all of the results
 
 

Tuesday  touts
The Bistro at Iowa Culinary Institute in Ankeny reopens for its fall season tomorrow. This place is a rather unknown Wonder Bargain. One has a choice of a rotating weekly buffet or a three-course lunch with a drink for $18. You need a reservation.
 
Oktoberfest at Prairie Trail comes early, on Sept. 25-26, this year.
 
Winefest's Grand Tasting is Friday at Historic City Hall. $110. Get tickets

Today's deals
• Crouse Cafe (115 E. Salem Ave., Indianola) features tuna and noodles specials today.
 
• High Life Lounge (200 S.W. Second St., Des Moines) has a Tuesday special tenderloin, tots and tang pie for $12.99.
 
• Fresh Thyme (2800 University Ave., West Des Moines) has $6 quarts of prepared soup on Mondays. rotisserie chickens on Tuesdays. 
 
• The Empire's (223 Fourth St., Des Moines) Tuesday special is chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes for $10.
 
• Flamingo Lounge (3089 North Ave., Norwalk) has half-priced flatbreads on Tuesdays.
 
• Tuesday is $5 chats day at Desi Bites (3820 100th St., Urbandale).
 
• Spaghetti and meatballs is today's special at Sale Barn Cafe (Lamoni). 
 
• Talk Shop Lounge (3357 St. Charles Road, St. Charles) has a deal Mondays on fried beef tacos, $3.
 
• The False Nine Social Club (206 Fifth St., Valley Junction) offers half-priced appetizers on Tuesdays.
 
• Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar (150 S. Jordan Creek Parkway, West Des Moines) celebrates Tomahawk Tuesday with a choice of 35-ounce prime tomahawk or 34-ounce prime porterhouse, two salads, two sides and two desserts. $162.
 
• Waveland Cafe (4708 University Ave., Des Moines) offers meat loaf specials today.
 
• B&B Grocery, Meat and Deli (2001 S.E. Sixth St., Des Moines) has a Tuesday special Killer's grinder with fries and soda $11.95.
 
• Striking Sparrow (1930 S.E. Sixth St.) has a $12 double smash with fries and soda every Tuesday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
 
• All pizzas are half priced at Maggie's Rumble Room (1432 Second Ave., Des Moines) 5-9 p.m. on Tuesdays.
 
• It's steak night at Grand Junction (1970 Grand Ave., West Des Moines). Steak, salad and potato $13.99. 
 
• Guesthouse Tavern and Oyster (9500 University, West Des Moines) offers fried chicken dinner special on Tuesdays, $17-23, plus half-priced whiskey pours.

 
• Mullet’s Norwalk offers a free kids meal per adult meal on Tuesdays 4 p.m. to close.
 
• Mickey's Irish Pub (50 S.E. Laurel St., Waukee) has a special $10 half-pound burger with a side all day Tuesday. 
 
• Kelly's Little Nipper (1701 E. Grand Ave., Des Moines) offers a "Tendy's Tuesday" pork tenderloin basket with a drink for $11.50.
 
• The Station on Ingersoll (3124 Ingersoll Ave., Des Moines) has a Tuesday special pork tenderloin with a side for $10.
 
• Eastside Eddie's (3517 E. 26th St., Des Moines) has a Tuesday special cheeseburger with fries, tots or salad and a drink for $10.
 
• Beaver Tap (4050 Urbandale Ave., Des Moines) offers $7 breakfasts and $8 burgers Tuesdays.
 
• Pelican Post (265 50th St., West Des Moines) offers a special smashburger with cheese, fries and a draft beer for $12 on Tuesdays.
 
• Johnny's Italian Steakhouses have a beef stroganoff special on Tuesdays, $14 including beverage.
 
• Smoking Goat Pub (3015 Merle Hay Road, Des Moines) hosts 222 BBQ today from 5-9 p.m.
 
• Baklava is half priced Tuesdays at Istanbul Cafe and Bakery (3281 100th, Urbandale). 
 
• Red Robin stores are featuring a $10 cheeseburger with an "endless side" on Tuesdays.
 
• Jethro's Tuesday special is 2 pounds of bone-in smoked wings for the price of one. 
 
• Kids meals are half price till 2 p.m. today at Machine Shed (11151 Hickman Road, Urbandale).  
 
• Taco Tuesday brings serious discounts to La Familia (1610 Sixth Ave., Des Moines), all Taco John's, all Abelardo's, all Fernando’s, Malo (900 Mulberry St., Des Moines), Beaver Tap (4050 Urbandale Ave., Des Moines), Club 2000 (422 Indianola Road, Des Moines), The Continental (407 E. Fifth St., Des Moines), Gilroy's (1238 Eighth St., West Des Moines), Jack's Place Grill & Bar, (6112 S.W. Ninth St., Des Moines) and both Faustino's. 
 
• Most Hy-Vees offer $6 two entrees Chinese deli meals on Tuesdays. 
 
• Today is beef and noodles day at Maxie's Supper Club (1311 Grand Ave., West Des Moines).

— Jim Duncan, jd91446@aol.com

 
 
Featured in the current issue of CITYVIEW  magazine.
 

POLITICAL MERCURY
No spoiler here, says Libertarian U.S. Senate candidate in Iowa who has won local elections

By Douglas Burns

Greene County Attorney Thomas Laehn, the only Libertarian Party candidate ever elected in a partisan contest in Iowa, intends to use the Constitution to break the Democrat-Republican stranglehold on the nation’s government in his race for the U.S. Senate, he said in a wide-ranging, hour-long interview in Jefferson. ...

 
Read more
 
Featured home for sale
 
Post listings here for only $50. Contact jolene@iowalivingmagazines.com for details.
 
$475,000
1110 S. R St.
Indianola, IA 50125
  
Tucked into a picturesque neighborhood overlooking Deer Run Golf Club is this 3+ bedroom, 3.5 bathroom home with expansive bonus space and storage. Pull up to the 3-car, tandem-style garage with impressive storage and wrap-around property access. ...
  
See the listing here.
 
See more homes for sale
 
SOLD: Featured commercial real estate transaction
 
3501 WESTOWN PARKWAY, WEST DES MOINES
DATE: 2026-04-09
SALE PRICE: $2,300,000
SELLER: HURD VALLEY WEST LLC
BUYER: KWIK TRIP INC
ACRES: 1.896
SQUARE FEET: 11,184
 
More transactions
 
 
Sports headlines
FROM ESPN: Kenneth Walker III, Patrick Mahomes lead Chiefs' win vs. Broncos. During player introductions Monday night, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes entered the field jumping and screaming as fans inside Arrowhead cheered his return from a nine-month injury rehab. Meanwhile, running back Kenneth Walker III, making his Kansas City debut, just jogged onto the field without any celebration. ... READ MORE
 
FROM SPORTS ILLUSTRATED: Bears Might Be Better Than Last Year. After the Rams’ disastrous start to the season, the football public and media might be in need of a new team to hype up. Allow me to present the Bills and Ravens as candidates. They have ideal qualifications with star quarterbacks used to being under the limelight. Both teams were somewhat forgotten this offseason with all eyes on the Rams’ star-studded roster, but Buffalo and Baltimore underwent major changes with new coaches and have the look of legitimate Super Bowl contenders after Week 1. ... READ MORE
 
FROM YAHOO SPORTS: UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall announces he is vacating title: 'I'm absolutely gutted.' Tom Aspinall, the reigning UFC heavyweight champion, announced early Monday that he is vacating his title as he continues to deal with eye issues stemming from a double eye-poke suffered at the hands of Ciryl Gane last October. ... READ MORE
 
 

1963: Four Black schoolgirls killed in Birmingham church bombing. On September 15, 1963, a bomb explodes during Sunday morning services in the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, killing four young girls: Addie Mae Collins (14), Cynthia Wesley (14), Carole Robertson (14) and Carol Denise McNair (11). … READ MORE

1971: Greenpeace is born. On September 15, 1971, a group of activists sets sail from Vancouver aboard a repurposed fishing boat that they have named the Greenpeace. Their mission is to stop the United States from testing a nuclear bomb beneath the Alaskan island of Amchitka. Though they will eventually lose the fight, the environmentalist organization Greenpeace will emerge from this action.. … READ MORE

1990: A Bible school instructor abducts a teenage girl. Thirteen-year-old Melissa Benoit disappears in her hometown of Kingston, Massachusetts, on her way home from a friend’s house. Although the town detective talked to everyone who lived on the path between the two houses, no one admitted to having seen Benoit. Soon afterward, the FBI joined the search. Yet, despite their use of tracking dogs, there was still no sign of the young girl. … READ MORE

www.history.com

 
Birthdays and notables
 
Happy Birthday Boston Grimes!
 
These celebrities were born on this date:Amy Davidson, Carmen Maura, Dan Marino, Dave Annable, Heidi Montag, Kate Mansi, Oliver Stone, Prince Harry, Tommy Lee Jones, Zach Filkins
 
Historical birthdays
1254: Marco Polo was a Venetian merchant, explorer, and writer who travelled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295.
 
1852: Edward Alexander Bouchet was an American physicist and educator. He was the first African American to earn a Ph.D. in any subject from an American university, completing his dissertation in physics at Yale University in 1876.
 
1890: Agatha Christie - Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Mallowan, Lady Mallowan, usually known by her first married name, Agatha Christie, was an English author known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short-story collections, particularly those revolving around fictional detectives Hercule Poirot, Tommy and Tuppence, and Miss Marple.
 
Morning chuckle

The answer to the last riddle: What do you call a herd of sheep falling down a hill? A LAMB-SLIDE! - Paula Burkhalter Becker, Ceci Jackson, Rex Post, Gail Tomlinson. Or tumbled wool! - Rex Post. Or, A woolavanch! - Irving Stone. Or, A fluffyfall. - Bill Snyder. Or, spinning wool! - Carolyn Rogers. Or, A baaa-balance! - Anne Lentz. Or, A baaa-aaad situation! - Sharon Hill Watkins.

 Today's riddle: How do you cook an alligator?

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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8101 Birchwood Ct Suite D
Johnston, Iowa 50131

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