FROM KCCI: Iowa governor candidates outline midterm priorities. On this week's "Close Up," the race for Iowa governor is tightening. Republican Zach Lahn and Democrat Rob Sand present their plans on key issues ahead of the midterm election. Both candidates focus on water quality, health care, and government accountability as they appeal to Iowa voters. ... READ MORE

FROM WHO-TV: Merlyn Linn, creator of Linn’s Haunted House, dies at age 88. Merlyn Linn, the founder of Linn’s Haunted House in Des Moines, died earlier this week at age 88. In a news release on the Linn’s Haunted House Facebook page, it was announced that Linn had died on Sept. 17. Linn grew up on a farm near Dayton before moving to Des Moines at age 10. After high school, he served in the United States Navy and, shortly after, married his high school sweetheart, Shari Robinson. At 26, Merlyn and Shari bought their store and turned it into Linn’s Supermarket. ... READ MORE

FROM WOI: Iowa drivers see gas prices spike after Joliet refinery outage. Drivers across Iowa are seeing higher gas prices after a power outage at ExxonMobil’s Joliet refinery in Illinois forced the facility to shut down. The outage added pressure to the Midwest fuel supply, contributing to a sharp overnight spike in prices. For Des Moines resident Tim Hurst, the higher prices are making an already necessary expense even harder to manage. ... READ MORE

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: Russian drones slam a southern Ukraine city after Kyiv’s 1,000-drone weekend barrage. Russian drones blasted Ukraine’s southern city of Zaporizhzhia, a day after Kyiv’s forces fired more than 1,000 drones at Russia, officials said Monday. The war’s relentless daily attacks underscore the absence of any significant progress in diplomatic efforts to stop the fighting, more than four years after Russia invaded its neighbor. ... READ MORE

FROM AROUND THE NATION: ICE agent shoots and wounds man in Austin, Texas, officials say. A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and wounded a man Sunday afternoon in Austin, Texas, local authorities said, and anti-ICE protesters quickly gathered at the scene. The man was in serious but stable condition at a hospital after being shot once in the torso on the capital city’s north side, Austin officials said at a news conference. ... READ MORE

FROM AROUND THE STATE: Flooding closes Marion parks, hits fall farm attraction. Floodwater filled Thomas Park in Marion Sunday after storms brought heavy rain to the area. At Thomas Park on 1st Avenue, water covered the trail, basketball courts and green space. Prairie Hill and Boyson Parks are also closed after nearby creeks overflowed. Marion saw about four and a half inches of rain fall Saturday and Sunday. The rain sent Indian Creek overflowing into Thomas Park. “It looks like a ginormous swimming pool,” Remi Spear said. ... READ MORE

Back to the Biz
A judge ruled that Des Moines developer Jake Christensen owes more than $6 million on overdue loans and ordered three of his downtown buildings to be sold at a sheriff's auction. This explains the work stoppage on the new boutique hotel in the space of the old Howard Johnson's, plus the empty buildings next door where Dollar General and Office Max used to be. Christiansen also owns the adjacent properties where Starbuck's, Nadia's, Panchero's and Firehouse are, where Panka used to be and where San Miguel never opened. 

Starbuck's, now headed by miracle worker Brian Nichol, who previously turned Chipotle around, launched a limited edition promotion featuring Snoopy glass cold cups ($39.95) with Snoopy in an orange beanie and green scarf with a Woodstock straw topper (limited to two per customer); a stainless steel cup ($32.95) showcasing Lucy and Snoopy sharing a coffee moment, plus ceramic mugs ($29.95), mini totes ($29.95), a barista Snoopy plush ($34.95), and pin sets ($14.95). Some cups are already selling on the internet at exponentially higher prices.

Deals today
• 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. 

— Jim Duncan, jd91446@aol.com

1939: FDR urges repeal of Neutrality Act embargo provisions. On Sept. 21, 1939, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt appears before Congress and asks that the Neutrality Acts, a series of laws passed earlier in the decade, be amended. Roosevelt hoped to lift an embargo against sending military aid to countries in Europe facing the onslaught of Nazi aggression during World War II. … READ MORE

1955: The Daughters of Bilitis become the first lesbian rights group in the U.S. On Sept. 21, 1955 — during an era when most homosexual people are deeply closeted—four lesbian couples meet at a private San Francisco house and launch America’s first lesbian-rights group. The eight women, including host Rosalie “Rose” Bamberger and her partner, Rosemary Sliepen, founded the Daughters of Bilitis initially as a social alternative to the frequently raided bar scene. The group would grow into a national advocacy organization. … READ MORE

2008: Last baseball game played at historic Yankee Stadium. On Sept. 21, 2008, the last game at historic Yankee Stadium — "The House That Babe Ruth Built" — is played. In the finale, the New York Yankees beat the Baltimore Orioles, 7-3, as future Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera closes the game with a perfect ninth inning. “The way I feel emotionally right now and just physically so drained, it feels like a huge postseason win for us,” Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte told the New York Times. … READ MORE

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