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Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026
Good morning to you! 

Shorts or pants? The question sounds so simple. It isn’t, at least not in September.

Now, let me be clear. I am not one of those guys who wears shorts to work. But on the nights and weekends in the warm Iowa months? You bet.

On many Saturdays this time of year, I walk outside at 7 a.m. and think, “Absolutely pants.” By lunchtime, I am wondering why I made such a terrible decision. Then, by dinner, I am standing in the driveway wondering whether I should put on a sweatshirt.

My friend Lyle once told me he tries to avoid wearing pants between Memorial Day and Labor Day. The occasional wedding or funeral throw a wrench into his plans, but, for the most part, he makes it happen. I admire that commitment.

I know other guys who wear shorts 365 days a year, regardless of the temperature, wind chill or snowfall. You know these guys. It can be 12 degrees, the sidewalks covered in ice, and they are walking into the grocery store in shorts, a T-shirt and flip-flops like they are headed to the beach. They will tell you they aren’t cold.

They’re lying. But, they are committed. Of course, they usually don’t spend much time outside. They may wear shorts while walking from their heated garage to their heated vehicle to the heated building, but, technically, they are keeping the streak alive.

Then there are the guys who always wear pants. Always. It could be 95 degrees in July, the humidity could be 90%, and these guys will be walking around in jeans like they are completely comfortable. Ask them if they are hot, and they will give you the same answer every time: “Nope.” Really? Your forehead is sweating. Your shirt is sticking to your back. You look like you just finished mowing two acres with a push mower. But your jeans are apparently no problem.

Then there are those of us who have no idea what we are doing. We check the weather app. We look at the temperature. We check the hourly forecast. We look outside. We step onto the deck for three seconds. Then we go back inside and change.

Maybe shorts. No, pants. Wait. Shorts. This process can happen several times before 8 a.m.

The problem is that Iowa weather doesn’t believe in consistency. A 55-degree fall morning can turn into a 78-degree afternoon. The next day can be 48 degrees with a 25 mph wind. Mother Nature is clearly finicky.

The worst part is being wrong. Wear pants on a warm day, and you spend the afternoon sweating like you are sitting in the front row of a church service with the furnace stuck on. Wear shorts on a cool day, and you pretend you are not cold because you have already made your decision and refuse to admit defeat.

Eventually, you have to accept that there is no correct answer. Look outside, make your best guess and live with the consequences. But choose wisely. Your legs are counting on you.

Have a watchful Wednesday, 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: Polk County approves $1 million for Grays Woods recovery center expansion. Polk County is investing $1 million in opioid settlement funds to help people recover from addiction in Des Moines. The announcement came during Recovery Month, which highlights the importance of prevention, treatment and recovery from substance-use disorders. The Polk County Board of Supervisors approved the grant Tuesday for Community & Family Resources’ planned Grays Woods Recovery Center expansion. ... READ MORE

FROM WHO-TV: Police chase ends in arrest of man with active felony warrant in California. The Des Moines Police Department arrested a man with a felony warrant out of California after a lengthy pursuit Tuesday afternoon. Just before 4 p.m., DMPD said they tried to stop a 2023 Chevrolet Silverado after watching it cross the median near Des Moines’ south city limits along Highway 65. Officers say they stopped the driver and learned that Matthew Pecoraro had an active felony warrant for an assault offense out of San Joaquin County, California. Pecoraro fled the scene, beginning a pursuit. ... READ MORE

FROM WOI: Record diesel prices become campaign issue as Iowa harvest nears. As Iowa farmers prepare for harvest, record-high diesel prices are adding another layer of uncertainty to an already challenging season, emerging as a key issue on the campaign trail. Madison County farmer Ryan Marquardt said fuel costs have become nearly as important as crop prices as combines get ready to enter the fields. ... READ MORE

 
 
 

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: China’s Xi kicks off state visit to Washington on Wednesday with a rare planeside welcome from Trump. When Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in Washington on Wednesday, he’s expected to get a rare greeting from President Donald Trump, who will be on the tarmac to welcome his counterpart’s plane instead of waiting for him to drive up to the White House. Trump’s decision to greet Xi at Joint Base Andrews just outside Washington rather than receiving him at the executive residence shows how far the U.S. president is going to honor China’s leader as he makes his first state visit in more than a decade. ... READ MORE

FROM AROUND THE NATION: Trump signs US-Denmark-Greenland agreement to bolster Arctic security after prolonged tensions. President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an agreement with Denmark and Greenland aimed at strengthening Arctic and North Atlantic security, paving the way for more U.S. bases in Greenland and easing tensions over his repeated calls for the vast island to become part of the United States. ... READ MORE

FROM AROUND THE STATE: Waterloo council delays city manager decision for 30 days. The Waterloo City Council voted to table a proposal to create a city manager position, delaying the decision for 30 days. The council split on their vote and assigned a subcommittee to research the benefits of bringing in a city manager. Mayor Dave Boesen has supported this position since running for mayor last year. ... READ MORE

 
 
Weather forecast
Wednesday, Sept. 23
 
Partly cloudy
High: 67
Low: 57
Rain chance: 0%
Thursday, Sept. 24
 

Scattered showers
High: 65
Low: 57
Rain chance: 30%

Friday, Sept. 25
 

Scattered showers
High: 67
Low: 59
Rain chance: 40%

 
 
Allergy alert
 
Today: 6.3 medium range
 
Top allergens:
Nettle
Chenopods
Ragweed
 
 
The 2026 results: CITYVIEW's Best of Des Moines®
 
 
Best Local Outdoor Sporting Event
1. Iowa Cubs
2. Iowa State Football
3. Principal Charity Classic
 
See all of the results
 
 

Woebegone Wednesday
We are remembering two places that the metro lost this summer. Here are dishes we ordered many times.

First, we have Papa Kern's chicken fried steak.

Then we recall Table 128's rack of lamb.

Deals today
• Dam Pub (2710 Beaver Ave.) has half-price wings on Wednesdays, usually with a special sauce available.
 
• Guesthouse Tavern and Oyster (9500 University, West Des Moines) offers walleye dinner specials for $21 Wednesdays. 
 
• Fareways have a Wednesday-only half-priced sale on King Hawaiian sandwich trays, $9.99/16 count.
 
• High Life Lounge (200 Second St., Des Moines) has a Wednesday special chicken fried steak for $11.99. 
 
• Fresh Thyme (2800 University Ave., West Des Moines) has $6 half slabs of ribs on Wednesdays. 
 
• Sale Barn's (Lamoni) special today is fried chicken with roast potato.
 
• The Empire's (223 Fourth St., Des Moines) Wednesday special is meatball sandwiches for $9.
 
• Wednesday is biryani day with two for $20 at Desi Bites (3828 100th St., Urbandale.
 
• Mariana's (1305 University Ave., Des Moines) offers asada tacos for $2 Wednesdays.
 
• Talk Shop Lounge (3357 St. Charles Road, St. Charles) has a rib dinner deal Mondays, half slabs for $12, full racks $16. 
 
• The False Nine Social Club (206 Fifth St., Valley Junction) has hamburgers for $7 on Wednesdays.
 
• B&B Grocery, Meat and Deli (2001 S.E. Sixth St., Des Moines) has Philly cheesesteak on special today. 



• Waveland Cafe (4708 University Ave., Des Moines) offers a wiener Wednesday special today. 
 
• Wednesdays are Chicago Italian beef sandwich day at Graziano Brothers (1601 S. Union St., Des Moines).
 
•  AJ's (Prairie Meadows) has a new early bird menu on Wednesday and Thursday from 4-6 p.m. Half-pound burgers with frites $15, pasta and chicken dinners, $20-22, seafood and steak dinners $27-30. Prime rib dinners for $30 all night. 
 
• Paula's (Elm Street at Sixth, Valley Junction) has a Wednesday Cuban sandwich special.
 
• Crouse Cafe (115 E. Salem, Indianola) has stuffed pork chops on special today.
 
• Guesthouse Tavern and Oyster (9500 University, West Des Moines) offers Walleye Wednesday with dinners of walleye $21.
 
• Jack’s Place (6112 S.W. Ninth, Des Moines) has 10 wings for $10 Wednesdays.
 
• Wednesday at Short E's BBQ (8805 Chambray Blvd., Johnston) the special is ribs - $15 full racks, $10 half racks and $5 off rib dinners.
 
• Whatcha Smokin? (Highway 17, Luther) has a brisket burnt ends special on Wednesdays.
 
• Kelly's Little Nipper (1701 E. Grand Ave., Des Moines) offers any burger with a side for $10 on Wednesdays. 
 
• Toad's (302 State Ave., Des Moines) special today is wings with two sides for $12.
 
• Exile (1514 Walnut St., Des Moines) offers a $12 burger basket with fries and a beer on Wednesdays. 
 
• Beaver Tap (4050 Urbandale Ave., Des Moines) offers $8 French toast or pancake breakfasts and $2 tacos, $9 wraps and $10 half pounds of wings on Wednesdays. 
 
• Johnny's Italian Steakhouses have a chicken Madeira special on Wednesdays before 4 p.m., $15 including beverage.
 
• Club 2000 (422 Indianola Road, Des Moines) offers 10 wings for $10 on Wednesdays and steak night, too.
 
• Smoking Goat Pub (3015 Merle Hay Road, Des Moines) has a $10 classic burger and beer all day. 
 
• Gilroy's (1238 Eighth St., West Des Moines) has all you can eat fried chicken dinners on Wednesdays, $23.99 after 5 p.m. 
 
• Angry Goldfish (2301 S.W. Ninth St., Des Moines) offers hot beef sandwiches with mashed potatoes and gravy for $11.50 on Wednesday. It's also hot beef sandwich day at Chicago Speakeasy (1520 Euclid Ave.) where the gravy is made with pan drippings.
 
• Wine bottles are half price on Wednesdays at Trostel's Greenbriar (5910 Merle Hay Road, Johnston) and The Continental (407 E. Fifth St., Des Moines). 
 
• G Mig's (128 Fifth St., Valley Junction) offers a Wednesday special chicken Parmesan, plus salad and garlic bread for $19.25.
 
• Barntown's (9500 S.E. University Ave., West Des Moines) Wednesday specials are a pound of chicken tenders with fries and two sauces for $11.99, plus $13 core pitchers of beer.
 
• Wednesday is Biryani Festival at Chowrastha (5910 Ashworth Road, West Des Moines). Buy two and a third is free.
 
• Village Inns offer free pie with entrees on Wednesdays. 
 
• It's lasagna day at Maxie's Supper Club (1311 Grand Ave., West Des Moines) and breaded pork tenderloin day at Eastside Eddie's (3517 E. 26th St., Des Moines).
 
• Chuck's (3610 Sixth Ave., Des Moines) offers $5 off pizza on Wednesdays.
 
• Kwik Stars' Wednesday special is eight pieces of fried chicken for $10. Their fried chicken is ridiculously good for a convenience store.  
 
• On Wednesdays, flatbreads are $10 at Tito's Lounge (3916 N.W. Urbandale Drive, Urbandale). 
 
• Jethro's have $9.95 breaded pork tenderloin sandwiches, including a side of choice, on Wednesdays.  
 
• The Station on Ingersoll (3124 Ingersoll Ave., Des Moines) has a Wednesday special of chopped cheeseburger with a side for $12.

— Jim Duncan, jd91446@aol.com

 
 
Exclusively at www.dmcityview.com
 

BELLY UP TO...
False 9 brings old-school pub vibes to Valley Junction

By Jackie Wilson

False 9 Social Club
206 Fifth St., West Des Moines
Monday – Friday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Saturday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Sunday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

When you are craving a casual neighborhood pub with happy hour, drink specials and entrees less than $18, head to The Junction.

Valley Junction in West Des Moines is home to the False 9 Social Club, which opened in March 2026. It occupies the former space of Mitzi’s. Before that, it was a general store and deli.

False 9’s name is an ode to soccer lingo. The nine refers to striker, or the person who scores the most goals. Oftentimes, the game is played with a false nine pulling defenders out of position to disrupt the defense, creating space for teammates to attack. ...

 
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
Drake Neighborhood
  
Inside, timeless early-century charm shines through with original woodwork, hardwood floors, and abundant natural light, while energy-efficient windows reduce expenses and add modern comfort. In 2006, the home was moved onto a brand-new poured foundation, creating a solid basement rarely found in a home of this vintage. ...
 
See the listing here.
 
See more homes for sale
 
SOLD: Featured commercial real estate transaction
 
2510 S.E. TONES DRIVE, ANKENY
DATE: 2026-04-16
SALE PRICE: $2,300,000
SELLER: LODGING PARTNERS LLC
BUYER: HARMONY IOWA HOTELS LLC
ACRES: 1.486
SQUARE FEET: 35,548
 
More transactions
 
 
Sports headlines
FROM ESPN: Giants QB Jaxson Dart out for extended period. Jaxson Dart could miss the rest of the season after tests showed that the New York Giants quarterback's knee injury is more severe than initially anticipated, sources told NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo. Dart suffered the injury during the opening possession of Monday's 28-6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Coach John Harbaugh said after the game that the Giants likely avoided a "devastating outcome" with Dart's knee. ... READ MORE
 
FROM SPORTS ILLUSTRATED: How Angel Reese’s controversial defensive play led to a rare technical foul in Dream-Liberty. Liberty star Breanna Stewart hadn’t picked up a technical foul in nearly a decade. That changed at the end of New York’s 95-84 loss to the Dream on Monday night, when Angel Reese made a clutch defensive play on Stewart in the final two minutes of the game. With the Liberty down eight points, Stewart drove into the paint and tried to get a shot off but got stopped by Reese, who swatted the ball away and picked up the steal. ... READ MORE
 
FROM YAHOO SPORTS: Colorado's Deion Sanders cuts players for 'conduct detrimental to the team.' Colorado's Tuesday news conference began with a public apology from a sixth-year defender who went viral for disparaging Northwestern's temporary stadium before the Buffaloes suffered a 41-7 loss to the Wildcats. Later at the podium, head coach Deion Sanders revealed in the wake of that humbling defeat that he's removed players for "conduct detrimental to the team." ... READ MORE
 
 

1846: Planet Neptune is discovered. German astronomer Johann Gottfried Galle discovers the planet Neptune at the Berlin Observatory. … READ MORE

1875: Billy the Kid arrested for first time. On Sept. 23, 1875, Billy the Kid is arrested for the first time after stealing a basket of laundry. He later broke out of jail and roamed the American West, eventually earning a reputation as an outlaw and murderer and a rap sheet that allegedly included 21 murders. … READ MORE

1949: President Truman announces Soviets have exploded a nuclear device. In a surprisingly low-key and carefully worded statement, President Harry S. Truman informs the American people that the Soviets have exploded a nuclear bomb. The Soviet accomplishment, years ahead of what was thought possible by most U.S. officials, caused a panic in the American government. … READ MORE

www.history.com

 
Birthdays and notables
 
These celebrities were born on this date: Jobe Bellingham, Bruce Springsteen, Anthony Mackie, Molly Carlson, George White, Anneliese Van der Pol, Sheff G, Skylar Astin, Jason Alexander, Julio Iglesias
 
Historical birthdays
Kublai Khan (1215): The founder of the Yuan dynasty in China and the fifth Khagan of the Mongol Empire.
 
Johann Gottfried Galle (1812): The German astronomer who was the first person to knowingly view the planet Neptune.
 
Mary Church Terrell (1863): One of the first African-American women to earn a college degree, who became a national leader for civil rights and suffrage.
 
Morning chuckle

The answer to the last riddle: What kind of bagel can travel? One that can "split"! (1960s lingo) - Carolyn Rogers. Or, A PLANE BAGEL! - Gail Tomlinson.

 Today's riddle: What did the janitor say when he jumped out of the closet?

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

 

To advertise in the Guthrie Center Times, Panora Times, Lake Panorama Times and the Guthrie County Times Vedette, contact:

KERRY JACOBSEN
Account Executive
Office:  641-332-2707
Mobile: 515-619-2788
kerry@iowalivingmagazines.com

 

 

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