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Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026

Film critic David Rowley reviewed “Coyote vs. ACME” in the October issue of CITYVIEW magazine. He described the Looney Tunes movie as “an affectionate throwback that works as a legal comedy, a slapstick showcase and a surprisingly moving story about friendship, all at once.” As an avid Looney Tunes viewer as a child (and as an adult whenever possible), I was intrigued. I haven’t made it to the theater yet, but I will.

Like many of you, I was glued to the small screen most every Saturday morning, watching the adventures of Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, Daffy Duck and Foghorn Leghorn. But Saturday mornings weren’t enough. Many central Iowa kids joined me in watching the cartoons on “The Floppy Show” each weekday after school and at noon during the summer.

Sure, I liked the Road Runner. But, deep down, I really wanted Wile E. Coyote to catch him. Every cartoon offered a fresh opportunity. Surely, this time, Wile E. Coyote would get his dinner. Nope. Instead, he would paint a tunnel on a rock, run headfirst into a cliff, strap himself to a rocket or order another ingenious contraption from ACME. The Road Runner would escape with a “Beep! Beep!” while Wile E. Coyote plunged into a canyon. And then he would get up and try again.

Looking back, I realize Wile E. Coyote was teaching me a few things about life.

First, persistence is important. Wile E. Coyote never gave up. Unfortunately, he also never seemed to consider that his business model needed an overhaul. There is a difference between determination and repeatedly doing the same thing while expecting a different result.

Second, read the fine print. If a product comes from ACME and promises to solve all your problems, perhaps do a little research before strapping it to your back. This advice applies to everything from miracle gadgets to get-rich-quick schemes.

Third, timing matters. Wile E. Coyote could have the perfect plan, the latest technology and a clear shot at his target. Then the Road Runner would take one step to the left, and everything would go wrong. Sometimes, despite our best efforts, things simply do not work out.

Finally, learn to laugh at yourself. Wile E. Coyote endured humiliation on a weekly basis and still came back for more. Life will knock us down, embarrass us and occasionally make us look ridiculous. A little humor helps us get back on our feet.

Maybe that’s why I rooted for Wile E. Coyote. He was the underdog, the dreamer and the guy who refused to let repeated failure ruin his ambition. He reminded us that life will knock us down, plans will backfire, and sometimes the only thing we can do is brush ourselves off and try again.

I am still hoping that he catches that Road Runner someday. But maybe the real lesson is that we all have a Road Runner in our lives — something we chase, convinced that the next plan, the next purchase or the next big idea will finally get us where we want to go. Sometimes, we need persistence. Other times, we need to admit that the tunnel we painted on the side of the mountain is not an actual tunnel.

So, here’s to Wile E. Coyote. May we all have his determination, his creativity and his ability to get back up after a spectacular failure. May we also have the wisdom to recognize a bad idea before strapping a rocket to our backs.

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: What to expect in Iowa on Election Day. Control of both chambers of Congress hangs in the balance Tuesday as Iowa voters decide competitive House and Senate races. Voters in the Hawkeye State are electing a new governor as well, giving Democrats hopes of ending a 16-year drought for the state's highest office. The retirement announcements of two of Iowa's most prominent Republican elected officeholders, Gov. Kim Reynolds and Sen. Joni Ernst, have rippled across the ballot, creating an opening for Iowa Democrats as politicians jockey for higher office. ... READ MORE

FROM WHO-TV: City of Des Moines announces stadium district project at old DICO site. An on-again, off-again soccer development in Des Moines appears to be back on. Just two months ago, the city warned the project was too expensive. “I think the, under the fiscal, you know, fiscal constraints that we’re facing right now due to the current legislation, we have been trying to come to the terms and what would work for the city of Des Moines, and we’re just still too far apart, ” Mayor Connie Boesen previously told WHO 13. ... READ MORE

FROM WOI: Des Moines City Council picks corporate headquarters proposal over arts center for vacant lot. The Des Moines City Council on Monday night approved the sale of a vacant lot across from the old city hall in East Village. Heart of America, a hospitality and real estate company, purchased the lot from the city for $1 million. The council had to consider two competing proposals for the lot located at 401 Robert D. Ray Drive. ... READ MORE

 
 

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: US strikes Iranian targets in the Strait of Hormuz, official says, leaving unclear what comes next. The United States launched strikes on Iranian targets, a U.S. official said, in what appeared to be a limited operation on the eve of Tuesday’s crucial midterm elections. Iranian state media reported explosions being heard on the islands of Qeshm and Hengam in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, and in the nearby mainland area of Bandar Abbas. Unlike earlier in the war, the strikes were not publicly announced. ... READ MORE

FROM AROUND THE NATION: Parts of a Learjet may have broken off midair before Florida crash that killed 9, investigators say. A business jet that crashed in Florida and killed all nine people aboard, including a family with two young children, likely started breaking apart before it slammed into the ground and erupted in a fireball, a federal investigator said Monday. The jet did a steep nosedive, leaving behind a crater and a wide debris field as rain pounded the area. ... READ MORE

FROM AROUND THE STATE: Collins Aerospace to lay off employees by the end of the month. Collins Aerospace will lay off 31 employees, effective on Nov. 30, according to Iowa WARN. Affected employees were notified on Friday, according to the listing. ... READ MORE

 
 
Weather forecast
Tuesday, Nov. 3
 
Rain
High: 67
Low: 48
Rain chance: 70%
Wednesday, Nov. 4
 

Drizzle
High: 53
Low: 47
Rain chance: 30%

Thursday, Nov. 5
 

Cloudy
High: 57
Low: 42
Rain chance: 0%

 
 
The 2026 results: CITYVIEW's Best of Des Moines®
 
 
Best Local Place for Non-Surgical Cosmetic Treatment 
1. Coachlight Clinic & Spa
2. Koch & Carlisle Plastic Surgery
3. Nova MedSpa
 
 
See all of the results
 
 
Tuesday Touts
 

Mandarins have been breeding out all their former hassles from seeds to seasonal limitations. Outspan Gems, a South African fruit company, has a mandarin variety (Nadorcotts) that won't break a nail when being peeled. They are the easiest to peel we have encountered. We found this bag at Price Chopper.

Historic Tea Conversations at the Wallace House bring people together over tea to explore stories from Iowa’s past and the ideas and issues that continue to shape our communities today. The tea service is lovely, and a different guest speaker each month brings history to life.

Robert Indiana’s iconic “Eat/Die” is now a pin set sold at Whitney’s gift shop.

Today's deals
• Paula's (524 Elm St., Value Junction) Tuesday special is hot beef sandwiches, $15. 
 
• Hy-Vees offer pork tenderloin sandwiches for $4.99 Tuesdays.
 
• It's My Jam (7015 N.E. 14th St., Ankeny) has custard and peach pies today and chicken tortilla soup.
 
• Price Choppers now run weekly specials Tuesday through Tuesday, meaning Tuesday is double ad day. 
 
• 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).
 
• 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 ham and Swiss on onion roll 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 tenderloin special 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), Tropicana (2743 86th St., Urbandale), Rancho Escondido (1106 Army Post Road), all Taco John's, all Abelardo's, Pancho Villa's (Madrid), all Fernando’s, Baja Cocina (1938 S.E. Sixth, Des Moines), 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), Paula's (Elm Street at Sixth, Valley Junction) and both Faustino's. 

• Most Hy-Vees offer $6 two meat, two eggs, two pancakes breakfasts on Tuesdays. 

• Today is beef and noodles day at Maxie's Supper Club (1311 Grand Ave., West Des Moines).

• Hy Vee's have sales through Sunday on Haagen Daaz at $3.99/14 ounces, mandarins at $3.79/3-pound bag and Hy-Vee frozen vegetables for 99 cents.

— Jim Duncan, jd91446@aol.com

 
 
Exclusively in North Polk Living magazine at www.iowalivingmagazines.com.
 

Haaland helps young athletes enjoy the game
Serves as president and coach of soccer club

By Rachel Harrington

Coaches and club board members often get their start in volunteering when their children join programs. Kirk Haaland got his start as a youth soccer coach in this manner.

“My daughter was around 6 years old when she started playing soccer,” Haaland recalled. “I started hanging around practice and helping out with coaching. I played when I was younger, so I was at least familiar with it.

Within a year or two, the North Polk United Soccer Club board president sent out an email that a couple of board positions were open and that the entire club was asking for a little extra help. So, I accepted one of the positions.” ...

 
Read more
 
Featured home for sale
 
Post listings here for only $50. Contact jolene@iowalivingmagazines.com for details.
 
$349,900

4215 N.W. Eighth Court
Ankeny, IA 50023

 

Welcome home to this spacious Ankeny property offering more than 2,000 square feet of finished living space, tucked away at the end of a cul de sac on nearly half an acre. With a large lot backing to a city park, this home offers plenty of room to enjoy both inside and out. ...

See the listing here.

 
See more homes for sale
 
SOLD: Featured commercial real estate transaction
 
301 S.W. ORALABOR ROAD, ANKENY
DATE: 2026-05-20
SALE PRICE: $2,710,000
SELLER: 301 ORALABOR PARTNERS LLC
BUYER: DANDER & TORBITT ADVENTURES LLC
ACRES: 3.407
SQUARE FEET: 27,000
 
More transactions
 
 
Sports headlines
FROM ESPN: Jeffery Simmons, Bears' defense handle Seahawks. From the moment Jeffery Simmons stepped onto the field Monday night, his impact provided the Chicago Bears an immediate return on their investment after trading two first-round picks and a fourth-rounder for the All-Pro defensive tackle last week. The move signaled the Bears are all-in on contending for a Super Bowl, and it paid off quickly as they took down the reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks 34-17. It was their third straight win and fifth in their past six games. ... READ MORE
 
FROM CBS SPORTS: What to expect ahead of first CFP Rankings release in 2026. The only set of talking points that matter this season make their debut Tuesday night. Let the banter commence when the College Football Playoff Selection Committee reveals its first top 25 rankings spectacularly, giving us an early look at teams in the national championship conversation and where they're slotted ahead of a captivating regular season's final weeks. ... READ MORE
 
FROM YAHOO SPORTS: Jake Paul to face Cedric Doumbe in Christmas Eve boxing comeback, year after suffering broken jaw. Jake Paul has his next opponent. The influencer-turned-boxer will face French combat sports star Cedric Doumbe in his previously announced Christmas Eve comeback fight in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Paul's company, Most Valuable Promotions, announced the news Monday morning. The eight-round cruiserweight bout will take place on Dec. 24 at Coca-Cola Arena. ... READ MORE
 
 

1957: Soviet Union launches a dog into space. The Soviet Union launches the first animal to orbit the earth into space—a dog nicknamed Laika—aboard the Sputnik 2 spacecraft.  … READ MORE

1964: D.C. residents cast first presidential votes since 1800. On November 3, 1964, residents of the District of Columbia cast their ballots in a presidential election for the first time since 1800. The passage of the 23rd Amendment in 1961 gave citizens of the nation’s capital the right to vote for a commander in chief and vice president. They went on to help Democrat Lyndon Johnson defeat Republican Barry Goldwater in 1964, the next presidential election. … READ MORE

1992: Dianne Feinstein elected California senator in the “Year of the Woman.” Dianne Feinstein, the former mayor of San Francisco, makes history on November 3, 1992, when she wins election to the U.S. Senate. The first woman to represent the state of California in the upper chamber, she joins a record number of women winning seats in Congress that year, earning 1992 the label "Year of the Woman.” … READ MORE

www.history.com

 
Birthdays and notables
 
These celebrities were born on this date: Kendall Jenner, Dolph Lundgren, Roseanne Barr, Kate Capshaw, Dennis Miller, Ever Anderson, Adam Ant, Phil Simms, Courtney Barnett
 
Historical birthdays
• Lois Mailou Jones (1905-1998)- African American painter and educator whose artwork displayed the Harlem Renaissance, traditional African textiles, and Haitian life.
• Charles Bronson (1921-2003)- Famous actor who went from working in the mines to becoming an archetype in classics like The Magnificent Seven.
• Mike Evans (1949-2006)- Actor and Screenwriter best known as the original Lionel Jefferson on the sitcoms All in the Family and The Jeffersons.
• Bob Feller (1919-210)- American baseball pitcher for the Cleveland Indians, nicknamed “Rapid Robert.”
• George Yardley (1928-2004)- Basketball player and Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee. Hal Jackson (1915-2012)- First Black sports announcer on network radio, who dedicated his life to breaking the color barrier in major American broadcasting.
 
Morning chuckle

The answer to the last riddle: What did my friend say when I told her a sodium joke? Na! -Wendy Den Adel, Gail Tomlinson. Or, That's a bitsalty, isn't it? - Rex Post, Bill Snyder, Carolyn Rogers.

Today's riddle: What’s the best way to get to the hospital after breaking your foot?

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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