July 24 Daily Umbrella: History Disaster; PACs Spend Millions; Nearing 100

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Monday, July 24, 2023

Good Monday Morning to You!

By now you have likely heard that Iowa has a new state logo and slogan. “Freedom to Flourish” is the catchy new phrase, replacing “Fields of Opportunities,” which has been on the 68 welcome signs located on Interstate Highways 80 and 35 since 1999.

Gov. Kim Reynolds likes the new marketing, and I do, too. Sure, there will be detractors, much like those who spout their salty opinions whenever a new license plate design is announced and then fork out more of their own money to buy the all-black ones.

Gov. Reynolds says the new logo will appear on state websites starting tomorrow, but it will take some time to roll out everywhere. For what it’s worth, I like the new slogan and logo, but I have to wonder how much this all cost. How does $305,000 hit you?

That may sound steep, but consider this. The slogan and logo consist of four words, so the cost per word whittles down to $76,250. Maybe that’s not fair. OK, there are 21 letters, so the cost per letter is a measly $14,523.

The state worked with consulting group FleishmanHillard out of St. Louis, because who knows how to better market Iowa than Missourians? Anyway, the folks at FleishmanHillard clearly like the slogan and logo. At that price, who wouldn’t?

But before you get too wound up about how your taxpayer dollars are being spent, know that the $305,000 came from federal American Rescue Plan Act funds, or what is better known as the COVID-19 Stimulus Package. You know, the $1.9 trillion economic stimulus bill passed by Congress and signed into law by President Biden to speed up the country's recovery from the pandemic and recession.

Oh, wait. Those are tax dollars, too. Different bucket, though.

Don’t spit out your coffee yet; there are more dollars to be spent. The cost to replace the 68 interstate road signs is estimated at $375,000 more, but we are told those dollars would come from existing budgets. Since I have my calculator handy, I did the math and came up with a cost of $5,515 per sign.

I am guessing the readers of The Daily Umbrella could have come up with some good slogans for a lot less money. Prove me right. Send me your suggestions, and I will share them in the Friday mailbag.

Have a marketable 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

CITYVIEW's Best Of Des Moines

CITYVIEW announced its 2023 Best Of Des Moines readers' choices Jan. 31. You can find all the results from the poll in the February issue of CITYVIEW magazine!

Best Drake Area Bar

1. University Library Café

2. Lucky Horse Beer & Burgers

3. Peggy’s Tavern

SEE EVENT PHOTOS HERE...

Your Clear Mortgage forecast

Heat continues to build this week, with highs in the upper 90s to near 100 Wednesday through Friday. There are tiny rain chances today and Friday, but things otherwise look dry at this point.

For help with preapprovals or refinancing, get in touch with Carrie at carrie.mortgage.

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The great Kickapoo artist Pahponee (Snow Woman), who worked and lived in a teepee in Iowa when she came to fame, told us that she only started making brass art because California had become a major market. "They all want brass instead of clay ceramics because of earthquakes. Now when I show up in California for a show they say 'I see you brought your California collection.'"

Crayola now has 24 shades of blue crayons. They also have kept all manufacturing in the U.S. even though they could have done it for less than half the cost in China.

Mingalabar (8134 Douglas Ave.), a marvelous Burmese restaurant in Urbandale, now has Mon.-Fri. lunch specials of beef/pork/chicken stew with stir fried veggies and choice of noodles, fried rice or steamed rice for $10.99.

— Jim Duncan

FROM KCCI: 2024 candidates, PACs have spent $8M to run TV ads in Central Iowa this year

A KCCI analysis of Federal Communications Commission public files found that candidates and outside groups have spent nearly $8M on ad buys in Central Iowa since the start of the year ... READ MORE FROM KCCI

FROM WHO-TV: Suspect in violent domestic incident dead following police chase in SE Iowa

DES MOINES, Iowa — A suspect who was being sought in connection to a violent domestic incident has died following a police pursuit in southeast Iowa Sunday afternoon. Des Moines Police were searching for Joshua Paul Thompson, 31, in connection to a violent domestic incident that happened Sunday morning. According to police, Thompson fled Des Moines in his vehicle and forced the victim to go with him. ... READ MORE FROM WHO-TV

FROM WOI-DT Local 5: Josef Newgarden continues IndyCar oval dominance with win at Iowa Speedway

It was Newgarden’s third win of the season, all on ovals. Newgarden also won at Texas Motor Speedway and the Indianapolis 500. ...READ MORE FROM WOI-DT Local 5

1969: Apollo 11 safely returns to Earth

2005: Lance Armstrong wins seventh Tour de France.On July 24, 2005, American cyclist Lance Armstrong wins a record-setting seventh consecutive Tour de France and retires from the sport. After Armstrong survived testicular cancer, his rise to cycling greatness inspired cancer patients and fans around the world and significantly boosted his sport’s popularity in the United States. However, in 2012, in a dramatic fall from grace, the onetime global cycling icon was stripped of his seven Tour titles after being charged with the systematic use of performance-enhancing drugs.

1915: Hundreds drown in Eastland disaster.On July 24, 1915, the steamer Eastland overturns in the Chicago River, drowning between 800 and 850 of its passengers who were heading to a picnic. The disaster was caused by serious problems with the boat’s design, which were known but never remedied.