Welcome to an extra edition of the mailbag where you will find some of the comments, questions and ideas sent recently by readers of this newsletter or our publications. They are edited for space and clarity.
“I would argue that any iteration of Darlene Love’s “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” deserves to be on the favorite holiday song list and is by far my personal favorite. (CITYVIEW, Favorite Holiday Songs, December 2024)”- Staci
It is a wonderful song, and rumor has it that Cher sang background vocals. - Shane
“I wear a hat or cap every day (Hats off, Dec. 3, 2024). Right now it is an Iowa Santa hat. Normally I wear just a regular Iowa cap. My dress cap is the one that was most recently washed. I have several work caps hanging in the garage. Whenever I go outside to work, I grab one of those. I can’t explain why I wear a cap all the time; it’s just something I do. An Iowa stocking cap is an important one as it gets colder. Gotta protect those ears, ya know!” - Chuck
What exactly is an Iowa Santa hat? - Shane
“I dunno, dude (Hats off, Dec. 3, 2024). I see lots of millennials wearing stocking caps under their hoodies — even at work stations or seating in restaurants. A couple of them I know say it makes them feel warm and protected from the world.” - Brad
Well, who doesn’t want to feel warm and protected from the world? - Shane
“Good morning, Shane. There's a scene in ‘The Sopranos’ where Tony and Artie are having dinner in a fine restaurant. They note that another diner is wearing a baseball cap (Hats off, Dec. 3, 2024). Tony walks over and tells him, ‘Maybe you didn't notice, but they took out the bleachers and stopped selling hot dogs.’ The young diner replies to the effect it's his hat and he'll wear it as he wishes. A few moments of Tony's large frame glaring down at him convinces him to sheepishly remove the hat. Unfortunately, I'm not large-framed nor a mob boss, so I live with it. Enjoying the read.” - John
Don’t stop believing, John. - Shane
“I only have one stocking cap that I got free from the Harlan Municipal Utility back in the early 1980s (Hats off, Dec. 3, 2024). The glued-on logo patch came off long ago, but the basic hat is the finest knit stocking cap I have ever owned, and it is still going strong more than 40 years later. I wear it every winter to keep my head warm. But, when possible, I just go without a hat.” - Chuck
I suspected you were a practical guy, Chuck. - Shane
Thank you for reading.
Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305
www.thedailyumbrella.com
See Shane Goodman's past columns here. |
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FROM KCCI:Juvenile charged after arson investigation at old Marshalltown hospital. MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa — A 16-year-old boy was arrested Wednesday after allegedly setting fire to the old hospital on Wednesday afternoon. ...READ MORE
FROM WHO-TV: Jim Leach, former Iowa congressman, dies at age 82. IOWA — Former Iowa congressman Jim Leach, who represented Iowa in Congress for 30 years, has died at the age of 82, reports say. ...READ MORE
FROM WOI: Over 1,300 in Des Moines metro impacted by electrical outage Wednesday night following wire down. The outage comes is believed to have been caused by a downed power line at 92nd Street and University Avenue in West Des Moines. ...READ MORE |
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Clear Mortgage meteorology
More light snow is possible today, with accumulations of an inch or less. Another round of precipitation comes Friday afternoon into Saturday, starting as freezing rain and transitioning to rain Friday night.
For help with pre-approvals or refinancing, get in touch with Originating Branch Manager Carrie Hansen at carrie.mortgage. |
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| Read the latest CITYVIEW | | | FOOD DUDE
Harbinger of invention
By Jim Duncan
December is the month of reckoning. We sum things up and calculate where we stand as a year ends and another looms. 2024 should go down as a transitional year. For the first time since COVID-19 shutdowns, new places were opening more often than old places were closing. More new restaurants opened this year in Ankeny than in all of central Iowa four years ago. ... | | | READ MORE |
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The Restaurant Biz
Restaurants or groceries — a mystery. It used to be that, when dollars were stretched, Americans bought more groceries and spent less in restaurants. Not today. According to the latest U.S. Census Bureau data, Americans spent the highest ever percentage of their eating dollars in restaurants compared to groceries last month. Restaurants’ market share was 56.4% in October, with groceries and supermarkets making up the rest.
One explanation is that fewer Americans than ever, particularly under 30, know how to cook anything at all. Another is that restaurants have worked harder to keep prices from rising. Grocers can't do that as effectively for many reasons.
Deals today
• Red Lobster (3838 Westown Parkway, West Des Moines) offers a Thursday special of Maine lobster tail with shrimp scampi and a side for $20.They also launched a new permanent happy hour deal with $5 drinks and $2 off of some appetizers from 3-6 p.m. for dine-in on weekdays.
• Chicago Speakeasy (1520 Euclid Ave., Des Moines) has fried chicken on special every Thursday with the ice-cooled salad bar.
• Kids eat free at Scornovacca’s (1930 S.E. 14th St., Des Moines) on Thursdays
• Mariscos El Pirata (6050 S.E. 14th St., Des Moines) offers $2 off all sushi on Thursdays
• Chuck's (3610 Sixth Ave., Des Moines) has karaoke with Sherryyoke tonight from 6 p.m.
• ShortE's BBQ (8505 Chambery Blvd., Johnston) has $1 smoked wings Thursdays.
• It's prime rib night at Flying Mango (4345 Hickman Road) and burnt end pork belly night at Whatcha Smokin BBQ (Luther).
• Maxie's (1311 Grand Ave., West Des Moines) Thursday special is a Graziano sausage sandwich with choice of side for 15.95.
• Bevy’s Tavern (1300 50th St., West Des Moines) has a special of beef stew and cornbread Thursdays for $13.
• Aldi has a sale on USDA Choice bone-in ribeye roasts for $7.99/pound and tenderloins for $10.99/pound through Tuesday.
• Fareway has a deal this week on beef and chicken broth $1.48/32 ounces and pineapples at $2.99.
— Jim Duncan, jd91446@aol.com |
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The 2024 results ...
CITYVIEW's Best Of Des Moines® | | | Best Local Photographer
1. Ryan Whitten
2 Tracy Marie Photography
3. Ivory House Photography
The 2025 Best Of Des Moines Poll is now closed. Results will be published in the February 2025 issue of CITYVIEW. |
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| Featured home for sale | | | |
$629,900 3724 147th St Urbandale, IA 50323
Stately Accurate 5 bedroom in desirable Hallbrook development! Do you like entertaining? This home has the perfect main level, oversized composite deck, down to a fenced private backyard with patio space galore, surrounded my mature pine trees. Bad weather, drop downstairs to the bright and inviting family room with tons of daylight windows. ...
See the listing here.
| | | See More Homes For Sale |
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Opening Friday
Iowa Stage Theatre Company brings the classic with a refreshing new take as they present “A Christmas Carol” Dec. 13-22. This company will enthrall with this Larry Carpenter adaptation of the beloved Dickens classic.
INTandem Arts & Authors Gallery & Bookstore
Leigh Michaels, noted and award-winning author, book and art event: Thursday, Dec. 12, 4 - 6:30 p.m. Meet Leigh Michaels, author of more than 100 books, with more than 35 million copies in print in 120 countries. Leigh publishes books on local history and Iowa interest as well. Enjoy Leigh’s presentation about her recently released “A Marriage Is Announced” at this Thursday Sip & Shop event. Ground floor at The Plaza, 300 Walnut St., Des Moines.
The Peppermint Trail
Presented by Veridian Credit Union, this holiday event is hosted by The Avenues of Ingersoll and Grand, Saturday, Dec. 14, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at The Avenues and the Roosevelt Cultural District. More than 50 local shops, restaurants and businesses will be featuring peppermint or holiday-themed specials and decor at each stop along the Peppermint Trail, encouraging our community #ShopLocal and #DineLocal this holiday season. In addition to holiday specials, other festive activities are planned.
Polk County Heritage Gallery
GDM Exhibited 2024! The show runs through Jan. 30. Forty-seven artists were selected for this year’s prestigious annual show, sharing the best in the Greater Des Moines region.
xBk Live: THEM COULEE BOYS with Simon Cropp, Thursday, Dec. 12, 7 p.m., xBk Live, 1159 24th St., Des Moines.
This Friday, Dec. 13, “Christmas Carol Scrooge Live Radio Recording” at Plymouth Church at 6:30 p.m. Free. Donations welcome. Featured actors Preshia Paulding, Timothy Flynn and Mark Gruber re-create all the voices live with sound effects. Extremely entertaining and delightful to watch. Runs about 70 minutes.
— John Busbee, The Culture Buzz |
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| SOLD: Featured commercial real estate transaction | | | 807 14TH AVE. N.W., ALTOONA
SALE DATE: 2024-08-27
SALE PRICE: $5,198,470
SELLER: ADVENTURELAND VILLAGE COOP HOUSING ASSOC
BUYER: ADVENTURELAND VILLAGE PARTNERS LLC
ACRES: 3.740
SQUARE FEET: 61,770 |
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Featured in the current
issue of Clive Living magazine | | | Kinship care leads to adoption
Local family grows by one thanks to local foster program.
By Darren Tromblay
Nov. 22 will be a day that little Willow Flood will likely mark for the the rest of her life.
For a year now, Willow has been the foster daughter of Kurt and Charlene Flood, with a last name different from theirs. But no more. On that day in November, she officially became one of them — Willow Flood.
It’s been a wonderful change for both parties, each of whom has grown and benefited beyond the scope of words.
For the Floods, it was especially meaningful. This was their first foray into parenting, bringing with it a strange mix of love and uncertainty. ... | | | READ MORE |
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FROM ESPN: Bill Belichick reaches 5-year deal to coach North Carolina. ... READ MORE
FROM SPORTS ILLUSTRATED: Jalen Hurts Responds to Reports of Friction Between Him, A.J. Brown ... READ MORE
FROM Yahoo Sports: Red Sox acquiring LHP Garrett Crochet from the Chicago White Sox ... READ MORE |
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| Weekly fuel report | | | The price of regular unleaded gasoline held steady, averaging $2.70 across Iowa according to AAA. Prices are down 10 cents from a year ago.The national average on Wednesday was $3.02, down 1 cent from last week’s price.
Retail diesel prices in Iowa fell 3 cents this week with a statewide average of $3.25. One year ago, diesel prices averaged $3.89 in Iowa. The current Iowa diesel price is 26 cents lower than the national average of $3.51.
Wholesale ethanol held steady and is currently priced at $2.16.
Natural gas prices rose 39 cents at the Henry Hub reporting site and are currently priced at $3.38/MMbtu.
Propane prices averaged $1.55 per gallon in Iowa.
Home heating oil prices had a statewide average of $2.88 per gallon. |
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1980: Da Vinci notebook sells for over $5M. On December 12, 1980, American oil tycoon Armand Hammer pays $5,126,000 at auction for a notebook containing writings by the legendary artist Leonardo da Vinci. The manuscript, written around 1508, was one of some 30 similar books da Vinci produced during his lifetime on a variety of subjects. It contained 72 loose pages featuring some 300 notes and detailed drawings, all relating to the common theme of water and how it moved. ...READ MORE
1937: USS Panay sunk by Japanese. During the battle for Nanking in the Sino-Japanese War, the U.S. gunboat Panay is attacked and sunk by Japanese warplanes in Chinese waters. The American vessel, neutral in the Chinese-Japanese conflict, was escorting U.S. evacuees and three Standard Oil barges away from Nanking, the war-torn Chinese capital on the Yangtze River. After the Panay was sunk, the Japanese fighters machine-gunned lifeboats and survivors huddling on the shore of the Yangtze. Two U.S. sailors and a civilian passenger were killed and 11 personnel seriously wounded, setting off a major crisis in U.S.-Japanese relations. ... READ MORE
1977: “Saturday Night Fever” premieres in New York. The film Saturday Night Fever premieres in New York City on December 12, 1977. Shining a bright light on the world of disco dance, it would become a pop-culture juggernaut. ... READ MORE
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| Birthdays and notables | | | Happy Birthday Kris Miler, Ken Andresen and Vicki Porter!
These celebrities were born on this date: Bill Nighy, Cathy Rigby, Dionne Warwick, Eric Schenkman, Jennifer Connelly, Lucas Hedges, Madchen Amick, Mayim Bialik, Regina Hall, Sheila E., Sky Katz, Tracy Austin
SUBMIT: Send your birthday greetings and congratulatory notes to: tammy@iowalivingmagazines.com |
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The answer to the last riddle: How do you change tires on a duck? WITH A QUACKER JACK!
Today's riddle: What do you do if you want to buy chess pieces? Write a check, mate! - William Snyder. Or, Go to a pawn shop! - Kris Laurson, Carolyn Rogers.
Have a guess? Email tammy@iowalivingmagazines.com |
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To advertise in the Daily Umbrella or CITYVIEW magazine, contact:
Aaron Burns
Advertising Sales Manager
Office: 515-953-4822 ext. 330
Mobile: 712-310-3860
aaron@dmcityview.com
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www.biggreenumbrellamedia.com.
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