FROM KCCI: Iowa review finds 35 noncitizens voted last fall. That is a tiny fraction of the ballots cast.  DES MOINES, Iowa — A review of Iowa's voter rolls found 35 people who are not U.S. citizens were among more than 1.6 million Iowa voters who cast ballots in the 2024 general election, despite them being ineligible to vote. Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate said Thursday that his office also identified 277 noncitizens who were registered to vote, a small percentage of the nearly 2.3 million registered voters. ...READ MORE

FROM WHO-TV: Kanzi the bonobo at Ape Initiative in Des Moines has died. DES MOINES, Iowa — The Ape Cognition & Conservation (Ape) Initiative announced on social media Wednesday that one of their bonobos has died. In a post on Facebook, the initiative said that Kanzi, a 44-year-old bonobo, died Tuesday afternoon. According to the post, Kanzi didn’t show any signs of discomfort or illness, and had even been chasing another bonobo around their tower that morning. ...READ MORE

FROM WOI: Des Moines Police Department provides update on Thursday afternoon shooting. DESMOINES, Iowa — The Des Moines Police Department said a suspect was shot by an officer after a "physical altercation" occurred during his arrest. DMPD said a 911 call was placed around 4:24 p.m. Thursday, but when an officer arrived 10 minutes later, they saw a man assault a woman near SW 9th Street and Rittenhouse Street. The male suspect then fled.  ...READ MORE

Clear Mortgage meteorology

Winds increase today ahead of a system that will bring us showers in the evening. More rain chances ahead Sunday and Tuesday as temperatures stay slightly above average.

For help with pre-approvals or refinancing, get in touch with Originating Branch Manager Carrie Hansen at carrie.mortgage.

Sugar myth debunking, from Food & Wine's Ellie Krieger:  Myth - "Brown sugar is less refined than granulated sugar." Truth - "We’ve been trained to assume that brown things are better for us and the environment, whether we’re talking about rice, paper bags or whole-wheat flour. But brown sugar? Nope. The light or dark brown sugar (not raw, demerara or turbinado) we typically buy for baking is simply granulated white sugar combined with molasses. The molasses may provide a small amount of beneficial nutrients, but certainly not enough to classify it as a health food or as a more nutritious alternative to other sugars."  

Rollins Mansion will host a Sea Food Boil Friday, March 28 at 6 p.m. $45, open bar for an additional $40. 

Weekend deals
• Aldi is selling lamb shanks for $5.99/pound, mandarins for $2.89/3-pound bag, and green grapes for $1.49/pound through Tuesday.
• Park Street Kitchen & Bar (455 Park St., Des Moines) has "Friday with live music" from Keith Davis from 5:30-7:30 p.m.
• Fish Fry Friday night specials can be found at all Jethro's, all Palmer's, Machine Shed (11151 Hickman Road, Urbandale), Red Lobster (3838 Westown Parkway, West Des Moines), Cracker Barrel (11701 University, Clive) and Bevy’s Tavern (1300 50th St., West Des Moines). Pelican Post (265 50th St., West Des Moines) adds fried shrimp to their all-day fish fry buffet.  
• Table 128 (220 S.W. Ninth St., Des Moines) has a chef's tasting menu Saturday, $58 per person, $91 with beverage pairings.
• Brenda Trang now offers her fabulous Friday buffets every Friday at Vietnam Cafe - Merle Hay Mall Food Court, 11  a.m. to 7:30 p.m. - $18.95.  
• Bawarchi (6630 Mills Civic Parkway, West Des Moines) has Friday - Sunday specials on paneer kebabs, chicken curry and goat curry.
• Mickey's in Yale (217 Main St., Yale) has hot beef sandwich lunches and all you can eat fish dinner specials today.
• Chicago Speakeasy (1520 Euclid Ave., Des Moines) offers BBQ beef and marinated roast beef sandwiches on special for Friday lunch.
• 801 Chophouse (801 Grand Ave., Des Moines) offers Sunday supper specials that deliver deep discounts on filet, prime rib and red king salmon dinners.
• Tito’s Lounge (3916 N.W. Urbandale Drive, Urbandale) now has brunch on Fridays. 
• Court Avenue Brewing Company (309 Court Ave., Des Moines) hosts Saturday and Sunday breakfast buffets for $23.99.
• Friday night is paella time at Purveyor (505 E. Grand, officially, but really on E. Fifth Streetm Des Moines), real Valenciana paella.
• Wendy's Fry Days mean free fries Friday with a purchase.
• Maxie's Supper Club's (1311 Grand Ave., West Des Moines) Friday special is chicken and noodles over mashed potatoes - $16.95 all day. They also have prime rib dinners on Friday and Saturday for dinner only, $30-38. 
• Fresh Thyme (2900 University Ave., West Des Moines) has a sale on coho salmon fillets at $5.99/pound, 41/50 sized shrimp at $3.99/pound and all bulk nuts at 25% off. Through Tuesday.
•  Westown Tap (3530 Westown Parkway, West Des Moines) offers $12 flatbreads on Fridays.
• Willie James Shay plays Sonny's Pizza Bistro (6494 N.W. Sixth Ave., Des Moines) Friday from 5:30... Brittany Sword plays Kelly’s Little Nipper Friday at 7 p.m... The Juan and Only plays El Toreado (3751 Mills Parkway, West Des Moines) Friday night at 6 p.m.
• Paula's (524 Elm St., Valley Junction) runs a Friday special meat loaf with mashed potatoes, gravy and drink for $13.50 this week.
• Fareway has a sale on whole beef briskets at $3.99/pound and chicken wings at $3.88/pound through Saturday.
• Price Chopper stores have sales on strawberries, the best I have purchased since last summer, at $1.99/pound, tuna steaks frozen at $7.99/pound and steamable frozen vegetables at 99 cents through Monday. 

Lenten fish frys
Churches in the Des Moines area
• St. Boniface Catholic Church: Fish fry every Friday from March 7 – April 11. 
• All Saints: Fridays from 5–7 p.m. 
• Basilica of St. John: Fridays from 4:45–6:30 p.m. 
• Christ the King: Fridays from 5–7 p.m. 
• St. Ambrose: Fridays from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• St. Anthony: Fridays from 5–7 p.m. 
• St. Joseph: Fridays from 4:30–7 p.m. 
• St. Mary of Nazareth: Fridays from 5–6:30 p.m. 
• St. Theresa: Fridays from 5:30–7 p.m. 

Other fish fry locations:
• SS John and Paul in Altoona
• Our Lady's Immaculate Heart in Ankeny
• SS Peter and Paul in Atlantic
• St. Patrick in Audubon
• St. Elizabeth Seton in Carlisle
• Sacred Heart in Chariton
 • Assumption Church-Granger (K of C) Fish Fry 5:30-7 p.m., 1906 Sycamore St., Granger.

— Jim Duncan, jd91446@aol.com

Carousel Theatre of Indianola presents the delightful “Casserole” in the historic First United Methodist Church Parish Hall. March 20-30.

The DSM Book Festival
returns, flourishing in the wonderful destination-friendly confines of the Franklin Event Center on Saturday, March 22, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. “Beaverdale Books continues its stellar, inspirational leadership as an amazing destination indie book store, but with engaging outreach events bringing national talent to Des Moines with such events as the DSM Book Festival. This is a literary business to follow and support.”
– The Culture Buzz
 
NYC BASSIST MEETS GERMAN TRUMPETER AT CASPE TERRACE
 Sunday, March 23, at 2 p.m. Having performed together in Remedy, a group whose recent CD was among the top ten jazz releases for 2024 in Cadence Magazine, New York City bassist Joe Fonda and German trumpeter Thomas Heberer present music that strikes the balance between familiar ground and new territory at Caspe Terrace in Waukee on Sunday, March 23, at 2 p.m. Tickets for Jazz at Caspe Terrace concerts are $30 each and can be ordered by calling 515-279-6452 or emailing abegold1951@gmail.com.  You can also purchase tickets at jazzatcaspe.weebly.com. Seating is limited to 130 so reservations are encouraged.
 
Runaway Twain Improv
Join Runaway Twain improv group – Michael LaDell Harris, Chris Huling, & Friends – for an evening of laughter! Runaway Twain and Friends is a longform improv show performed monthly in The Playhouse’s Theatre-in-the-Ground. Runaway Twain was spawned from the successful Des Moines improv group Kitten Bomb Comedy, which has performed all around town since 2016. Tickets are $7 in advance and $10 at the door.
Performance Times: 7:30 p.m. Sunday

The Lauridsen Great Pianists Series returns with Van Cliburn Gold Medalist Nobuyuki Tsujii (NOBU).
Sunday, March 23, 3 p.m. at Sheslow Auditorium (Drake University campus). Celebrated for his virtuosity, NOBU has earned an international reputation for the passion and excitement he brings to his live performances. He comes to Des Moines from Japan after a series of sold-out performances worldwide, and, blind since birth, he will present a concert to remember.  

1871: Journalist begins search for Dr. Livingstone. Journalist Henry Morton Stanley begins his famous search through Africa for the missing British explorer Dr. David Livingstone. In the late 19th century, Europeans and Americans were fascinated by the continent of Africa. Few did more to increase Africa’s fame than Livingstone, one of the United Kingdom's most famous explorers. ...READ MORE

1963: Alcatraz closes its doors. Alcatraz Prison in San Francisco's Bay closes down and transfers its last prisoners. At its peak period of use in 1950s, “The Rock," or "America’s Devil Island," housed over 200 inmates at the maximum-security facility. Alcatraz remains an icon of American prisons for its harsh conditions and record for being inescapable. ... READ MORE

1952: The Moondog Coronation Ball is history’s first rock concert. On March 21, 1952, Cleveland hosts an event now recognized as history’s first major rock-and-roll show: the Moondog Coronation Ball. Breathless promotion on the local radio station. Tickets selling out in a single day. Thousands of teenagers, hours before show time, lining up outside the biggest venue in town. The scene outside the Cleveland Arena on a chilly Friday night in March would look quite familiar to anyone who has ever attended a major rock concert. But no one on this particular night had ever even heard of a “rock concert” before. ... READ MORE

www.history.com