FROM KCCI: Major construction on I-35/80 and Hickman Road to cause detours.  CLIVE, Iowa — Construction at I-35/80 and Hickman Road is shifting into high gear this spring, leading to major detours for drivers on the west side of the metro. From the air, it's easy to see how vast the DOT interstate project is along I-35/80. The $94 million plan aims to widen the highway lanes and bridges north and south of Hickman Road. ...READ MORE

FROM WHO-TV:  Work requirements for Medicaid, public assistance programs passes through Iowa Senate. DES MOINES, Iowa — The Iowa Senate Republican majority pushed through a bill that would add minimum work requirements for Iowans who are receiving healthcare benefits and help from public assistance programs. ...READ MORE

FROM WOI: Iowa Senate passes bill banning DEI offices in cities and counties. DES MOINES, Iowa — On Tuesday, the Iowa Senate passed a bill prohibiting a county or city from adopting a policy to establish or maintain a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) office, or hiring someone to specialize in that work.  ...READ MORE

Clear Mortgage meteorology

Warming starts again today. A rain chance Thursday, then a summery Friday. Could be a soaker of a weekend.

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

Woebegone Wednesday
• Des Moines gets little respect from some touring artists. Last summer, Lil Wayne stood his Wells Fargo Arena audience up for more than three hours as he sat on the airport tarmac in his private plane, later revealed to have been funded by COVID Relief money. (Des Moines Register failed to note any of that in a fangirl review.)

Madeleine Peyroux and Bettye Lavette shared the Hoyt Sherman stage Sunday with nearly opposite approaches to their audience. Lavette endeared herself with a rare humility. Her every song was reverently attributed to each of its writers and arrangers. She said almost nothing about herself, though her nearly 60 years on the road is biography worthy. 

Peyroux, the headliner, took another approach, reminding the audience three times that she lived in New York City and didn’t think much good about people who didn’t. She referred to Iowa only as “wherever this is” and chided the audience for not calling out the name of the writer of a long paragraph she read about disillusion and protest. (It was James Baldwin, as if everyone in New York would know that.)
Peyroux acted surprised that the audience did not look sick. “Really you look like you’re alright” she said with sarcastic disbelief. She implored the audience to cheer with her for the arsonists who set Teslas on fire, and she showed disdain for their lack of response. She called the arsons the only news “that made me feel better.” She only promoted songs from her new album and spoke only about herself. She ignored a standing ovation. Her biggest cheer came for bringing Lavette back on stage for a duet.

• Frontier Airlines began offering free checked bags a week after rival Southwest announced they would be charging for checked bags for the first time.

Deals today

• Noah's will host Italian-American Cultural Center of Iowa's first "Cicchetti Night" event, April 9, 5-8 p.m. Cicchetti are Venice's version of charcuterie boards, with more emphasis on seafood. $60. Tickets here.

• Wednesdays bring steak night to Club 2000 (422 Indianola Road, Des Moines). Steaks are cooked to order with salad, potato and bread, $14.99.

• Angry Goldfish (2301 S.W. Ninth St., Des Moines) offers hot beef sandwiches with mashed potatoes and gravy for $11.50 on Wednesday. 

• Curbin' Cuisine (1325 S.W. Oralabor Road, Ankeny) offers traditional gyros for $7 Wednesdays. 

• Wine bottles are half price on Wednesdays at Trostel's Greenbriar (5910 Merle Hay Road, Johnston). 

• 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.

• Kids eat free with every paying adult on Wednesdays at Chuck’s (3610 Sixth Ave., Des Moines).

• It's cavatelli night at Eastside Eddie's (3517 E. 26th St., Des Moines), served with garlic bread for $10.

• Bordanaro's (6108 S.W. Ninth St., Des Moines) has a Wednesday-Thursday only special on carryout pizza. They start at $6.50 for a 10-inch cheese pie. Each ingredient added is an extra charge, but this pretty much adds up to half-price pies.

• It's lasagna night at Maxie's Supper Club (1311 Grand Ave., West Des Moines).

• Panka Peruvian (2708 Ingersoll Ave., Des Moines) has live jazz Wednesday. 

• Gilroy's (1238 Eighth St., West Des Moines) has fried chicken specials tonight.  

• Flying Mango (4345 Hickman Road, Des Moines) has moved its prime rib night to Wednesdays.

• Cheese Shop (833 42nd St., Des Moines) hosts a Piedmont wine tasting tonight, 4-6 p.m. $20 buys a tasting glass to sample myriad Piedmont wines. 

• Kwik Stars' Wednesday special is eight pieces of fried chicken for $10. Their fried chicken is ridiculously good for a convenience store.  

• On Wednesdays, you can get any burger, wrap or sandwich with fries for $9.99 at Tito's Lounge (3916 N.W. Urbandale Dr, Urbandale).

• Dan Medeiros plays Stuffed Olive at 6 tonight and Wayne Page / Nick Rueckert Duo is at Louie’s Wine Dive at the same time.  

• Fresh Thyme (2900 University Ave., West Des Moines) begins a week long BOGO deal on 450 items today. 

• Waterfront's Wednesday special this week is Nantucket Bay scallops. 

— Jim Duncan, jd91446@aol.com

1953: Dr. Jonas Salk announces polio vaccine. On March 26, 1953, American medical researcher Dr. Jonas Salk announces on a national radio show that he has successfully tested a vaccine against poliomyelitis, the virus that causes the crippling disease of polio. In 1952—an epidemic year for polio—there were 58,000 new cases reported in the United States, and more than 3,000 died from the disease. ...READ MORE

1997: Heaven’s Gate cult members found dead. Following an anonymous tip, police enter a mansion in Rancho Santa Fe, an exclusive suburb of San Diego, California, and discover 39 victims of a mass suicide. The deceased—21 women and 18 men of varying ages—were all found lying peaceably in matching dark clothes and Nike sneakers and had no noticeable signs of blood or trauma. It was later revealed that the men and women were members of the “Heaven’s Gate” religious cult, whose leaders preached that suicide would allow them to leave their bodily “containers” and enter an alien spacecraft hidden behind the Hale-Bopp comet. ... READ MORE

1804: President Jefferson presented with a “mammoth loaf” of bread. On March 26, 1804, President Thomas Jefferson attends a public party at the Senate and leads a diverse crowd in consuming an enormous loaf of bread dubbed the mammoth loaf. The giant bread was baked to go with the remnants of an enormous block of cheese. ... READ MORE

 www.history.com