April 8 Daily Umbrella: Florida wins; missing teen; 13,476 miles per year

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Tuesday, April 8, 2025

Good morning to you!

Like most of you, I recently compiled information for my taxes. And, like most of you, I dreaded doing it.

As part of the process, I gathered documentation on the business miles I drove in the past year, as well as the personal miles. I seem to average about 14,400 miles total per year. That’s a bit more than the average American, who drives 13,476 per year, according to lookupaplate.com. I use a vehicle quite extensively for work purposes, as I drive between our two offices frequently. But, apparently, others are driving nearly as much for a variety of reasons.

Although I put the pedal to the metal between our offices, my commute from home is quite short — less than 10 minutes. Meanwhile, the average driver is behind the wheel for up to 55 minutes per day. That’s almost an hour. On the road. Every day. Add it up, and that’s two weeks of annual drive time. Yikes.

Most of you would guess that men drive more than women. And, most of you would be correct. How much more? According to the same data set, men drive an average of 6,000 more miles per year than women. Don't tell my wife, as I actually prefer to have her drive.

Do you ever wonder how many combined miles Americans drive each year? Inquiring minds want to know, and I found the answer — 3.26 trillion miles per year. Trillions sound like a lot, but 3.26 is only about 10% of our national debt, which also sounds like a lot. Meanwhile, the number of miles Americans drive is expected to increase by 22% by 2049. Let’s hope our national debt doesn’t do the same.

Apparently, where you live has a lot to do with how many miles you drive, and the answer may not be what you are thinking. The state with drivers who rack up the most miles? It’s Wyoming, averaging 24,069 miles per driver each year. The question is, are Wyoming residents coming or going? My friend Alan always says, “Take your time going but hurry back.” That must be Wyoming’s state motto.

The state with the lowest average miles driven? Well, it’s not really a state, but Washington, D.C., is the answer, averaging 7,013 miles per driver each year. They have nowhere to go, apparently.

Is age a factor? Absolutely. Those ages 35-54 drive more than any other age group, averaging 15,291 each year. Throw the male vs. female aspect in with age, and it gets even more interesting. Men ages 35-54 drive the most, while females ages 65 or older drive the least.

And 65-year-old women from Wyoming who are concerned about the national debt? You don’t want to know.

Have a terrific Tuesday, and thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305
www.thedailyumbrella.com

See more of Shane Goodman's columns here.

FROM KCCI: Des Moines police arrest man for breaking into church with his car. Des Moines police have arrested a man accused of breaking into an east side church using his car. The incident occurred early Sunday morning at Experience Church on East Euclid Avenue. Authorities have identified the suspect as 58-year-old Jeffrey Grother, who now faces charges of second-degree criminal mischief. ... READ MORE

FROM WHO-TV: Ankeny police requests help locating missing teen. The Ankeny Police Department is requesting the public’s assistance in locating a missing teenager. According to police, 14-year-old Anahi Lozano-Villalobos was last seen leaving Southview Middle School during school hours on Monday. Police said that after Lozano-Villalobos left the school she got into an unknown individual’s car, a dark colored four door sedan with a spoiler. ... READ MORE

FROM WOI: No injuries reported following house fire in Marshalltown Monday morning. Fire crews in Marshalltown battled a house fire for three hours Monday morning, the Marshalltown Fire Department said in a press release. Firefighters responded to reports of a structure fire on South 5th Avenue just before 4:30 a.m. Monday. When they arrived, crews found a ranch-style home with fire showing through the roof and windows. ... READ MORE

Clear Mortgage meteorology

We start warming up again today. Scattered light shower chances Wednesday and Thursday as temperatures warm, and they continue to warm into the weekend.

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

The 2025 results: CITYVIEW's Best of Des Moines®

Best Local Food Truck

1. Charlotte’s Kitchen

2. 2nd Avenue Sandwich

3. Peggy-O’s Food Truck

See all of the results

Tuesday touts

~ Noah's hosts "Cicchetti Night" this Wednesday from 5-8 p.m. for the Italian American Cultural Center. $60 includes all the cicchetti you can eat.

~ Chicago Speakeasy (1520 Euclid Ave., Des Moines) is the OG Des Moines "supper club" with a 50-item, ice-chilled salad bar and much more.

Deals today
• Paula's (524 Elm St., Valley Junction) runs a Tuesday special hot beef sandwich with mashed potatoes, gravy and drink for $13.50 till Memorial Day.

• Irina's Steak and Seafood (650 S. Prairie View Drive, West Des Moines) offers live lobsters at half price on Tuesdays.

• Opa! (2800 University Ave., West Des Moines) has a buffet featuring fried shrimp, manicotti, chicken piccata, chicken meatballs, garlic knots, pasta alfredo, lamb and chicken, pizza, and all-you-can-eat dessert for $22.99 tonight till 8 p.m.

• Kids meals are half price till 2 p.m. today at Machine Shed (11151 Hickman Road, Urbandale).

• Taco Tuesday brings serious discounts to Mariscos El Pirata (6050 S.E. 14th St., Des Moines), La Familia (1610 Sixth Ave., Des Moines), all Taco John's, The Dam Pub (2710 Beaver Ave., Des Moines), all Abelardo's, all Fernando’s, Malo (900 Mulberry St., Des Moines), Beaver Tap (4050 Urbandale Ave., Des Moines), Club 2000 (422 Indianola Road, Des Moines), Los Laureles (1518 E. Grand Ave., Des Moines) and Faustino’s (4944 Franklin Ave., Des Moines).

• Jethro's runs a BOGO special Tuesdays on smoked bone-in wings.

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

• Django (1420 Locust St., Des Moines) has happy hour all night Tuesdays. That means super deals on oysters, shrimp, duck frites, poutine, charcuterie, cheese boards, beers, wine and classic martinis.

• GoodSons (2821 Beaver Ave. Des Moines) offers $8 sandwich specials 11 a.m to 2 p.m. today through Friday.

• Sully's (806 First St., West Des Moines) has a burger basket special for $12 today.

• The Station on Ingersoll (3124 Ingersoll Ave., Des Moines) has a tenderloin Tuesday special with BPT and fries for $10.

• Destination Grille (2491 E. First St., Grimes) hosts a Tuesday Burger and Beer special - half-pound burger, chips and dip, with a tap beer of choice $15.

— Jim Duncan, jd91446@aol.com

Featured in the current issue of CITYVIEW

BUSINESS FEATURE
The business of chocolate

By Lindsey Giardino

Chocolate isn’t just a treat. It’s a business built on creativity, strategy and its fair share of planning. At three metro chocolate shops, owners are doing all that and more to satisfy sweet tooths everywhere.

The art of trying something new
Chocolate Storybook on Grand Avenue in West Des Moines is a family business. Meg and Steve Shearer bought the quaint chocolate store in 2002, partly because they had fallen in love with the chocolate. They knew that, if they enjoyed it so much, other people would, too. ...

Featured home for sale

Post listings here for $50. Contact jolene@iowalivingmagazines.com for details.

$1,599,000

960 N.E. Fox Valley Court
Waukee, IA 50263

This stunning custom-built home offers approximately 5,000 square feet of thoughtfully designed luxury. As you step inside, you'll be welcomed by soaring 18-foot vaulted ceilings, a dramatic two-story dual-sided fireplace, and floor-to-ceiling windows that bathe the space in natural light. ...

See the listing here.

See More Homes For Sale

SOLD: Featured commercial real estate transaction

826 18TH ST., DES MOINES
SALE DATE: 2024-12-11
SALE PRICE: $20,000
SELLER: BEAVERDALE HOUSING LLC
BUYER: OSKE LLC
ACRES: 0.172
SQUARE FEET: 6,330

More transactions

Featured in the current
issue of Grimes / Dallas Center Living magazine

Helping how she can
Claseman assists own family, as well as GVSS.

By Lindsey Giardino

When Mary Claseman and her husband moved to Grimes in the fall of 2005, it was to be close to his aging parents. In a bit of fate, they were given the opportunity to move right next door.

“This close proximity turned out to be a blessing as it allowed us to help them and take some of the load off my sister-in-law and her family, who also live nearby and were already helping with some of their needs,” Claseman says. ...

FROM ESPN.COM: How Walter Clayton Jr. willed Florida to a title. When Walter Clayton Jr. decided to withdraw from the NBA draft last year, he posted his announcement with a simple message on Instagram: "1 more." In 2023-24, his first season with the Florida Gators, the team finished 24-12. The Gators had a few big wins -- notably over then-No. 10 Kentucky in January and in the SEC tournament, where they reached the championship game -- but their season ended with a first-round upset loss to 10-seed Colorado in the NCAA tournament. ... READ MORE

FROM SPORTS ILLUSTRATED: How Cam Ward emerged as the likely No. 1 draft pick. Take the Tennessee Titans’ decision to cancel their Wednesday workout with Shedeur Sanders for what it is. Plainly, my sense is it’s a powerful sign of the conviction they’ve built in Cam Ward’s worthiness as the first pick in 17 days. It also backs up what I’ve heard—that it would take a historic offer to move them to trade the pick and pass on the Miami quarterback. ... READ MORE

FROM YAHOO SPORTS: MLB commissioner Rob Manfred weighs in on torpedo bats. Rejoice, New York Yankees fans, because torpedo bats are here to stay. Of course, that was never really in doubt. Shortly after the Yankees exploded for what felt like a million home runs in their opening series against the Milwaukee Brewers, MLB quickly confirmed that the bats were compliant with the rule book. ... READ MORE

1974: Hank Aaron breaks Babe Ruth’s all-time home run record. On April 8, 1974, Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves hits his 715th career home run, breaking Babe Ruth’s legendary record of 714 homers. A crowd of 53,775 people, the largest in the history of Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, was with Aaron that night to cheer when he hit a 4th inning pitch off the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Al Downing. However, as Aaron was an African American who had received death threats and racist hate mail during his pursuit of one of baseball’s most distinguished records, the achievement was bittersweet. ... READ MORE

1994: Grunge icon Kurt Cobain is found dead three days after his suicide. On April 8, 1994, rock star Kurt Cobain is found dead in his home in Seattle, Washington, with fresh injection marks in both arms and a fatal wound to the head from the 20-gauge shotgun found between his knees. ... READ MORE

1990: Eighteen-year-old Ryan White, national symbol of the AIDS crisis, dies. On April 8, 1990, 18-year-old Ryan White dies of pneumonia, due to having contracted AIDS from a blood transfusion. He had been given six months to live in December of 1984 but defied expectations and lived for five more years, during which time his story helped educate the public and dispel widespread misconceptions about HIV/AIDS. ... READ MORE

www.history.com

Birthdays and notables

Happy birthday, Randy Clarkson and Gary Ross!

These celebrities were born on this date: Dean Norris, Donita Sparks, Emma Caulfield, Ezra Koenig, John Schneider, Julian Lennon, Skai Jackson, Matty Healy, Eliana Girard, Keira Walsh, Robin Wright

SUBMIT: Send your birthday greetings and congratulatory notes to: tammy@iowalivingmagazines.com

The answer to the last riddle: How does Winnie the Pooh‘s friend paddle his boat? Eeyores (He oars) it! - Rex Post, Gail Tomlinson, Carolyn Rogers, Diane Mergens

Today's riddle: What did the alien ask its shipmate that just returned from vacation?

Have a guess? Email tammy@iowalivingmagazines.com

To advertise in the Daily Umbrella or West Des Moines/Jordan Creek, Waukee or Norwalk Living magazines, contact:

Martha Munro
Account Executive
Office: 515-953-4822 ext. 314
Mobile: 515-321-5246
martha@iowalivingmagazines.com

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