FROM KCCI: KCCI obtains search warrants that were quashed by district judge in Madison County dispute. KCCI has obtained search warrants executed at the home of Madison County Supervisor Heather Stancil, shedding light on an ongoing investigation into potential election misconduct. These warrants, which have since been quashed by a district judge, also provide insight into a lawsuit filed by Stancil against the sheriff, county attorney, and the informant who raised concerns about the alleged misconduct. ... READ MORE

FROM WHO-TV: Des Moines skyline to add new 33-story tower by spring 2027. Construction for Des Moines’ first tower in over 30 years is making progress, and it will be a unique addition to the Des Moines skyline. The 515 Walnut Tower is being built on the intersection of 5th Avenue and Walnut Street in downtown Des Moines, replacing the space for the old Kaleidoscope Mall. ... READ MORE

FROM WOI: Iowa DOGE Task Force presents preliminary ideas to save taxpayer dollars. Gov. Kim Reynolds’ Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Task Force is getting close to developing its final report on how to save taxpayer dollars. On Wednesday, the task force held a meeting to go over 45 preliminary recommendations. ... READ MORE

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: Trump to meet Putin soon, the Kremlin says as a White House deadline looms on Ukraine. A meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump has been agreed, a Kremlin official said Thursday, the eve of a White House deadline for Moscow to show progress toward ending the 3-year-old war in Ukraine. ... READ MORE

FROM AROUND THE NATION: Army sergeant shot 5 soldiers before he was tackled and arrested at Fort Stewart, officials say. A sergeant shot five soldiers Wednesday at one the country’s largest Army bases before he was quickly tackled by other Fort Stewart troops, forcing a brief lockdown, officials said. ... READ MORE

FROM AROUND THE STATE: Iowa woman sentenced for distributing fentanyl from Seattle. A Coralville woman was sentenced to six years in federal prison for possessing thousands of fentanyl pills. Ashley Crystal Wachs, 36, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. She admitted to transporting fentanyl from Seattle to Coralville and distributing it locally. ... READ MORE

Clear Mortgage meteorology

Heat builds further today, with scattered thunderstorms possible during the daytime hours. Friday looks steamy, with heat indices approaching 100. Rain chances then return intermittently Saturday morning through Tuesday. Heavy rain will be possible during this time.

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

Trends, like them or not
The confection known as Dubai chocolate, a Tik Tok sensation, typically involves a shell of rich chocolate filled with pistachio cream and a shredded dough known as kataifi. It has triggered supply-chain squeezes, shaken up German courts and caused a run on U.K. grocery stores, forcing them to impose purchasing limits. It has also spurred some of the biggest food companies in America to consider whether the Dubai chocolate flavor might endure as a future classic, like a pumpkin spice or salted caramel. (WSJ)

David Protein has begun selling frozen fillets of raw cod alongside its fudge brownie and blueberry pie bars. The company has won a large following of customers, but at times has heard criticism from some critics of processed food. It is now selling four pieces of wild-caught Pacific cod sourced from a sustainable fishing company at $55 online, where it also charges $39 for a box of 12 protein bars. New York City billboards promoting the product say “Boiled cod. Slightly more protein per calorie than our bars.” (WSJ)

Thursday deals
• Hy Vee Market Grilles are running a breakfast special buy one get one half priced.

• Beaver Tap (4050 Urbandale Ave., Des Moines) offers $10 country fried breakfasts and $9 tenderloins or shrimp/fish tacos on Thursdays. 

• Ruth's Chris (Ashworth Road at Jordan Creek Parkway) has a Thursday special with their decadent RBAR burgers and fries going for $16.

•  Steaks: Sirloin steak dinners are featured specials today at Johnny's Italian Steakhouses (before 4 p.m.), Sully's Irish Pub (860 First St., West Des Moines); Front Row (9956 Swanson Blvd., Clive); Winn’s Pizza and Steakhouse (122 W. Ashland Ave., Indianola), and Hy-Vee Market Grilles. Gilroy's has both sirloin and NY strip specials. The Station on Ingersoll (3120 Ingersoll Ave., Des Moines) has a ribeye special on Thursdays. Gilroy's (1238 Eighth St. West Des Moines) offers ribeyes and sirloins only on Thursdays after 5. 

• Thursday nights, Moroccan couscous — lemon chicken, beef keftas, five vegetables, harissa — are $17 at Purveyor (505 E. Grand Ave., Des Moines).

• Sprockets (2314 University Ave., Des Moines) offers a breaded pork tenderloin special on Thursdays for $9.99 

• 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 

• ShortE's BBQ (8505 Chambery Blvd., Johnston) has $1 smoked wings Thursdays.  

• Jethro's Thursday special is a pound of boneless "wings" for $8. Because tonight is an Indiana WNBA game night, the West Des Moines Jethro's has a "Fever Reliever" special of any two appetizers on the Happy Hour menu and two pints of domestic beer for $22.

• Bevy’s Tavern (1300 50th St., West Des Moines) has a special of beef stew and cornbread Thursdays for $13.   

• Amruth Indian Grill (9974 Swanson Blvd., Clive) offers an all-you-can-eat dosa (gram/rice flour crepes) buffet on Thursdays 5:30-9 p.m. $18.95.  

• Destination Grille  (2491 E. First St., Grimes) has a "Comfort Thursday" special chicken fried De Burgo, a gluten free spin on DSM's classic. $16

• The Dam Pub (2710 Beaver Ave., Des Moines) has a throwback Thursday special goulash with garlic toast.  

• The Continental (407 E. Fifth St., Des Moines) has $7 loaded fries on Thursdays. 

• Haiku (1350 31st St., Des Moines) offers free tom yum soup and edamames with lunch entrees today.

• Aldi stores have sales through Tuesday on red grapes at $1.29/pound, cantaloupes for $1.69 and navel oranges at $2.89/3-pound bag.

— Jim Duncan, jd91446@aol.com

1782: George Washington creates the Purple Heart. On August 7, 1782, in Newburgh, New York, General George Washington, the commander in chief of the Continental Army, creates the “Badge for Military Merit,” a decoration consisting of a purple, heart-shaped piece of silk, edged with a narrow binding of silver, with the word Merit stitched across the face in silver. It would come to be widely known as the Purple Heart. ... READ MORE

1959: The first U.S. satellite to photograph the Earth is launched. From the Atlantic Missile Range in Cape Canaveral, Florida, the U.S. unmanned spacecraft Explorer 6 is launched into an orbit around the earth. The spacecraft, commonly known as the “Paddlewheel” satellite, features a photocell scanner that transmitted a crude picture of the earth’s surface and cloud cover from a distance of 17,000 miles. The photo, received in Hawaii, takes nearly 40 minutes to transmit. ... READ MORE

1987: Lynne Cox swims into communist territory. On August 7, 1987, Lynne Cox braves the freezing waters of the Bering Strait to make the first recorded swim from the United States to the Soviet Union. ... READ MORE

 www.history.com