FROM KCCI: 'This is awful discouraging': Iowa farmer warns of potential crisis as China halts soybean purchases. DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa soybean farmer Warren Bachman warns of a potential farm crisis after China halted purchases of U.S. soybeans in retaliation against new tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump. Bachman, who has been growing corn and soybeans just west of Osceola for 64 years, said China's decision is catastrophic.  ... READ MORE

FROM WHO-TV: ISU fires employee over Charlie Kirk social media comment, students react. AMES, Iowa — Iowa State University has terminated the employment of a financial aid professional after an investigation into a social media post made online. Caitlyn Spencer was the employee who the school says posted a Facebook comment that read in part, “I’m happy he’s rotting in hell now,” referring to conservative activist Charlie Kirk after he was killed on September 10 at a college campus in Utah.  ... READ MORE

FROM WOI:  Federal judge upholds Iowa law, says contractors can't act as insurance adjusters in roofing claims. A federal judge upheld a regulation requiring third-party adjusters between homeowners and insurers in roofing claims.  ... READ MORE

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: Drone attacks leave Denmark exposed - and searching for response. A night of drone incidents at airports and military bases all over Jutland, western Denmark, has not caused any harm or damage - and yet it has exposed the country's defences as vulnerable to attack. ... READ MORE

FROM AROUND THE NATION:  Ryan Walters to resign, ending scandal-plagued tenure as Oklahoma schools’ chief. Oklahoma’s Republican state attorney general described Walters’ tenure as “a stream of never-ending scandal and political drama,” which is now ending.   ... READ MORE

FROM AROUND THE STATE: Body recovered from Missouri River identified as missing Iowa man. WASHINGTON COUNTY, Neb. —
The Washington County Sheriff's Office identified the body that was recovered from the Missouri River earlier this week.  ... READ MORE

Clear Mortgage meteorology

Warming and dry weather continue into next week!

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

The Latino Heritage Festival returns to Western Gateway Park, Sept. 27 - 28
One of the region’s most festive events beckons cultural adventurers for two days of immersive fun.

Impressive Iowa Gold Star Military Museum event
One of America’s best military museums is at Camp Dodge, with a wealth of exceptional displays, dioramas and more. The “Liberator” Exhibition runs through Oct. 11. Known as the “Liberator” in World War II Europe, the Harley Davidson WLA military motorcycle was the first vehicle to enter towns liberated from German occupation. Iowa Gold Star Military Museum. Free admission. 
 
Des Moines Symphony – Season Debut: Featuring “Triumph – Tchaikovsky 5.” Sept. 27-28.

Ballet Des Moines – “Forward.” Featuring Jennifer Archibald in this much-anticipated world premiere, plus Tom Mattingly work and the first work from the new artistic director, Eric Trope. Sept. 26-27.

AUDITIONS – Ankeny Community Theatre. “Miracle on 34th Street, the play.” Saturday, Oct. 4, 9:30 a.m. for children only, ages 8-14, Sunday, Oct. 5, 6:30 p.m. (adults only), Monday, Oct. 6, 6:30 p.m. (adults only). Performances Dec. 5-14.

— John Busbee, The Culture Buzz

Redfish speak with forked tails. Fishers of redfish from New England to the Gulf of Mexico have been catching hundreds of them with clear markings on their tails. Often, these are letters of the alphabet, heart shaped spots and numbers. But one guy caught one looking like Edgar Allen Poe, another with an extended middle finger. Scientists say whatever their shape, the spots serve a protective purpose “as false eyes that cause predators to mistake the head for the tail.” (WSJ) 

The price of nonalcoholic beverages, which include soda, coffee, tea, juice and milk, increased by 4.4% from June 2024 to June 2025. The U.S. Department of Agriculture pointed to higher global coffee and orange juice prices due to flooding and drought in places like Brazil, which supplies a third of U.S. coffee. Most everyone else pointed to tariffs, particularly on Brazil.

Weekend deals
• Waterfront stores' Saturday special includes cocktail shrimp or raw oysters on the half shell for half price until 4 p.m.

• Gilroy's (1238 Eighth St., West Des Moines) does Saturday and Sunday brunch buffets for $24.99 for adults. Kids 6 and younger eat free.

• The Station on Ingersoll has a Friday special patty melt — burger, pepper jack cheese, grilled onions, Thousand Island dressing on marble rye, served with tator tots for $14  

• Eastside Eddie's (3517 E. 26th St., Des Moines) has a Friday special chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and gravy for $10.

• Rube's steakhouses offer a prime sirloin special on Sundays only, $29.

• Beaver Tap (4050 Urbandale Ave., Des Moines) offers $9 Philly cheesesteaks or hot honey chicken plus $8 biscuit and gravy breakfasts on Fridays.

• Smoking Goat Pub (3015 Merle Hay Road, Des Moines) offers walleye or steak dinner specials tonight and karaoke after 9 p.m. They have a 10 for $10 wings deal on Sundays. 

• Friday is Soul Food day at Joppa Experience (1829 Sixth Ave., Des Moines) with fried chicken and oxtail stew joining the usual menu. 

•  Jethro's Sunday special is papa cheeseburgers and side for $9.95. Today they have BBQ melt and side deal for $9.95. 

• G Mig's has Friday prime rib dinners for $29.75 or baked cod with cous cous and asparagus for $25.95. Saturday's special is pork schnitzel with cabbage and spaetzel for $18.50.

• Django (1420 Locust St., Des Moines) offers a Sunday supper with a roasted half chicken as the main course. The meal includes house salad with red onion, apple, Roquefort and candied walnuts; fresh baguette with whipped butter; roasted fingerling potatoes with fresh herbs; and sautéed haricot verts with caramelized onions and lardons. $30.  

• Table 128 (220 S.W. Ninth St., Des Moines) features a Saturday tasting menu for $58. 

• Heavenly Asian (225 Fifth St., Valley Junction) has an all-day Friday sale on orange chicken served with soup, crab Rangoon, egg roll and rice, $14, available for dine-in and phone carry-out.

• Fish Fry Friday specials can be found at Machine Shed (11151 Hickman Road, Urbandale), Johnny's Italian Steakhouses, Red Lobster (3838 Westown Parkway, West Des Moines), Cracker Barrel (11701 University, Clive), Hy-Vee stores, Bevy’s Tavern (1300 50th St., West Des Moines) and Kelly's Little Nipper (1701 E. Grand Ave., Des Moines). 

• Bawarchi (6630 Mills Civic Parkway, West Des Moines) has Friday-Sunday specials on paneer kebabs, chicken curry and goat curry.

•  Westown Tap (3530 Westown Parkway, West Des Moines) offers $12 flatbreads on Fridays.

• Chicago Speakeasy (1520 Euclid Ave., Des Moines) offers BBQ beef and marinated roast beef sandwiches on special for Friday lunch.

• Destination Grille (2491 E. First St., Grimes) has a $40 prime rib dinner special Friday and Saturday. 

• Court Avenue Brewing Company (309 Court Ave., Des Moines) hosts Saturday and Sunday breakfast buffets for $23.99.

• Haiku (1350 31st St., Des Moines) offers free tom ka kai and fried won tons with lunch entrees today.

• 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.   

• Aldi has a sale through Tuesday on pumpkins at $3.99, gala apples at $1.99/3-pound bag, and caramel apples at $2.99/three pack. 

• Fareways have specials through Saturday on pork steak at $1.88/pound, navel oranges at $.99/pound, and butter at $2.98/pound. 

• Price Choppers have sales on red grapes at $1.49/pound, 5-pound bags of red or gold potatoes at $1.99 and frozen catfish nuggets at $1.49/pound.

• Fresh Thyme (2900 University Ave., West Des Moines) has a sale on red, green or black grapes at $1.49/pound, avocados at six for $1.99, and 16-20 per pound jumbo shrimp at $4.99/pound.
 
• Hy-Vee stores have sales on Jiffy corn muffin mix at 68 cents a box, Haagen Daaz at $3.98/14 ounces, and 6-inch autumn mums at $14.99  through Sunday.

Music
Tanner Taylor Organ Trio plays Louie's Wine Dive (4040 University Ave., Des Moines) on Sunday at 5 p.m. El Toreado Mexican Bar & Grill on EP True has live music from The Juan and Only on Friday from 6 p.m. Willie James Shay plays Sonny’s Pizza Bistro Friday at 5:30 p.m. Whiskey Bizkit  play Kelly's Little Nipper at 7 p.m. Friday. Tanner Taylor Organ Trio  plays Truman’s Pizza Tavern Sunday at 2 p.m. Fred Gazzo Quintet plays Anna Dolce Ristorante, West Des Moines, at 6 p.m. Saturday. Brian Herrin will be at Exile Brewing - patio Sunday at 5 p.m. Willie Shay plays Simon’s at 7 p.m.

— Jim Duncan, jd91446@aol.com

1960: Kennedy and Nixon square off in first televised presidential debate. On September 26, 1960, for the first time in U.S. history, a debate between major party presidential candidates is broadcast on live television. The presidential hopefuls, John F. Kennedy, a Democratic senator of Massachusetts, and Richard M. Nixon, the vice president of the United States, met in a Chicago studio to discuss U.S. domestic matters. ... READ MORE

1969: “The Brady Bunch” premieres. On September 26, 1969, American television audiences hear the soon-to-be-famous opening lyrics “Here’s the story of a lovely lady, who was bringing up three very lovely girls…” as "The Brady Bunch," a sitcom that will become an icon of American pop culture, airs for the first time. ... READ MORE

1996: Shannon Lucid returns to Earth. U.S. astronaut Shannon Lucid returns to Earth in the U.S. space shuttle Atlantis following six months in orbit aboard the Russian space station Mir. ... READ MORE

 www.history.com