Daily Umbrella Feb. 3: WDM man charged with OWI after multiple crashes; Wonder Bargain; another James Bond joke

Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026

Good morning to you!

The hanky. Not one-half of what Tommy James and the Shondells so famously sang about in their 1966 No. 1 hit song, but rather that piece of cloth that has been tucked away in pockets for centuries.

A fashion statement for some, a nose-wiping necessity for others, the hanky served multiple purposes. Short for handkerchief, the hanky has sustained much of our history and likely will, to some degree, for generations to come.

I have had a cold lately. Congestion. Runny nose. You know the symptoms. My olfactory has been like an open faucet, causing me to continually reach for a tissue or two — or 10. It’s not pleasant.

All this tissue time got me thinking about the hanky. My dad carried one with him every day. So did my grandpa. They had their work hankies, and they had their dress hankies. My grandma and my mother washed — and ironed — them all.

In the post-COVID world we now live in, the idea of sharing a hanky seems crazy, but that’s exactly what would happen. I remember Dad wiping my nose with his hanky. We didn’t carry tissues around back then, so it was either the hanky or a shirt sleeve. Then, I got my own hanky. A proud boyhood ritual.

Hankies have a much deeper history and usage. According to The Complete Handkerchief History, archaeological evidence in China from 1000 BC shows figurines from the Chou dynasty holding pieces of cloth. Romans waved hankies in the air at public games and used them as the “starting gun” for chariot races. Hankies were also found in Middle Eastern culture and were used to preserve the sacred, bandage wounds and hold coins.

Hankies and romance were also linked. A knight would tie a lady’s handkerchief to the back of his helmet as a token of good luck. A maiden would toss her handkerchief from a window as a declaration of love. A woman might send a homemade hankie, embroidered with patterns, to her love interest to be kept as a token.

Hankies seemed to be forever tied at the hips of humans. Mass-produced cotton hankies made them seemingly everywhere in the early 20th century. Then came the global flu pandemic of 1918, and Kleenex soon coined the fearful slogan “Don’t carry a cold in your pocket” to discourage hankies and promote their new disposable facial tissues. The rest, as they say, is history.

Have a terrific Tuesday, and thank you for reading.

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

Read more of Shane Goodman's columns here.

News headlines

FROM KCCI: West Des Moines man charged with OWI after multiple crashes. A West Des Moines man is accused of operating while intoxicated, leading to a series of crashes on Des Moines' east side on Monday afternoon. Des Moines police said Ra Kua was behind the wheel when he hit several mailboxes, parked cars, and a house on Southeast 26th Court. Police said his attempt to drive away after that led to him hitting two utility poles before he could no longer operate the vehicle. ... READ MORE

FROM WHO-TV: Iowa Senate bill to strengthen educator verification requirements advances. Four months after the arrest of former Des Moines Superintendent Ian Roberts by ICE agents, a Senate subcommittee advanced a bill to strengthen the requirements for verifying an educator’s identity and employment eligibility. The bill, SSB 3015, would require educators who are applying for or renewing their educational license to provide documents showing their lawful presence in the country. ... READ MORE

FROM WOI: Pilot project to bring marked streetside parking along portion of Ingersoll Avenue. City leaders in Des Moines are launching a new pilot project aimed at making parking more efficient along the Ingersoll Avenue corridor, one of the city’s fastest‑growing business districts. The Des Moines City Council recently approved a shared‑resource program that will study how drivers use on‑street parking over a 12‑month period. The initiative follows a 2024 parking study that examined how to better use the corridor’s existing spaces as more businesses move in and traffic increases. ... READ MORE

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: Iran’s president seeks ‘fair and equitable negotiations’ with the United States. Iran’s president said Tuesday he instructed the country’s foreign minister to “pursue fair and equitable negotiations” with the United States, the first clear sign from Tehran it wants to try to negotiate as tensions remain high with Washington after the Mideast country’s bloody crackdown on nationwide protests last month. ... READ MORE

FROM AROUND THE NATION: Clintons agree to testify in House Epstein investigation ahead of contempt of Congress vote. Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton agreed late Monday to testify in a House investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, but the Republican leading the probe said an agreement had not yet been finalized. ... READ MORE

FROM AROUND THE STATE: Former Monticello high school cheerleading coach to take plea deal in sexual exploitation case. A former Monticello high school cheerleading coach will take a plea deal next week in a sexual exploitation case. 38-year-old Jessica Rubin is charged with sexual exploitation by a counselor in connection with an alleged sexual relationship with a student. ... READ MORE

Clear Mortgage meteorology

Milder this week. Flurries today and again on Wednesday. Forties Thursday and Friday!

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

The 2026 results: CITYVIEW's Best of Des Moines®

The polls are closed and the Best of Des Moines 2026 results have been tallied.

Watch for the results in the February issue of CITYVIEW and online Feb. 5!

Tuesday touts

Centro is the only place in Iowa where pizza cook in a coal oven. That's how it was done in the first American pizza joints in New York City, though most of the them have switched to gas after pressure from environmentalists. Every Monday, Centro sells pizza and tap beer for half price. That's this week's Wonder Bargain.

"Bubbles Class" on Monday, Feb. 9 will feature six sparkling wines — some new, some old favorites — paired with cheese and chocolate. Reception 6 p.m., classes at 6:30. The Cheese Shop, 515-528-8181. $75.

Iowa Culinary Institute lunches are back most Tuesday through Fridays. Lunches cost $17 for a prix fixe or a buffet.

Valentine’s Day surprise. The Iowa Cubs are hosting a special "Dining at the Diamond" dinner Feb. 13 -14. Three course fixed price menus and drinks at Principle Park are available. E mail Anthony.Shepard@oakviewgroup.com for reservations and information.

Deals today
• Tuna noodle casserole is today's special at Crouse Cafe (115 E. Salem, Indianola).

• Sale Barn Cafe (Lamoni) has a special on beef enchiladas to day.

• It's steak night at Grand Junction (1970 Grand Ave., West Des Moines). Steak, salad and potato $13.99.

• Guesthouse Tavern and Oyster (9500 University, West Des Moines) offers fried chicken dinner special on Tuesdays, $17-23, plus half-priced whiskey pours.

• Curbin' Cuisine (1325 S.W. Oralabor Road, Suite 200, Ankeny) offers a cheeseburger and fries for $7.99 today.

• Mullet’s Norwalk offers a free kids meal per adult meal on Tuesdays 4 p.m. to close.

• Mickey's Irish Pub (50 S.E. Laurel St., Waukee) has a special $7 half-pound burger with a side all day Tuesday.

• Kelly's Little Nipper (1701 E. Grand Ave., Des Moines) offers a "Tendy's Tuesday" pork tenderloin basket with a drink for $11.50.

• Eastside Eddie's (3517 E. 26th St., Des Moines) has a Tuesday special cheeseburger with fries, tots or salad and a drink for $10.

• Beaver Tap (4050 Urbandale Ave., Des Moines) offers $7 breakfasts and $8 burgers Tuesdays.

• Pelican Post (265 50th St., West Des Moines) offers a special smashburger with cheese, fries and a draft beer for $10 on Tuesdays.

• Johnny's Italian Steakhouses have a beef stroganoff special on Tuesdays, $14 including beverage.

• Smoking Goat Pub (3015 Merle Hay Road, Des Moines) hosts 222 BBQ today from 5-9 p.m.

• Baklava is half priced Tuesdays at Istanbul Cafe and Bakery (3281 100th, Urbandale).

• Red Robin stores are featuring a $10 cheeseburger with an "endless side" on Tuesdays.

• Jethro's Tuesday special is 2 pounds of bone-in smoked wings for the price of one.

• Paula's (524 Elm St., Valley Junction) runs a Tuesday special hot beef sandwich for $13.50.

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

• Taco Tuesday brings serious discounts to La Familia (1610 Sixth Ave., Des Moines), all Taco John's, 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), The Continental (407 E. Fifth St., Des Moines), Gilroy's (1238 Eighth St., West Des Moines), Jack's Place Grill & Bar, (6112 S.W. Ninth St., Des Moines) and both Faustino's.

• Hy-Vees offer $5 tenderloins on Tuesdays.

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

— Jim Duncan, jd91446@aol.com

Featured in the current issue of Ankeny Living magazine.

Big game, big party
Capping off the football season with a watch party to remember.

By Ashley Rullestad

It’s time for the big game, and that’s the perfect reason to gather with your fellow fans around the big screen to see which team finishes the year with a championship ring. And you won’t be alone. Record-breaking viewership has been reported the last two years, with 127.7 million U.S. viewers last year, according to ESPN.

Born with it
When growing up, Nickki Mulbrook says football took precedence over a lot of things in her family. She is a fan of several teams: for college, it’s the Hawkeyes, and, in the pros, she is a Vikings and Chiefs fan.

Going to a Chiefs game was her first NFL game, and she has enjoyed watching them play since. They are also one of her son’s favorite teams. Now, she tries to go to at least three Iowa football games per year and at least one Vikings game. Otherwise, she is content to watch games at home or a local sports bar. ...

Featured home for sale

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

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Des Moines, IA 50310

This charming Beaverdale Brick home sits on nearly a half-acre in the heart of Beaverdale. Lovingly cared for and updated, this home is ready for its new caretakers. Walk to Snookies and to the Beaverdale shops and restaurants. Enjoy a convenient location with quick access to parks, schools and shopping. This home boasts many updates including a new roof in ’25, tankless water heater, and newer windows. ...

See the listing here.

See more homes for sale

SOLD: Featured commercial real estate transaction

3323 INGERSOLL AVE., DES MOINES
SALE DATE: 2025-08-05
SALE PRICE: $1,725,000
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ACRES: 0.273
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Sports headlines

FROM ESPN: Patriots' Drake Maye feels good about shoulder, threw at practice. New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, who injured his right throwing shoulder in the AFC Championship Game, said he took his normal number of throws at practice Monday and that his recovery has "turned a corner" leading in to Super Bowl LX against the Seattle Seahawks. ... READ MORE

FROM SPORTS ILLUSTRATED: Conor Orr grades all 10 NFL head coaching hires for 2026. Another NFL coaching carousel has come and gone. This season may have been one of the most surprisingly eventful of the past five years and led a handful of league sources to joke that we are never again to predict that a coaching cycle will be a snooze. Not in this modern climate which, motivated by the unfathomable chaos of college football, allows for more callousness and less loyalty than ever. ... READ MORE

FROM YAHOO SPORTS: Figure skating's first controversy arises from … music copyright law. What separates an Olympic figure skating routine from a glide over the ice? Music, of course. Music is the backbone of every Olympic performance, the foundation of the magnificent choreography of every routine. But suddenly, with just days to go before the start of the Milan Cortina Olympics, music is very much at the center of figure skating’s first controversy of the 2026 Games. ... READ MORE

1959: Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and “The Big Bopper” die in a plane crash. Rising American rock stars Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson, along with the pilot, are killed when their chartered Beechcraft Bonanza plane crashes in Iowa a few minutes after takeoff from Mason City on a flight headed for Moorhead, Minnesota. Investigators blamed the crash on bad weather and pilot error. … READ MORE

1780: Earliest documented mass murder in U.S. history. In one of the most famous crimes of post-Revolution America, Barnett Davenport commits a mass murder in rural Connecticut. Caleb Mallory, his wife, daughter-in-law, and two grandchildren were killed in their home by their boarder, Davenport. It would contribute to a change in the way the young nation views crime and criminals. … READ MORE

1998: Marine jet severs ski-lift cable in Italy. On Feb. 3, 1998, a U.S. Marine jet flying low over the town of Cavalese in the Italian Alps severs a ski-lift cable, sending a tram crashing to the ground and killing 20 people. … READ MORE

www.history.com

Birthdays and notables

Happy birthday, Lisa Wolfskill!

These celebrities were born on this date: Daddy Yankee, Alex G, Sean Kingston, Isla Fisher, Warwick Davis, Nathan Lane, Eva Ruiz, Bridget Regan, Amal Clooney, Vanesa González, Aimee Lou Wood, Morgan Fairchild

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

Morning chuckle

The answer to the last riddle: What is a blue whale’s favorite James Bond film? “A View to a Krill” - Dewayne Johnson, Gail Tomlinson. Other suggestions from Dewayne Johnson: "No time to dive" and" Thunderball," because of all of the underwater fight scenes!

Today's riddle: What happened when James Bond was fast asleep in bed and there was an earthquake?

Have a guess? Email tammy@iowalivingmagazines.com

To advertise in the Daily Umbrella or Ankeny Living magazine, contact:

Angela Ossian
Account Executive
Office: 515-953-4822 ext. 307
Mobile: 515-979-5585
angela@iowalivingmagazines.com

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