FROM KCCI: Iowa lawmakers, physician share potential impact of bill that would eliminate vaccine requirements in schools. A bill moving through the Iowa House that would eliminate vaccine requirements for students and elementary and secondary schools is creating conversations regarding parents’ choice and health. ... READ MORE

FROM WHO-TV: Wells Fargo announces another mass layoff at West Des Moines campus. Wells Fargo is laying off dozens more workers at its West Des Moines campus, bringing the total number of employees losing their jobs this year to over 100. According to the Iowa WARN Notification website, on Wednesday, Wells Fargo notified 49 employees that they’d be laid off in April, bringing the total number of layoffs in 2026 so far to 147. There have been four other rounds of layoffs, not including the recent one. ... READ MORE

FROM WOI: Father-son referee duo reaches special milestone at state wrestling tournament. High school wrestling officials Dale and Jared Acheson have a combined 63 years of experience; Dale has 46 years under his belt, and his son Jared has 17. The father-son duo officiated the 2026 IGHSAU state wrestling tournament side by side, marking the first time in their careers that they've worked a state tournament together. ... READ MORE

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: Oman mediates indirect US-Iran talks over Tehran’s nuclear program. Oman mediated indirect talks Friday between Iran and the United States over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program, seeking to de-escalate tensions between the nations after Washington bombed Iranian nuclear sites and Tehran launched a bloody crackdown on nationwide protests. ... READ MORE

FROM AROUND THE NATION: Minneapolis man is charged with threatening and cyberstalking ICE officers. A Minneapolis man was arrested Thursday on charges of cyberstalking and threatening to kill or assault Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers involved in the crackdown in Minnesota. ... READ MORE

FROM AROUND THE STATE: Crawford County man dies after being trapped in grain bin. A man died after getting trapped in a grain bin near Charter Oak Thursday morning. Crawford County Emergency Management said multiple agencies responded to a 911 call reporting a man was trapped in a grain bin just before 10 a.m. Due to the complexity and urgency of the rescue call, CCEM said resources were requested from across the county as well as from Harrison County. ... READ MORE

Clear Mortgage meteorology

We cool down a bit on a breezy day today and Saturday. Warming into next week! Dry conditions.

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

Autopsy of a golden age
The Pappajohn Sculpture Park district was, not too long ago, the best restaurant district in Iowa. It attracted Marc Narvailles, David Baruthio, Scott Carlson, George Formaro, Derek Eidson, Sean Wilson, Carly Groben, Diego Rodriguez and Tony Lemmo, among other restaurateurs. That's a virtual Who's Who of great Iowa chefs and restaurateurs. Every good restaurant west of 10th downtown on Locust is now gone — Nomad, Americana, Proof, Proof 2, Host, Hot Shots, Ritual Cafe, Django, Rinehardt Room, etc. COVID and the work-from-home ethos that followed is usually deemed the reason. The workforce in the PSP area has been drastically reduced. 

We think, and we are not alone, that the street festivals and food trucks that took over the PSP weekend after weekend spring/summer/fall each year also helped to kill the district for restaurants. They obliterated parking and undercut the restaurants' prices — drastically and unfairly. When a restaurant's regular customers can't get to you without a hassle on Friday and Saturday, they find somewhere else to go. It's no coincidence that Tenth Street is doing just fine, while everything west of there is dead. Tenth is never closed off for festivals. Rents in the PSG area are super high. Lunch died first. Weekend business is the “make or break” point in the notoriously low margin restaurant business.

Django's Paul Rottenberg told us last fall that the closing of Americana was a death knell for the district. This was not a surprise. But it left downtown Des Moines diners looking for somewhere to get their fix of duck frites, Italian caviar, filet à Rossini, coq au vin, and Rossini burgers.

Weekend deals 
• Friday is ramen day at Wilson Orchard & Farm (3201 15th Ave, Cumming).

• Manicotti is today's special at Crouse Cafe (115 E. Salem, Indianola). Saturday is beefburger day, and Sundays, pan fried chicken is on super special.

• Hy-Vees offer $5 fish and chips Fridays, $14 ribs Saturdays and eight-piece chicken buckets for $10 on Sundays.
 
• Machine Shed (11151 Hickman, Urbandale) offers smoked prime rib on Saturday only. Whatcha Smokin? (Luther) offers smoked Dino beef ribs on Saturday only. 
 
• Saturday is wine sampling day at Graziano Brothers.
 
• ShortE's BBQ (8805 Chambery Blvd., Johnston) offers  "kids eat free" deals on Friday and Saturday. They have a Friday special pulled pork sandwich, fries and fountain drink for $12. 



• Amruth (9974 Swanson Blvd., Clive) has 20 dishes on their Saturday and Sunday buffet, noon to 4 p.m. Of course, there will be dosas.
 
• Waterfront stores' Saturday special includes cocktail shrimp or raw oysters on the half shell for half price until 4 p.m.

• Guesthouse Tavern and Oyster (9500 University, West Des Moines) offers Surf & Turf specials Fridays and $33 prime rib dinners Saturdays.



• 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.
 
• 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. 
 
•  Jethro's Sunday special is burger baskets with fries for $9.95. Fridays they have open-faced turkey sandwiches with mashed potatoes and gravy for $12. 
 
• G Mig 's has Friday prime rib dinners with baked potatoes and asparagus for $32 or cod on risotto with red cream sauce for $28. Saturday's special is chicken and noodles with mashed potatoes for $18.50.
 
• 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.
 
• 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.

• Aldi stores have sales through Tuesday on avocados at 45 cents, chicken wings at $1.99/pound, and St. Louis ribs at $2.49/pound.

• Fareways have specials through Saturday on avocados at 44 cents, chicken wings at $3.99/pound and whole beef briskets for $4.99/pound.

• Whole Foods (4100 University Ave., West Des Moines) offers $1 oysters on Fridays with good selection and free shucking. 

• Fresh Thyme (2800 University Ave., West Des Moines) is running a sale through Sunday on chuck roast at $7.99/pound and king crab legs at $29.99/pound. They have sales through Tuesday on chicken wings at $1.99/pound. 

• Price Chopper stores have sales through Monday on raspberries, blackberries and blueberries at $2.50, frozen catfish nuggets at $2.69/pound and chicken tenders at $3.99/pound.  

Music
Neva Alden plays Kelly's Little Nipper at 7 Friday... El Toreado Mexican Bar & Grill on EP True has live music from The Juan and Only on Friday from 6 p.m... Everlasting Love - Patricia Holly plays Ingersoll Theater at 5:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday… Sean Michael Sullivan plays Cabaret Sports Bar & Grille, Ankeny, at 8 p.m. Friday... Willie Shay plays Simon’s at 7 p.m. Friday... Andy Classen/Tanner Taylor Duo plays Louie’s Wine Dive at 5 p.m. Sunday... The People’s Band play Mickey's Irish Pub, Waukee, at 8:30 p.m. Saturday.

— Jim Duncan, jd91446@aol.com

1952: King George VI dies; Elizabeth becomes queen. On Feb. 6, 1952, after a long illness, King George VI of Great Britain and Northern Ireland dies in his sleep at the royal estate at Sandringham. Princess Elizabeth, the older of the king’s two daughters and next in line to succeed him, was in Kenya at the time of her father’s death; she was officially crowned Queen Elizabeth II on June 2, 1953, at age 27.   … READ MORE

1993: Tennis great Arthur Ashe dies of AIDS. On Feb. 6, 1993, tennis champion Arthur Ashe, the only African American man to win Wimbledon and the U.S. and Australian Opens, dies of complications from AIDS, at age 49 in New York City. Ashe’s body later laid in state at the governor’s mansion in Richmond, Virginia, where thousands of people lined up to pay their respects to the ground-breaking athlete and social activist. … READ MORE

1998: Mary Kay Letourneau goes back to prison. A judge reinstates the suspended sentence of schoolteacher Mary Kay Letourneau and sends her back to prison for seven years after she is caught violating a no-contact order with her former student Vili Fualaau, when she is found in a vehicle with the boy.  … READ MORE

www.history.com