FROM KCCI: Iowa State Fair announces list of more than 80 new foods coming in 2026. Dozens of new foods are coming to the Iowa State Fair in 2026. The fair announced a list of more than 80 new foods that will debut next month. The top 11 finalists for Best New Food will be revealed at a later date, and fairgoers can vote during the fair for their favorite among the top three finalists. This year's fair runs from Aug. 13-23. ... READ MORE

FROM WHO-TV: Father and son arrested in separate Des Moines OWI incidents. The Des Moines Police Department says two separate OWI investigations led to the arrests of a father and son on the city’s southside late Sunday night. The first incident happened just after 10:30 p.m. in the 700 block of Loomis Avenue, according to Sgt. Paul Parizek, Public Information Officer for the DMPD. Officers responding to a report of a vehicle stopped on the wrong side of the road located a vehicle that had left the road and hit a fire hydrant. ... READ MORE

FROM WOI: 'Everything we have and it's gone:' Displaced apartment residents beginning to move things out. It may not look like it at his east-side apartment, but Jason Ackerman considers himself one of the lucky ones. After flooding forced residents from Parkside East Apartments last week, Ackerman still has somewhere to stay. He and his family are living with relatives in Polk City. But that doesn't make returning to what is left of his apartment any easier. ... READ MORE

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: Iran and US trade fire and Trump calls the ceasefire into question. Iran targeted American military sites in the Gulf on Wednesday after the U.S. launched strikes on several places in Iran and reinstated sanctions on its oil sales. Washington said it was responding to Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz. ... READ MORE

FROM AROUND THE NATION: Manhattan high-rise is still unstable after columns buckle, forcing evacuations. An under-construction high-rise in Manhattan was still unstable Tuesday after buckling columns and sagging floors raised fears of a collapse, forcing the tower and other nearby buildings to evacuate, officials said. The 1970s-era office building is being converted to luxury apartments, and is the former global headquarters of pharmaceutical giant Pfizer. ... READ MORE

FROM AROUND THE STATE: Field of Dreams baseball team unveils name, logo and mascot. The Field of Dreams has announced the name of its new Northwoods League baseball team coming to the iconic ballpark in 2027. The team will be called the Dyersville Dreamers. The announcement was made at a press conference at the field this morning. ... READ MORE

Woebegone Wednesday
When obesity met irony. Bleanau Gwent, Wales, was the birthplace of the United Kingdom’s National Health Service and its founder Aneurin Bevan. Now, it is the most obese part of the UK at 67% of all adults. Things are so bad that the area enacted a ban on junk food advertising and a town council is issuing 10-pound sterling vouchers to school kids to buy fresh fruit. Buy one, get one free adverts are now illegal in England and are criminal for fizzy drinks, chocolate, crisps and candy.

OTB Hospitality, the company that operates On the Border Mexican Grill, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation. According to the filing, OTB Hospitality possessed between $500,000 and $1 million in assets, and between $1 million and $10 million in liabilities. In 2024, On the Border spent more than $11.8 million on leases for underperforming locations and later closed upwards of 40 such locations including all their Arizona stores and the store in Jordan Creek Town Center in 2025. They were an original JCTC restaurant, next door to Joe's Crab Shack, which closed a year earlier.

Deals today
• Fresh Thyme (2800 University Ave., West Des Moines) has $6 half slabs of ribs on Wednesdays. 
 
• Crouse Cafe's (111 E. Salem, Indianola) special today is ham and beans for $9.99. 
 
• Toad's (302 State Ave., Des Moines) special today is wings with two sides for $12.
 
• The Empire's (223 Fourth St., Des Moines) Wednesday special is meatball sandwiches for $9.
 
• Wednesday is biryani day with two for $20 at Desi Bites (3828 100th St.,, Urbandale.
 
• Marianna's (1305 University Ave., Des Moines) offers tacos for $1.50 Wednesdays during the World Cup.
 
• Talk Shop Lounge (3357 St. Charles Road, St. Charles) has a rib dinner deal Mondays, half slabs for $12, full racks $16. 
 
• The False Nine Social Club (206 Fifth St., Valley Junction) has hamburgers for $7 on Wednesdays.
 
• B&B Grocery, Meat and Deli (2001 S.E. Sixth St., Des Moines) has Philly cheesesteak on special today. 



• Waterfont's Wednesday special this week is Alaskan snow crab.
 
• Waveland Cafe (4708 University Ave., Des Moines) offers a wiener Wednesday special today. 
 
• Wednesdays are Chicago Italian beef sandwich day at Graziano Brothers (1601 S. Union St., Des Moines).
 
•  AJ's (Prairie Meadows) has a new early bird menu on Wednesday and Thursday from 4-6 p.m. Half-pound burgers with frites $15, pasta and chicken dinners, $20-22, seafood and steak dinners $27-30. Prime rib dinners for $30 all night. 
 
• Hy-Vees offer second sushi rolls for half price on Wednesdays.
 
• Paula's (Elm Street at Sixth, Valley Junction) has a Wednesday Cuban sandwich special.
 
• Guesthouse Tavern and Oyster (9500 University, West Des Moine) offers Walleye Wednesday with dinners $21.
 
• Jack’s Place (6112 S.W. Ninth, Des Moines) has 10 wings for $10 Wednesdays.
 
• Wednesday at Short E's BBQ (8805 Chambray Blvd., Johnston) the special is ribs - $15 full racks, $10 half racks and $5 off rib dinners.
 
• Whatcha Smokin? (Highway 17, Luther) has a brisket burnt ends special on Wednesdays.
 
• Kelly's Little Nipper (1701 E. Grand Ave., Des Moines) offers any burger with a side for $10 on Wednesdays. 
 
• Toad's (302 State Ave., Des Moines) special today is wings with two sides for $12.
 
• Exile (1514 Walnut St., Des Moines) offers a $12 burger basket with fries and a beer on Wednesdays. 
 
• Beaver Tap (4050 Urbandale Ave., Des Moines) offers $8 French toast or pancake breakfasts and $2 tacos, $9 wraps and $10 half pounds of wings on Wednesdays. 
 
• Johnny's Italian Steakhouses have a chicken Madeira special on Wednesdays before 4 p.m., $15 including beverage.
 
• Club 2000 (422 Indianola Road, Des Moines) offers 10 wings for $10 on Wednesdays and steak night, too.
 
• Smoking Goat Pub (3015 Merle Hay Road, Des Moines) has a $10 classic burger and beer all day. 
 
• Gilroy's (1238 Eighth St., West Des Moines) has all you can eat fried chicken dinners on Wednesdays, $23.99 after 5 p.m. 
 
• Wednesdays bring steak night to Club 2000 (422 Indianola Road, Des Moines). Steaks are cooked to order with salad, potato and bread, $14.99.
 
• Angry Goldfish (2301 S.W. Ninth St., Des Moines) offers hot beef sandwiches with mashed potatoes and gravy for $11.50 on Wednesday. It's also hot beef sandwich day at Chicago Speakeasy (1520 Euclid Ave.) where the gravy is made with pan drippings.
 
• Wine bottles are half price on Wednesdays at Trostel's Greenbriar (5910 Merle Hay Road, Johnston), Table 128 (220 S.W. Ninth, Des Moines) and The Continental (407 E. Fifth St., Des Moines). 
 
• G Mig's (128 Fifth St., Valley Junction) offers a Wednesday special chicken with ravioli, plus salad and garlic bread for $19.25.
 
• Barntown's (9500 S.E. University Ave., West Des Moines) Wednesday specials are a pound of chicken tenders with fries and two sauces for $11.99, plus $13 core pitchers of beer.
 
• Wednesday is Biryani Festival at Chowrastha (5910 Ashworth Road, West Des Moines). Buy two and a third is free.
 
•  The Station (3124 Ingersoll, Des Moines) have specials on tacos today. 
 
• Village Inns offer free pie with entrees on Wednesdays. 
 
• It's lasagna day at Maxie's Supper Club (1311 Grand Ave., West Des Moines) and breaded pork tenderloin day at Eastside Eddie's (3517 E. 26th St., Des Moines).
 
• Chuck's (3610 Sixth Ave., Des Moines) offers $5 off pizza on Wednesdays.
 
• Kwik Stars' Wednesday special is eight pieces of fried chicken for $10. Their fried chicken is ridiculously good for a convenience store.  
 
• On Wednesdays, flatbreads are $10 at Tito's Lounge (3916 N.W. Urbandale Drive, Urbandale). 
 
• Jethro's have $9.95 breaded pork tenderloin sandwiches, including a side of choice, on Wednesdays.  
 
• The Station on Ingersoll (3124 Ingersoll Ave., Des Moines) has a Wednesday special of chopped cheeseburger with a side for $12.

 — Jim Duncan, jd91446@aol.com

1951: Paris celebrates 2,000th birthday. On July 8, 1951, Paris, the capital city of France, celebrates turning 2,000 years old. In fact, a few more candles would’ve technically been required on the birthday cake, as the City of Lights was most likely founded around 250 B.C. The history of Paris can be traced back to a Gallic tribe known as the Parisii, who sometime around 250 B.C. settled an island (known today as Ile de la Cite) in the Seine River, which runs through present-day Paris. … READ MORE

1959: First Americans killed in South Vietnam. Maj. Dale R. Buis and Master Sgt. Chester M. Ovnand become the first Americans killed in the American phase of the Vietnam War when guerrillas strike a Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG) compound in Bien Hoa, 20 miles northeast of Saigon. The group had arrived in South Vietnam on November 1, 1955, to provide military assistance. … READ MORE

2000: Venus Williams wins Wimbledon for the first time. On July 8, 2000, Venus Williams wins at Wimbledon for the first time. Her victory over defending champion, Lindsay Davenport, made Williams the first Black female Wimbledon champion since Althea Gibson won back-to-back titles in 1957 and 1958. … READ MORE

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