Des Moines' priciest home sales of 2022

1 big thing: The metro's priciest home sales

2. Lawmakers step back from SNAP restrictions

Illustration of a slice of bread with peanut butter in the shape of a worried face

Iowa Golf Association to open headquarters, new museum

3. Iowa Golf House is happening

Seeking employment? 

4. Your weekend plans

Some Des Moines food pantries are bare

5. Pic du jour: Let them eat ... cake?

6. RAGBRAI route guesses

Hey, Friday. It's going to be cold this weekend but not so bad today.

🎂 Happy birthday to our Axios Des Moines member Sonya Fox! 

 🚨 Situational awareness: Dotdash Meredith is cutting 274 jobs, or about 7% of its workforce.

It's unclear how many of those jobs are in the metro.

Today's Smart Brevity™ count is 861 words, a 3-minute read.

🪴 Art Terrarium, a popular plant shop in downtown Des Moines, announced it's moving to a new spot in Highland Park.

👋 Thanks for reading. We'll be back in the same spot, same time on Monday morning!

This newsletter was edited by Everett Cook and copy edited by Lucia Maher.

Des Moines

Picture of the Des Moines skyline with DSM written across it.

Get smarter, faster about what’s happening in your backyard with local reporters Jason Clayworth and Linh Ta.

Axios Des Moines

Des Moines facing a downtown employee exodus

1 big thing: Downtown's big knocks

Three Des Moines City Council members consider mayoral bid

2. Council trio consider mayoral bid

A photo of Des Moines City Council members.

Iowa's free tax filing services

3. Worthy of your time: Free tax services

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4. The Ear: No grain, No gain

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Is a new job in your future?

5. Your feedback: Superintendent search

RAGBRAI pro tips from a 7x rider

6. RAGBRAI pro tips

Take our survey: Should businesses prompt tips before a service is completed?

Hit forward to share our free newsletter.

1 big thing: Record-breaking sports year

Illustration of a basketball, football, and baseball in a popcorn bucket.

Downtown Des Moines project will cut 150 trees

2. Downtown project to fell 150 trees

3. Charted: You're pretty fly

4. The Ear: Hot news nuggets

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Take your career to the next level

HomeGrown's homemade Pop-tart comes to Des Moines

5. First Bite: HomeGrown's homemade Pop-tart

⛅️ Weather: Sunny with a high near 21°.

🏢 On this day in 2000, Allied Insurance announced it was building new headquarters and a parking garage along Locust and Walnut streets.

The company, which later merged with Nationwide, is now selling multiple buildings to the city of Des Moines.

Today's Smart Brevity™ count is 657 words, a 2.5-minute read.

👋 We'll see you tomorrow — same time, same place.

Des Moines' $50M water nitrate fix-it plan

1 big thing: A $50M water nitrate fix-it plan

2. Monday's shooting victims

3. Charted: Unions rise in Iowa

4. 🎺 The Ear: Toot that corn

Illustration of the Axios logo made out of corn.

Wake up to a brighter future

5. Morning Routine: Jeff Chelesvig

6. Worthy of your time: Joni's wish

🌨 A chance of snow and a high around 30.

🚲 RAGBRAI route: The big reveal is coming Saturday night. Do you have any guesses? 

Take our survey here and we'll share the results.

Today's Smart Brevity™ count is 904 words, a 3.5-minute read.

⛱ Summer thoughts: DSM last week launched early recruitment for this year's lifeguard and aquatics staff.

Pay has increased to help avoid staff shortages that closed pools last year.

1 big thing: A super search conundrum

Police's return to DSM school patrol is brief

2. Police's return to DSM schools is brief

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Polk County supervisors, Johnston officials oppose Granger annexation

3. Supervisors, Johnston oppose Granger annexation


4. The Ear: Catch up on the news

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Now hiring: New job openings

5. 👁 Where's Jason?

🚲 Hey, Thursday. On this day in 2006, Waukee was announced as a RAGBRAI overnight town for the first time ever.

⛅️ Weather: Mostly cloudy with a high near 20°.

🎂 Happy birthday to our Axios Des Moines member Katie Bolinger! 

Today's Smart Brevity™ count is 826 words, a 3-minute read.

👋 Thanks for reading our newsletter. If this was sent to you, subscribe for free here.

At least three Des Moines City Council members are considering a run for mayor this year, they tell Axios.

Driving the news: Frank Cownie — the longest-serving mayor in DSM's history — might seek a sixth term.

Council members Connie Boesen and Josh Mandelbaum are also possible contenders.

Flashback: Voters promoted Cownie from his council seat in 2003,  when he defeated former Council member Christine Hensley.

He narrowly won re-election in a runoff against former state senator Jack Hatch in Dec.  2019.

State of play: Council members Joe Gatto, Linda Westergaard and Carl Voss's terms expire at the end of the year, meaning six of Des Moines' seven council members could face voters in 2023.

Mandelbaum and Boesen could remain on the council even if their possible bids for mayor flunk. 

They were re-elected to their current seats in Nov.  2021 and their current terms don't expire until  the end of 2025.

Of note: At Cownie's recommendation, the council this month appointed Boesen as mayor pro tem — the person who assumes duties when the mayor is absent.

Six of Des Moines' seven council members could face voters in 2023.

Des moines Mayor Frank Cownie, left, and Council members Connie Boesen and Josh Mandelbaum. Photos courtesy of the City of Des Moines

At least three Des Moines City Council members are considering a run for mayor this year, they tell Axios.Driving the news: Frank Cownie — the longest-serving mayor in DSM&#x27;s history — might seek a sixth term.

News

Politics

Axios Des Moines, anchored by Jason Clayworth and Linh Ta, is here to help readers get smarter, faster on the most consequential news and developments unfolding in their own backyard.

About 150 trees are being removed near downtown Des Moines' Scott Avenue dam for a project that begins next week, Hannah Inman, CEO of Iowa Confluence Water Trails (ICON), tells Axios.

Catch up fast: ICON is a broad $125 million plan to improve recreation along more than 150 miles of rivers and creeks in Central Iowa.

Dam modifications, including the tree removal, are intended to allow boaters to safely pass.

Zoom in: The Scott Avenue project also includes a new fish passage and about 1,500 feet of riverbank that will be graded to provide recreation and fishing access.

State of play: The trees are located on three acres along the DSM River, just south of the dam.

They must be removed by the end of March to avoid impacts to a federally protected bat species that may inhabit the trees starting in the spring. 

The overall project is expected to be completed in 2025.

🦅 The intrigue: The area, just south of Principal Park, is a common spot for eagles.

There are no nests within the clearing limits, Inman says.

Dozens of trees were also removed last year at DSM's Prospect Park for the ICON project. Photo: Jason Clayworth/Axios

The area, just south of Principal Park, is a common spot for eagles.

Eagles frequently roost in trees near the Scott Avenue dam but they don’t have nests in any that will be cut in coming weeks. Photo: Jason Clayworth/Axios

About 150 trees are being removed near downtown Des Moines&#x27; Scott Avenue dam for a project that begins next week, Hannah Inman, CEO of Iowa Confluence Water Trails (<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="ICON" data-vars-click-url="https://www.iconwatertrails.com/" data-vars-content-id="6dcf85e8-6381-4569-b591-6e1d12f6f97d" data-vars-headline="Downtown Des Moines project will cut 150 trees" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.iconwatertrails.com/" target="_blank">ICON</a>), tells Axios.Catch up fast: ICON is a broad $125 million plan to improve recreation along more than 150 miles of rivers and creeks in Central Iowa.

Des Moines is reeling after multiple announcements last week that signal potentially thousands of employees leaving downtown offices.

Wells Fargo is vacating several buildings.

Dotdash Meredith is laying off hundreds of employees.

Why it matters: They setbacks to decades of efforts and billions of dollars in investments to revive downtown come as city advocates tout recovery news.

State of play: Downtown foot traffic has rebounded to 83% from 2020 of 2019's pre-pandemic numbers, Tiffany Tauscheck, president of the Greater Des Moines Partnership, announced last week.

And the City Council approved incentives last week for a $56 million housing project.

Between the lines: The total number of downtown employee losses are still unknown.

Wells Fargo is consolidating most of its roughly 12,000 metro employees to its Jordan Creek Campus in West Des Moines but  hasn't announced how many are currently downtown.

What they're saying: DSM has long bragged about its 80,000-person downtown workforce, Greg Edwards, president of Catch Des Moines, tells Axios. 

The job losses will have impacts on restaurants, entertainment venues and the general vibrancy of the area, he says. .

What we're watching: The city will work with its community partners and fill Wells Fargo's void, Cownie said in his Friday statement.

A photo of a Wells Fargo building in West Des Moines.

Wells Fargo is also vacating this building at 7001 Westown Parkway in WDSM. Photo: Google maps

Multiple announcements signal potentially thousands of employees leaving downtown offices.

Wells Fargo will vacate its building at 206 8th St. (left) and  800 Walnut St. in downtown DSM this year. Photos courtesy of the Polk County Assessor

Iowa

Des Moines is reeling after multiple announcements last week that signal potentially thousands of employees leaving downtown offices.<ul><li><a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Wells Fargo" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/des-moines/2023/01/27/wells-fargo-moving-employees-des-moines-iowa" data-vars-content-id="7e241b1e-3a79-4ec7-b99e-72b8e1e8b2f1" data-vars-headline="Des Moines facing a downtown employee exodus" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/des-moines/2023/01/27/wells-fargo-moving-employees-des-moines-iowa" target="_self">Wells Fargo</a> is vacating several buildings.</li></ul>

Business

More than 70 Iowa sites are offering free tax filing services for low-to-moderate income families this year.

Driving the news: Six  are in Polk County, up from four last year.

A few sites launch their regular tax season hours today.

Details: The federally-organized Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) is  generally available to people who make $60K or less, the elderly, those with disabilities or with limited English skills.

Zoom in: The Iowa Center for Economic Success manages the state's sites.

IRS-certified volunteers — many of whom are CPAs — from roughly two dozen humanitarian and community improvement organizations perform the work.

Of note: Last year's volunteers filed more than 11,000 returns resulting  in more than $17 million in refunds, Karla Evans, a manager of the Iowa Center, tells Axios.

The service is generally available to people who make $54K or less.

Taxes

More than 70 Iowa sites are offering free tax filing services for low-to-moderate income families this year.Driving the news: Six are in Polk County, up from four last year.

HomeGrown, the metro's newest breakfast and brunch venue, opened yesterday in the Crescent Building. 

Catch up fast: It's a chain by Jon Ralph, who also owns all of Iowa's 25 Applebee's locations.

The DSM spot in a former Chevy dealership on the edge of downtown is the restaurant's first in Iowa.

On the menu: HomeGrown has dozens of breakfast staples like omelets, French toast and blueberry streusel. Many use locally produced ingredients, such as meats from Berkwood Farms.

Mimosas, "sunshine margaritas" and an "Irish Hug" made with Jameson whisky accompany juice and coffee options.

On Jason's plate: A handmade brown sugar Pop-tart with sprinkles ($4.50).

It was made with dough from Main Street Café and Bakery in Ankeny.

💬 Thought bubble: Worth every calorie.

Hours: Open daily from 6:30am to 2:30pm; 555 17th St., #102, Des Moines.

HomeGrown's newest location opened Monday in DSM. Photo: Jason Clayworth/Axios

HomeGrown is the Des Moines metro's newest breakfast and brunch venue.

HomeGrown's homemade brown sugar Pop-tart ($4.50). Photo: Jason Clayworth/Axios

HomeGrown, the metro&#x27;s newest breakfast and brunch venue, opened yesterday in the Crescent Building. Catch up fast: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="It&#x27;s a chain" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/des-moines/2023/01/23/homegrown-restaurant-opening-near-sherman-hill" data-vars-content-id="c04ceddf-98a1-409a-9c06-1be0dc62049c" data-vars-headline="HomeGrown&#x27;s homemade Pop-tart comes to Des Moines" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/des-moines/2023/01/23/homegrown-restaurant-opening-near-sherman-hill" target="_self">It&#x27;s a chain</a> by Jon Ralph, who also owns all of Iowa&#x27;s 25 Applebee&#x27;s locations.

Jason Clayworth

Stories

Downtown Des Moines project will cut 150 trees

HomeGrown's homemade Pop-tart comes to Des Moines

Des Moines facing a downtown employee exodus

Iowa's free tax filing services

Three Des Moines City Council members consider mayoral bid

Newsletter editions

🏀 We're big jocks

🚨 Downtown's mass exodus

🏰 Metro's priciest home

🤯 Superintendent conundrum

💧 Nasty nitrates solution