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Lutheran Church of Hope in West Des Moines plans campus expansion

The West Des Moines campus is one of the most popular churches in the state.

News

Lutheran Church of Hope in West Des Moines, the largest church in Iowa, plans to expand its campus by 14,000 square feet, per a council meeting— including a gym, teen center and a larger food pantry.Why it matters: The $20 million project, funded through donations, reflects the church&#x27;s efforts to encourage more in-person interactions and accommodate a growing congregation, Pastor Jeremy Johnson tells Axios.

Polk County pushes "Polk Proud" plates

The new campaign urges people to get their vehicles titled locally.

Polk County&#x27;s treasurer is urging car buyers and dealers to title vehicles locally, launching a &quot;Polk Proud&quot; campaign to keep that business in the county.Why it matters: Hundreds of vehicles are being titled in surrounding counties each month, draining thousands in revenue that would otherwise support Polk County services, Treasurer Mary Wells tells Axios.

Iowa among states making early Medicaid choices

States are facing increasing financial pressures.

Iowa is among the first states reshaping its Medicaid budget ahead of nearly <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="$1 trillion in federal Medicaid cuts" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/04/01/state-budgets-medicaid-austerity" data-vars-content-id="bf3bc7b4-d97f-4472-8dfb-734fc2df52bf" data-vars-headline="Iowa among states making early Medicaid choices" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/04/01/state-budgets-medicaid-austerity" target="_self">$1 trillion in federal Medicaid cuts</a>, with Gov. Kim Reynolds signing a bill last week to raise taxes on insurers.Why it matters: The move signals potential ripple effects for coverage, costs and state budgets nationwide.

West Des Moines considers $700K bathroom near Jamie Hurd Amphitheater

City staff say it's one of the most requested amenities from residents.

The Jamie Hurd Amphitheater is used for everything from theater performances to symphony concerts, rock cover bands and film screenings.<ul><li>But the one major thing missing for those events is a bathroom with flushable toilets, West Des Moines city staff say.</li></ul>

Historians chase Grand Avenue's hidden past

Book research is uncovering revelations about Des Moines' past.

A group of Des Moines historians have launched a book project to document Grand Avenue&#x27;s history — from Model T assembly lines to governors&#x27; mansions — and they&#x27;re calling on the community to help fill in the gaps.Why it matters: They&#x27;re uncovering never-before-told insights into the city&#x27;s expansion, class divides and urban evolution that connect the past to the present, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="DSM historian and filmmaker" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/des-moines/2021/05/24/des-moines-woodland-cemetery-history-quest-videos" data-vars-content-id="db2ff11a-61cf-4315-a506-c427772392ec" data-vars-headline="Historians chase Grand Avenue&#x27;s hidden past" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/des-moines/2021/05/24/des-moines-woodland-cemetery-history-quest-videos" target="_self">DSM historian and filmmaker</a> Kristine Bartley tells Axios.

Des Moines plans to survey its forgotten history

The city hopes to document overlooked places and personal stories to preserve a fuller picture of its past.

Des Moines is taking the first steps toward a citywide historical survey that could reshape how it preserves places and stories tied to its past.Why it matters: The survey is meant to capture overlooked places and personal stories to preserve a fuller picture of the past.<ul><li>It could include resident-submitted stories, oral histories and less visible landmarks — like longtime gathering spots or homes tied to overlooked communities.</li></ul>

Researchers uncover Black history at this Des Moines cemetery

More than a dozen Underground Railroad participants are buried at Woodland Cemetery.

As part of our Black History Month coverage, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="we recently spotlighted" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/des-moines/2025/02/21/black-history-month-edna-griffin-center-street-fort" data-vars-content-id="68dea16f-3228-48de-b2c5-e47a4576e8bc" data-vars-headline="Researchers uncover Black history at this Des Moines cemetery" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/des-moines/2025/02/21/black-history-month-edna-griffin-center-street-fort" target="_self">we recently spotlighted</a> several local activists whose contributions influenced the broader Civil Rights Movement.Why it matters: We barely scratched the surface, including history rediscovered from <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="the graves at Woodland Cemetery" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/des-moines/2024/04/22/new-book-grave-desmoines-woodland-cemetery-woodland?utm_source=chatgpt.com" data-vars-content-id="68dea16f-3228-48de-b2c5-e47a4576e8bc" data-vars-headline="Researchers uncover Black history at this Des Moines cemetery" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/des-moines/2024/04/22/new-book-grave-desmoines-woodland-cemetery-woodland?utm_source=chatgpt.com" target="_self">the graves at Woodland Cemetery</a>.

Sit-ins, soldiers, a lost district: Des Moines' remarkable Black history

Locals were at the forefront of the nation's early successful civil rights cases.

Edna Griffin led one of the nation&#x27;s first successful civil rights cases in 1948, challenging segregation at Katz Drug Store in Des Moines — seven years before Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus.Why it matters: While Griffin&#x27;s fight didn&#x27;t make national headlines, it forced change in Iowa and helped lay the groundwork for future movements.

Des Moines' Butler Mansion could become Italian American museum

The $13 million project would showcase Italian-American heritage.

The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Butler Mansion" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/des-moines/2022/01/10/polk-county-italian-american-cultural-center-mansion" data-vars-content-id="22291698-8475-4583-877e-56f046872d03" data-vars-headline="Des Moines&#x27; Butler Mansion could become Italian American museum" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/des-moines/2022/01/10/polk-county-italian-american-cultural-center-mansion" target="_self">Butler Mansion</a> would be transformed into a museum, café and event center as part of a $13 million project proposed by the Italian-American Cultural Center of Iowa.Why it matters: The renovation would make much of the iconic 1930s art deco modern-style home accessible to the public as a cultural destination.

Historic Highland Park building could be saved

Des Moines City Council will vote on whether to pay $500,000 for building.

One of the metro&#x27;s most <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="endangered buildings" data-vars-click-url="https://www.desmoinesheritagetrust.org/endangered-buildings-in-des-moines#:~:text=I.O.O.F.%20Hall%20/%20Drug%20Store%3A%20200%20Euclid%20Avenue%20(1907)" data-vars-content-id="ea47c215-a630-4873-9f69-d6b2c17918c2" data-vars-headline="Historic Highland Park building could be saved" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.desmoinesheritagetrust.org/endangered-buildings-in-des-moines#:~:text=I.O.O.F.%20Hall%20/%20Drug%20Store%3A%20200%20Euclid%20Avenue%20(1907)" target="_blank">endangered buildings</a> could be saved as part of a $500,000 purchase plan that goes before the Des Moines City Council tonight.Why it matters: The International Order of Odd Fellows (I.O.O.F) Fraternal Hall is a landmark building in Highland Park&#x27;s commercial district, where <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="preservationists recently lost" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/des-moines/2023/09/26/historic-highland-apartments-building-demolished" data-vars-content-id="ea47c215-a630-4873-9f69-d6b2c17918c2" data-vars-headline="Historic Highland Park building could be saved" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/des-moines/2023/09/26/historic-highland-apartments-building-demolished" target="_self">preservationists recently lost</a> a battle to save a historic apartment.

Ask Axios: Have people fallen from the Iowa State Fair Sky Glider?

Dozens of people were stranded on the ride for more than an hour nearly 50 years ago.

&quot;How often do people fall from the Iowa State Fair Sky Glider? Like do they have numbers? It&#x27;s always been a fear of mine when taking my kiddos.&quot;— Eric Doll, WDMAnswer: Rest easy, Eric! Nobody has fallen from the glider in its nearly 50-year history.

New documentary chronicles Iowa's 1970s refugee efforts

Robert Ray was the only governor at the time to answer a call to help resettle the families.

A documentary chronicling former Gov. Robert Ray&#x27;s efforts to welcome thousands of Tai Dam and Southeast Asian refugees to Iowa in the 1970s debuts Wednesday.Why it matters: &quot;<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Refugees Welcome" data-vars-click-url="https://www.verylocal.com/refugees-welcome/" data-vars-content-id="09021763-153d-416c-9444-e6c04616bb85" data-vars-headline="New documentary chronicles Iowa&#x27;s 1970s refugee efforts" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.verylocal.com/refugees-welcome/" target="_blank">Refugees Welcome</a>&quot; resonates beyond Iowa and could help bring historical context and meaning to today&#x27;s humanitarian outreach efforts, Laura Ling, the documentary&#x27;s producer, tells Axios.

Woodland Cemetery's history shines in new book

The book highlights the lives and interments of more than 120 people.

A new book highlights the intriguing lives and interments of more than 120 people buried at Des Moines&#x27; Woodland Cemetery.Why it matters: The 176-year-old cemetery is a part of the historic fabric of the metro.

Des Moines' new trees have historic connections to Abraham Lincoln

They were propagated from those near President Abraham Lincoln's gravesite.

Two Osage orange trees propagated from those near President Abraham Lincoln&#x27;s gravesite will be planted during an event Monday at Hoyt Sherman Place.Why it matters: The planting marks the final phase of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="an outdoor stage and lawn enhancement" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/des-moines/2023/01/24/hoyt-sherman-place-outdoor-plaza-desmoines" data-vars-content-id="fb16940b-45ed-492c-b27a-edcadea27344" data-vars-headline="Des Moines&#x27; new trees have historic connections to Abraham Lincoln" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/des-moines/2023/01/24/hoyt-sherman-place-outdoor-plaza-desmoines" target="_self">an outdoor stage and lawn enhancement</a> plan envisioned more than a century ago.

History

History Mystery: A view of Walnut Street

History mystery: George W. Bush's dining spot

Historians chase Grand Avenue's hidden past

Des Moines plans to survey its forgotten history

Researchers uncover Black history at this Des Moines cemetery