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After decades, this meat-heavy Des Moines pizza is coming back

Scarpino's pizza will be sold at the Iowa State Fair this year.

News

Scarpino&#x27;s pizza will return this summer at the Iowa State Fairgrounds, more than 50 years after going off the market.Why it matters: The revival brings a rare piece of the metro&#x27;s culinary history back to the public.

Gen Z is turning run clubs into social spaces in DSM

Social run clubs are growing in popularity across Des Moines.

Step aside, nightclubs — the cool kids are lacing up and heading to run clubs instead.The big picture: Social running is having a moment, especially among people in their 20s and 30s — driven by young people craving healthier, more analog social experiences.

These $250 devices help cut Des Moines crashes by 20%

The yellow backplates are now being installed citywide.

Crashes at Des Moines intersections with new <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="yellow-bordered stoplight backplates" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/des-moines/2023/11/14/stoplight-backplates-accidents-test-vision-zero-intersections" data-vars-content-id="02998494-807c-4b1b-aae2-366b8e7c332f" data-vars-headline="These $250 devices help cut Des Moines crashes by 20%" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/des-moines/2023/11/14/stoplight-backplates-accidents-test-vision-zero-intersections" target="_self">yellow-bordered stoplight backplates</a> have dropped 20%, according to traffic data obtained by Axios.Why it matters: The early results suggest a relatively low-cost tweak is outperforming expectations.

Iowa farmers face some of their toughest times since 1980s crisis

The president of the Iowa Corn Growers Association predicts fewer farmers in the next year.

Business

Falling crop prices and stubbornly high costs are squeezing Iowa farmers, with some warning that the strain rivals the 1980s farm crisis.Why it matters: The downturn is hitting a cornerstone of the U.S. food supply — with <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="ripple effects" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/04/06/iran-war-food-inflation-oil" data-vars-content-id="1a44a1c7-bf10-4815-be7c-f70c11b45241" data-vars-headline="Iowa farmers face some of their toughest times since 1980s crisis" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/04/06/iran-war-food-inflation-oil" target="_self">ripple effects</a> for rural communities and consumers.

Des Moines Diocese reports 51% increase in new Catholics

More people are converting to Catholicism in recent years.

Religion

The Diocese of Des Moines has seen a 51% surge in new Catholics this year, with 400 converts recorded compared to 265 in 2025.Why it matters: The local figures are part of a broader national trend, which <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="the New York Times says" data-vars-click-url="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/26/us/catholics-converts.html" data-vars-content-id="22399ca9-3e8c-49a1-9642-d1c65bbbc441" data-vars-headline="Des Moines Diocese reports 51% increase in new Catholics" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/26/us/catholics-converts.html" target="_blank">the New York Times says</a> is producing some of the highest convert numbers in recent years.

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.

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.

A new Catholic worship takes root in Des Moines

A 1,000-year-old worship tradition has arrived in Des Moines.

A new kind of Catholic worship is in Des Moines.State of play: Des Moines now hosts a regular <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Byzantine Catholic Divine Liturgy" data-vars-click-url="https://www.byzantineiowa.org/" data-vars-content-id="ba73183c-90db-438d-b975-37d301ade839" data-vars-headline="A new Catholic worship takes root in Des Moines" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.byzantineiowa.org/" target="_blank">Byzantine Catholic Divine Liturgy</a> — a service rooted in Eastern Catholicism that looks and feels different from the Roman Catholic Mass most people know.

Pew: Fewer Iowans are identifying as Christians

More people are willing to identify as "religiously unaffiliated" in the state.

Fewer Iowans are attending church or identifying as Christian, per new 2023-24 <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Pew Research Center" data-vars-click-url="https://www.pewresearch.org/religious-landscape-study/state/iowa/?selectedYear=2024&amp;activeChartId=3a8f3c134548c747729410b467b526e7&amp;dialogId=ceb6de178408877c807a87240a94cc4c" data-vars-content-id="03566dda-0104-4d39-b686-e3c6a050ea0e" data-vars-headline="Pew: Fewer Iowans are identifying as Christians" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.pewresearch.org/religious-landscape-study/state/iowa/?selectedYear=2024&amp;activeChartId=3a8f3c134548c747729410b467b526e7&amp;dialogId=ceb6de178408877c807a87240a94cc4c" target="_blank">Pew Research Center</a> data.Why it matters: Religion is a part of a &quot;larger social puzzle&quot; that has historically provided a built-in community, Drake University professor Brad Crowell tells Axios.

Iowa LGBTQ+ pastor to be ordained after Methodist vote

Her ordainment comes a month after the church repealed its longstanding ban on LGBTQ clergy.

Rev. Jordan Derhammer Capek of West Des Moines United Methodist Church will be ordained as a full elder on Sunday.Why it matters: She&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="openly gay" data-vars-click-url="https://wdmumc.org/leadership/#:~:text=Reverend%20Jordan%20Derhammer%20Capek" data-vars-content-id="1787bf93-ce85-4205-b0e4-0d2b49d37d4e" data-vars-headline="Iowa LGBTQ+ pastor to be ordained after Methodist vote" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://wdmumc.org/leadership/#:~:text=Reverend%20Jordan%20Derhammer%20Capek" target="_blank">openly gay</a>, and her ordination comes a month after the church repealed its longstanding ban on LGBTQ clergy.

A line chart shows changes in religious identification in Iowa from 2014 to 2024. The percentage of individuals who said they identify as Christian decreased from 77% to 62%. Meanwhile, the percentage who said they're unaffiliated increased from 21% to 31% during the same period.