Polk County's juvenile detention center is holding kids longer, partly because of changes to state and federal law that now generally prohibit placing youth in adult jails — even when they're prosecuted as adults.

Why it matters: The facility is routinely over capacity, pushing children into other juvenile detention facilities across the state.

• Costs have more than quadrupled in the last three years, according to data recently presented to supervisors.

Catch up quick: Child advocacy groups had long campaigned to end the practice of placing juveniles in adult jails, arguing they are far more vulnerable to abuse, neglect and violence in adult facilities.

• Federal legislation signed during President Trump's first term gave states three years to phase out the practice.
• Iowa's law began in December 2021.

State of play: The number of youth in detention at the Polk facility has remained relatively flat, from 361 in FY22-23 to 373 in FY24-25, according to data from the county's Community, Family & Youth Services.

• Those facing adult charges typically account for fewer than 10% of the facility's detained youth.

Zoom in: The average length of stay for those who are facing adult charges increased from 40 to 95 days during that time.

• Overall, juvenile detention costs increased from $106,400 to $504,900 during that period.

Behind the scenes: Youth are frequently being relocated to other counties because Polk is full.

• The total number of days Polk's detention center youth spent out of the county increased from 532 to 2,244 days in the last three fiscal years.

What they're saying: Placements are court-ordered, and there's little the county can do immediately to reduce the numbers, Eric Kool, director of Polk's youth services department, tells Axios.

• When possible, the county uses an in-home monitoring placement system, which saves more than $500,000 a year, he says.

What we're watching: A bill that would change the way state money is allocated to detention centers.

• That would result in more money for smaller counties, but could cut as much as $300,000 annually from Polk County, Kool said.

A petition to honorarily name Drake University's Greek Street after a former president of a recently closed fraternity was pulled from the Des Moines City Council agenda last night after the school determined most of the names were fraudulent.

Why it matters: The episode underscores how easily support can be fabricated and why verification matters before policy moves forward.

Catch up quick: The request was to name 34th Street between University and Forest avenues "Agha Street" in honor of Agha Noor Ahmed Khan, one of the last presidents of Drake's Phi Gamma Delta fraternity before it closed late last year.

• The petition listed 20 names described as metro residents with ties to the university's Greek system or the broader DSM community.

Driving the news: Drake University launched an investigation into the request shortly after Axios published a story yesterday.

• "We have determined that most of the names on the petition are fake, including names attached to the supporting documents," Jerry Parker, vice president and dean of students at Drake, said in a statement to Axios.

Behind the scenes: Just hours before Parker's statement, a person claiming to be Khan emailed Axios, asking to speak about the matter.

Yes, but: The person did not leave a telephone number or respond to emails yesterday.

Reality check: A petition is among the first steps in DSM's street naming process.

• Various citizen board and commission reviews would have followed had the council agreed to consider the request.

The intrigue: The petition was submitted by "Kalsoom Asif," who listed an address in the 2500 block of University Avenue but did not identify their role at Drake.

• A LinkedIn account that has no followers lists Asif as a computer science student at Drake, but Axios was unable to verify the information.

What's next: Drake is conducting an ongoing investigation, Parker said.

Many independent restaurants say they've hit a pricing ceiling — even as sales and foot traffic stabilize, according to the James Beard Foundation's annual industry report, shared exclusively with Axios.

Why it matters: Survival tactics of the past few years — higher prices and delivery expansion — are losing effectiveness, leading operators to reset the math.

Between the lines: Restaurants that raised prices more than 10% in 2025 were most likely to report lower profits — down from a 15% threshold in last year's report.

• "There's just not a lot of elasticity left," Anne McBride, VP of impact at the James Beard Foundation, the nonprofit behind the James Beard Awards, told Axios.
• Operators say diners are pushing back — skipping second drinks, sharing desserts and trimming add-ons to manage the final check.

Zoom in: A growing list of popular metro restaurants have announced closures this year, and it's likely to extend due to long-term workforce and economic pressures, Jessica Dunker, president and CEO of the Iowa Restaurant Association, previously told Axios.

The bottom line: In 2026, stability depends less on charging more, and more on running smarter.

Go deeper

🛻 The DSM City Council approved a new contract with Crow Tow, with multiple council members pledging to review how to better regulate and standardize towing practices, following ongoing consumer complaints. (Council video)

✈️ Gov. Kim Reynolds is using a state-owned airplane for travel, a reversal from her predecessor, former Gov. Terry Branstad. In 2016, Branstad said owning and operating the planes was too costly in comparison to driving. (Des Moines Register)

🏡 Residential construction in the Des Moines area slowed in 2025, impacting new housing availability. (Business Record)

🗳️ Iowa's 2026 U.S. House races are in national focus as Democrats target seats in the state. (Axios)

🍽️ Motley School Tavern in Des Moines has new owners and a new chef. (Des Moines Register)

On this day in 1969, the Supreme Court issued its landmark Tinker v. Des Moines decision that established students' rights to free speech in public schools.

Flashback: In December 1965, 13-year-old Mary Beth Tinker and several classmates wore black armbands to protest the Vietnam War.

• The Des Moines school board preemptively banned the armbands and suspended Tinker and four others, including her brother John, for refusing to remove them when they came to school.

The bottom line: The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that students do not "shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate."