Don't worry — people aren't rushing to return their pandemic pups to shelters, despite alarmist headlines earlier this year.

• In fact, the opposite issue is happening. There's so much demand there aren't enough staff to keep up with processing the adoptions.

State of play: Fewer pet owners have surrendered their animals to the Animal Rescue League of Iowa this year than in 2020 and 2019, according to the state's largest nonprofit shelter.

• And while this year's adoption rate is 10% lower in comparison to 2020, there are also fewer pets to adopt following our pandemic pet craze.

Between the lines: It's good news people aren't returning pets willy-nilly, but there are concerns owners will be forced to give them up, considering many Americans are at risk of eviction, said Stephanie Filer of ARL-Iowa.

What they're saying: Lack of affordable, pet-friendly housing is one of the major reasons why people give up their animals, Filer said.

• These days, most people consider pets "a part of the family," and want to stay with them, she added.

A real-life example: A local owner returned his puppy to the ARL while "bawling" because he ended up homeless and couldn't find a place that would accept a pit bull mix, Filer told us. He brought everything the dog loved to give to the shelter. And his own allergy meds too, which he started taking when he adopted his pooch.

• "That is how the pandemic is impacting people," Filer said.

How you can help: Donate to the ARL's "Paw It Forward" fund that helps keep pets and owners together, or offer up temporary care by becoming a crisis foster home.

Downtown Des Moines is going to look much different next year, due in part to a $29 million sewer project through much of MLK Parkway.

What's happening: The city is starting to alert nearby businesses and event planners about the DSM Metropolitan Wastewater Reclamation Authority (WRA) project, which is slated to get underway in the coming months.

Why it matters: Construction will close some of downtown DSM's busiest streets for almost a year.

• "This is going to be very disruptive and you're going to hear a lot about this project," WRA director Scott Hutchens warned the City Council last month.

Details: The WRA's Ingersoll Run project is a sewer separation, stretching from around 22nd and High Streets, through a section of Locust Street and along MLK from 15th Street to Principal Park.

• Groundwork begins in January, and the completion date is anticipated to be around June of 2024.

Between the lines: Modern sewers are typically built so that raw sewage is carried in a separate line from rainwater runoff.

• Some of DSM's sewers are more than 100 years old, and the city had 20 systems with combined lines. That's a problem because they can exceed capacity and discharge untreated wastewater into rivers or streams.

Flashback: The project is part of an agreement DSM made with environmental regulators back in 2003 to continue operating the WRA facility on the city's southeast side.

• The following year, DSM started citywide sewer separations under a five-phase, $338 million plan that's expected to continue for another four years. Ingersoll Run is one of the last projects.

Of note: DSM is the only city in the metro with combined sewers, and regulators have agreed to keep one downtown because it's too costly to separate.

• 13 others in Iowa, mostly river towns, are dealing with similar issues.
• Nationally, there are 772 cities with such systems, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

The National Balloon Classic is floating on right now in Indianola, and pilots from across the country have gathered to compete.

• Some local gravel bikers decided to take a scenic route through the event Tuesday morning. Check out the route here.

Balloon competitions will go on through Saturday. See them for free in the mornings or pay $10 at night.

🐑🐓🦆 Fun fact: A sheep, rooster and duck were the first-ever hot air balloon passengers in 1783.

We're going out more, and so are our local police officers, putting extra overtime pay in their pockets.

State of play: With Des Moines bustling this summer, officers are out patrolling gatherings every week, especially events that require street closures.

• DMPD officers were paid $165,894.59 in overtime from weekends in June. Of that, nearly $54,000 was for working special events.
• The remainder covers investigations, training, patrol and tactical team negotiations, spokesperson Sgt. Paul Parizek said.

Between the lines: The department's peak overtime pay in recent years occurred in 2020, despite barely any events being held. That's due in part to police response to protests.

The bottom line: Expect to see overtime pay rise as we continue engaging in what feels like the busiest summer ever.

Government-mandated coronavirus vaccinations are supported by nearly two-thirds of Americans, according to a new survey conducted by the COVID States Project.

What to watch: While a blanket mandate hasn't been proposed at any level of government, the incremental support depicted in the survey comes as more businesses and institutions are deciding whether to implement vaccine requirements for employees, Axios' Caitlin Owens reports.

Go deeper: Vaccine mandates are popular