Mayor Frank Cownie is pursuing new rules for City Hall as Des Moines transitions back to in-person meetings, including a weapons ban and the installation of metal detectors.

• The effort is partly in response to escalating tensions between the public and city officials, he told Axios.
• Cownie may also ask the council to consider suspending or banning the most egregious decorum rule breakers from future meetings.

Why it matters: The city wants to improve security and public dialogue without violating constitutional protections to free speech and gun rights.

• Between the lines: Guns must be allowed in city buildings unless armed security guards are present (they currently aren't) under an Iowa law signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds last year.

Flashback: DSM council meetings became noticeably more contentious following the death of George Floyd last year in Minneapolis, as calls for police reform reached our city.

• One council meeting lasted 14 hours because dozens of speakers used 30-minute periods for public discussion on dozens of agenda items.
• "Troll control" rules were adopted in August, limiting public speakers to 85 seconds on most agenda items, which was partly in response to people who hacked into Zoom meetings and made racist remarks.
• An open public comment section of the meetings was limited to 30 minutes, sometimes leaving less than 60 seconds per speaker.

Speakers who reach time limits are cut off mid-sentence, driving frustration among some who believe the rules are unfair and intended to silence those who wish to express differing views.

• A sign of contention: DSM resident Leah Plath began her comments at a public meeting two weeks ago with "F*** you, Frank," after the mayor cut off earlier speakers for not being germane. (It’s at the 1:32:20 mark of this video).

Of note: Plath didn’t return Jason’s calls but is signed up to speak again at tonight’s council meeting, which is expected to be particularly divisive.

• At least 45 people have requested to speak.
• Some will question why a Des Moines police sergeant with a history of excessive force is helping to lead the department's de-escalation training.

What's next: Cownie is consulting with the city's legal team on the possible security measures, which ultimately need council approval. The council will discuss them in coming weeks.

We're totally over the pandemic, but we're not out of it yet and an uptick in positive cases shows our continuing battle.

By the numbers:

• Cases in Polk County averaged 102 cases per day on April 2 — similar to average rates two weeks ago. But in March, case counts were averaging in the 90s, according to the New York Times.
• Hospitalizations: Between March 19-25, an average of 59 COVID patients were hospitalized, a slight uptick from 34 patients in early March.
• Deaths have remained the same. Since most older Iowans have already been vaccinated, future COVID waves are expected to be less deadly than in the past.

Between the lines: Polk County is still ranked at "very high risk" of exposure to the virus, according to the New York Times.

The bottom line: Vaccinations targeting vulnerable populations will spare us the suffering we endured during our November peak, but only 17% of the county is fully vaccinated, meaning there's still plenty of people at risk.

Special shout-out to Axios DSM reader Nina Lentini for the new name of our "Catch up" series.

Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a bill into law allowing people in Iowa to buy and carry handguns without permits. (Des Moines Register)

COVID-19 infections at Iowa nursing homes were initially overcounted last year because of a categorization flaw. (Iowa Capital Dispatch)

🚌 Today is the last day to give DMPS input about its upcoming school year budget. Learn more and comment here. A virtual pubic hearing and final board vote is Tuesday at 5:45pm.

📎 Staples in Ankeny is laminating CDC vaccination cards for free. (WOI-TV)

🍺 A sign of summer: The Iowa Craft Beer Tent announced plans for a larger venue at the Iowa State Fair.

The majority of Ankeny residents and businesses could have fiber optic internet service available to them in two years.

State of play: On Monday, the Ankeny City Council is considering an agreement with MetroNet that would allow the private company to build out underground fiber optic lines in 90% of the city, excluding private land and where lines already exist.

• Why it matters: We know the importance of reliable, high-speed internet — just look at how the derecho outages stifled us last year. Plus: More provider options never hurts.

The big picture: Telecom and tech companies are spending trillions on internet technology infrastructure as they race to own more of the market, especially as consumers continue to drop cable subscriptions.

• MetroNet already has deals with Urbandale, Clive and Johnston. Google is in talks with Des Moines and West Des Moines.

What's next: The council will consider the agreement tonight. If approved, construction is expected to finish by November 2022.

Here's a twist from our story last week about popular pet names: Unusual people names.

• Oskaloosa resident Cheryl Benson retired last year after working nearly 25 years in our state’s education system.
• She maintained an electronic database of the unusual first names she encountered during her career and shared it with Axios.

Of more than 400 names on her list, these 10 stood out to us:

• Felony
• Cricket
• Soldier
• Renegade
• ABCD
• Ethanyl
• Shooter
• Jackhole
• Nirvana

Later this week we'll share some of your responses about your unusual pet names. (It's not too late if you've got one to add.)