Axios Des Moines

October 25, 2024
😂 T.G.I.F. funny: What do cavemen like to do on Friday nights?
- Answer: Go clubbing!
😎 Weather: Sunny with a high of 63°.
🎂 Happy birthday to our Axios Des Moines members Deborah VanMatre and Allie Geysen!
- And happy early birthday to members Beth And Charles Weidman!
This newsletter is 709 words, a 3-minute read.
1 big thing: Midwesterners lack UFO sightings
The Midwest is used to hearing flyover jokes, but when it comes to unidentified flying objects in the sky, we really seem to be missing out.
Driving the news: Enigma Labs is a startup that developed an app where users can upload videos of odd sightings in the sky to share with others.
- While the West and Southwest are hotbeds of strange activity, the Midwest has some of the fewest reports per capita, Alejandro Rojas, a UFO researcher, tells Axios.
How it works: An AI program on Enigma Labs app generates a score to help determine whether an uploaded user video captures something truly unidentifiable or just a plane, satellite or other known object.
- Because the government typically doesn't have enough data to study these anomalies, the app's goal is to crowdsource as much information as possible, Rojas says.
Zoom in: Since the app started in 2023, Iowa users have submitted 118 sightings.
- One example that intrigued Rojas was a cell phone video from Sioux City showing white orbs in the sky after the user heard an airplane and looked up.
- While such orbs are typically helium balloons, this orb appeared stationary, despite tree branches blowing in the wind in the background, Rojas says.
Catch up quick: Most people know the term "UFO," but the current term coined by the government is "UAP," an unidentified aerial phenomenon.
- With popular media like "The X-Files," the general public started associating "UFOs" with aliens, but Rojas says experts prefer a neutral approach, recognizing that these objects are simply unidentified — not necessarily extraterrestrial.
Between the lines: Iowa and other Midwestern states may report fewer UAPs due to fewer sunny days and colder temperatures that keep people indoors, Rojas says.
- Other parts of the country also have more military activity, which could be prompting more aerial sightings.
What we're watching: The majority of the time, objects are in fact explainable. Misidentifications have increased lately because Space X rockets have been adding satellites, he says.
- But he's heartened that both NASA and Congress are taking UAP sightings more seriously in recent years and sharing their own reports.
The big picture: It doesn't matter whether or not you believe in extraterrestrial beings, Rojas argues.
- What's important is documenting unidentifiable objects in the sky and researching what they could be — not just to satisfy curiosity, but also for airspace security, he says.
2. 👋 1 last bite: Trellis Café
Trellis Café permanently closes tomorrow with the retirement of chef Lisa LaValle.
Catch up fast: The restaurant has been located at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden for more than a decade.
- The plant-inspired menu focuses on seasonal and locally sourced eats.
Driving the news: "Flora" is opening at Trellis' spot in December by chef Suman Hoque and his wife, Cynthia Hoque.
- They also own HoQ, a farm-to-table restaurant in the East Village, and their new restaurant will feature a similar concept.
Dig in: Trellis's last days are 11am-2pm through tomorrow.
- 909 Robert D. Ray Drive in DSM.
3. Your weekend plans
Friday
📚 Be your introverted self during Silent Book Club at The Slowdown Coffee Co. | 6-8pm | Free!
🌝 Visit the Jester Park Nature Center after dark for a Halloween-themed event. | 6-7:30pm | Free!
Saturday
🤘 Don your best tunics — Uptown Garage Brewing in Ankeny is hosting a viking market. | 11am-5pm | Free!
🍭 Trick-or-treat at the Ankeny Hy-Vee off SW State Street. | 10am-1pm | Free!
Sunday
💀 Celebrate Día de Los Muertos at the Des Moines Art Center. The family-friendly event includes arts activities, a Catrina costume contest and an altar designed by local young artists. | 11am-3pm | Free!
🎃 Valley Junction is hosting a family-friendly pumpkin walk with gourds to take home. | 2-5pm | Free!
👻 Valley West Mall is hosting "Mall-O-Ween." Dress your kids up in costumes and find treats. | 3-5pm | Free!
4. Beggars' Night Des Moines jokes
If you're looking for Beggars' Night jokes for Oct. 30, here are some local colloquialisms. (Note: We are journalists, not comedians!!)
🐮 What makes the butter cow a good judge? It's always the fairest of them all.
👀 What's big, sad and empty inside and it's not your mom? Zora.
🦇 Why was the bat afraid to go to bed? He was scared Ozzy Osbourne was underneath, ready to bite off his head!
😱 A throwback: We'll leave you with one of our favorite "Halloween" stories from our past coverage ... the secrets lurking behind Merle Hay Mall's underground basement.
This newsletter was edited by Emma Hurt.
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