👋 Everett here. I've been editing Linh and Jason for much of the last three years and love learning about Des Moines via these two experts — but I never thought it could one day make me rich.

Driving the news: I first read about Caitlin Clark in Axios DSM in October 2021. As our coverage expanded and her legend grew, so did my interest in collecting her basketball cards.

• Her first mainstream card, from Topp's 2022/23 Bowman U Chrome, came out in June 2023. I bought my first one for $9.65 on eBay and now have 12 of them in my 100+ card Clark collection.

Why it matters: Whether she's playing for Dowling or Iowa or the Indiana Fever, Clark is a true superstar in that everything she touches seems to explode in popularity — and sports cards are no exception.

• Her arrival in the WNBA has not only transformed the sport but also changed the entire women's basketball card market by causing prices to skyrocket.

Stunning stats: Those Bowman U Chrome cards sold for more than $50 each during last year's WNBA season.

• Another example: A box of Panini Prizm — one of the hobby's main products — from last year typically sells for around $250 or less.
• Last week, Panini released its 2024 WNBA version for $1,199.95 a box — and they sold out within a couple of hours.
• The latest NBA version, which hasn't been released yet, is expected to sell for almost $350 less than that.

Between the lines: If I were smart, I would've invested in autographed or rarer Clark cards. Most of my collection is worth $1, with the nicest cards in the $50-$75 range (though they could be worth a lot more if I sent them in to be graded).

• Compare that with a rare, autographed card that sold in December for $234,850 — by far the most expensive WNBA card ever — and that her more standard autograph cards regularly sell for four figures.
• I am biased, clearly, but am betting that her cards continue to increase in value.

The bottom line: I got into cards after my uncle passed away and handed down his collection. My Clarks will meet the same fate — I'll just need to make sure whoever inherits them has a way to thank Linh and Jason.

• For more insights and long-term investments, keep reading Axios DSM!

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If you're walking around Brown's Woods, you may get a little more lost than normal.

Driving the news: Signs for navigating the county park in West Des Moines were stolen this month — leaving visitors without trail maps and mileage that are placed throughout the 4+ mile trail loop.

Details: Polk County Conservation ordered new replacement signs from Iowa Prison Industries for $242.40.

• The county has not yet identified any suspects.

What they're saying: "It's always disappointing when these kinds of things happen," Polk County Conservation spokesperson Jessica Lown tells Axios. "When someone steals navigation signs, they make it harder for others to use the park and of course, take up staff time and resources to replace."

What's next: Conservation staff plan on installing the new signs in the next month, Lown says.

Sometimes overlooked in monthly jobs reports is a stark reality: The unemployment rate among Black Americans is consistently higher than the overall rate — and that gap is especially pronounced in some states.

Driving the news: The overall U.S. unemployment rate was 4.2% as of Q3 2024, but the rate among Black Americans was 6.5%, per the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), a nonpartisan, nonprofit think tank.

Zoom in: Iowa's gap is 5%.

• Kentucky had the widest at 6.1%, while Mississippi and Maryland were tied for the lowest at 0.8%.

Go deeper

The original Jethro's location by Drake caught on fire over the weekend. (KCCI)

💵 Iowa farmers are owed $10 million after President Trump's federal funding freeze left them footing the bill for federally backed conservation efforts. (Des Moines Register)

💔 An Iowa National Parks Ranger went viral after he shared that he was among 1,000 NPS employees who were fired on Valentine's Day. (Des Moines Register)

Bids to purchase the U.S. Courthouse open on March 3.

Why it matters: It's the third historic downtown government building to be vacated, opening the door for new use and shaping downtown for decades.

Catch up quick: The nearly century-old federal courthouse at 123 E. Walnut St. is being replaced by a new $141 million building scheduled to open this spring just a few blocks away.

• The city of DSM will also be exiting City Hall and the Argonne Armory building in the next year as it consolidates offices to a former Nationwide building downtown.

State of play: The buildings are being offered for redevelopment.

• A fourth, the police headquarters, will transition to the Nationwide site in five or six years and will be offered in the coming years.

Buy it: Courthouse bidding starts at $60,000.

• The sale ends on April 21.

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