All eyes will be on Iowa and other Republican-led states these next few months to see if an early exit from federal unemployment benefits truly nudges people back to work.

Why it matters: Gov. Kim Reynolds is curtailing the weekly $300 bonus starting Saturday. This will make Iowa one of the earliest states to try and see if it moves the needle in our labor participation.

• "This is going to be one of the largest experiments in the U.S. labor market that I've ever heard of," Peter Orazem, an economics professor at ISU, told Linh.

The big picture: The lack of urgency to return to work is puzzling and contradicts trends from past recoveries, Orazem said.

• The U.S. experienced its fastest wage growth in the last year since 1998.
• 559K jobs were added in May, but employment marginally increased in comparison.

What they're saying: People may stay at home because of lack of child care or potential virus exposure, but Iowa's early school reopenings and vaccinations should have abated that, Orazem said.

• "The one constant has been that unemployment benefits are generous. So that's the last possible explanation that hasn't been changed," Orazem said.

The other side: An extra $300 a week isn't enough incentive for people to stay at home, said Paul Rottenberg, president of Orchestrate Hospitality.

• He believes the pandemic exacerbated Iowa's existing worker shortage that's made more severe now because of new jobs in booming industries like construction and warehouses.

Workers also now feel more empowered to choose jobs they genuinely like, said Mike Draper, owner of Raygun.

• "I think people are just assessing what they do during the day and how they want to be treated and what kind of environment they want to work in," Draper said.

📢 Currently unemployed? Share what’s keeping you home in this situation.

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DMPS' free summer meals program, Grab-n-Go Meals, starts today for anyone under age 18, regardless of family income levels.

Why it matters: Thousands of children in central Iowa rely on free school programs for most of their weekday meals.

• Summer break can leave kids without a stable food source, which can stunt their development and have long-term effects on their health.

The state of play: Nearly 24,000 DMPS students — almost 80% — are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches.

• Since the pandemic, some programs have expanded or relaxed guidelines to make sure children have access to nutritious meals during school closures and other virus-related restrictions.

The big picture: An estimated 13 million children in the U.S. face summer food insecurity, according to Feeding America.

What they're saying: Fewer than 8% of the 40K students who need summer meal assistance in central Iowa get it, according to Central Iowa Shelter & Services, which helps run the Meet-Ups program.

• Lack of knowledge is part of why they're underused, Food Bank of Iowa president Michelle Book told Axios.

Worthy of your time: We've got a full rundown of some free food programs in our city this summer here.

No big surprise — Iowans like their Ford F-150's just as much as their pork tenderloins and Busch Lights.

• The Des Moines Register published a list of our state's most popular vehicles using Iowa DOT data for their All-Iowa Auto Show last weekend.

Here's the list of what cars make Iowans' hearts pitter-patter:

• Most popular car brands in order: Chevrolet, Ford, Dodge, Toyota, Honda, Buick, Pontiac, GMC, Jeep and Chrysler
• Most popular vehicles in order: 2013 Ford F-150, 1997 Ford F-150, 2018 Ford F-150 Supercrew, 2010 Ford F-150, 2014 Ford F-150, 2019 Ford F-150 Supercrew, 2000 Chevrolet K1500 Silverado, 1999 Ford F-150, 2011 Ford F-150, 1998 Ford F-150

The bottom line: Great news if you're moving! Pickup trucks are Iowa's most popular type of vehicle.

🏌️PGA Tour Champions Principal Charity Classic winner was Stephen Ames, a golfer from Canada. (AP)

📚 Des Moines Area Community College is still restoring internet service following a cybersecurity incident that closed the school Friday.

💦 More than 200 buffer systems will be created in Polk County in the next two years to help improve water quality. (The Des Moines Register🔒)

🚌 Check your bus routes: Changes to about a dozen DART routes started yesterday, including restored frequency levels to a few temporarily reduced during the pandemic.

📶 Mediacom alleges WDM intentionally misled the public about plans for a conduit network. The company asked a county judge last week to reverse an earlier ruling in an ongoing case linked to the city's $50 million project with Google Fiber.

 🌽 Thanks to Chelsea Davis of Ames for our ear pun!

Pandemic PSAs and politics: Our article about an audit that concluded Gov. Reynolds violated a state self-promotion law in a COVID-19 PSA noted the same campaign also featured U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, a Democrat.

• "Vilsack's position isn't based on a voter election. Your mentioning it seems to allude that Vilsack's participation, as Sec of Ag, would be a misuse of power equal to that of a sitting governor," — James Keehner, Des Moines

DSM's tall grass: We told you how the city missed a fall application that helps reduce weeds in medians. Some readers applauded the snafu.

• "Many forward-thinking people are doing the same — mowing for weed control, but not contributing to all the negatives that go along with chemical weed control, especially in light of water quality issues in Iowa." — Tony Thompson, Des Moines

This was the scene at a pond near Blue Heron Lake at Raccoon River Park in WDM Sunday.

• City Manager Tom Hadden said an investigation with the DNR is underway.

Noteworthy: Sometimes fish kills are considered natural events, like this one in Ankeny a few years ago.

• Low water levels may have contributed to a depletion in oxygen, killing the fish, Hadden told Jason.

We’ll update you when we learn more.