Des Moines city leaders are in talks with several companies, including Google Fiber, to bring residents and businesses better internet, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: Internet accessibility has been a priority for years and has become more urgent amid a pandemic that requires large swaths of the population to complete their work and schooling from home.

What's happening: Google Fiber approached Des Moines about a partnership, similar to its plan to make West Des Moines into Iowa's first "Google Fiber City," Des Moines City Manager Scott Sanders told Axios.

• Google Fiber — the company's fiber-optic broadband internet service — is only in 11 U.S. cities so far. (Seven others have Fiber Webpass.)
• Teaming up would would mean providing residents and businesses with super-fast, reliable internet service at a competitive cost — currently advertised at $70 a month for West Des Moines residents.

The state of play: Des Moines is still in the "early discovery phase" but is interested in a provider that would make a private investment in infrastructure so there would be no need to cough up public dollars, Sanders said.

• Des Moines is also in contact with MetroNet, which recently started construction of a fiber optic network for Clive.
• The city would like to reach an agreement by this spring.

Of note: Des Moines is using three key criteria in assessing providers:

• 📶 Citywide access.
• 💰 Affordability.
• 📚 Education to help residents learn how to use and understand the technology.

What to watch: Des Moines is closely eyeing the West Des Moines project to avoid the legal challenges its suburban peer is encountering.

With President Biden at the helm, Sen. Chuck Grassley is focusing on protecting the Renewable Fuel Standard — a law that had its ups and downs under the Trump administration.

• "I hope it will be easier than [with] the Trump administration to protect ethanol and biofuels," Grassley told Linh in a recent interview.

Why it matters: The ethanol mandate boosts the price of corn and establishes a floor price for Iowa's most popular crop.

• RFS requires oil refineries to annually blend 15 billion gallons of ethanol into the U.S. fuel supply.
• Drops in fuel sales due to the COVID-19 pandemic already hurt farmers' pockets in 2020, and the EPA's unpredictable commitment to RFS under former director Andrew Wheeler didn't help.

His focus: In 2022, the 15-billion-gallon requirement will sunset and could leave Iowa farmers with too much corn, resulting in lower revenue.

• Grassley said he has urged Biden's EPA nominee, Michael Regan, to quickly issue a rule and commit to the current volume.

What to watch: The Biden administration could move to prioritize support for renewable energy sources, like solar or electric, rather than ethanol.

The 87-year-old senator said he feels fine after contracting COVID-19 three months ago.

• 🍦 Yes, he can still taste his favorite Dairy Queen.
• Grassley said he was asymptomatic and mostly bored inside his D.C. townhouse for two weeks, including over Thanksgiving.
• "I didn't even have my wife. She was isolated on the farm," Grassley said.

🏃‍♂️ On his routine: He still runs daily, but he's gone from three miles down to two.

🏖️ On retiring: Grassley said the virus hasn't slowed him down, but he's expected to announce his plans in the coming weeks.

• He added that he would be proud of his grandson, Iowa House Speaker Pat Grassley, if he decided to run for the U.S. Senate.
• Pat Grassley has declined to tell reporters his 2022 plans ... yet.
• "It's up to him. Obviously, I'd be very, very proud of him if he were to do that," Grassley said. "And (I'm) also proud of his work as the Speaker of the House."

⚽️ 🏒 Two major projects in districts seeking the DSM City Council’s support in applying for a state incentive program are on the table. They include Krause+'s $550 million downtown soccer stadium and the Des Moines Buccaneers’ proposed 3,500-seat multipurpose arena.

👨‍🏫 👩‍🏫 DMPS will teach lessons during lunch as a way to avoid extending the school year after the Iowa Department of Education said the district's virtual classes in the fall were non-compliant with state requirements.

😷 Gov. Kim Reynolds’ decision to end the state's mask mandate yesterday "can’t be rationalized" by current COVID case numbers, DSM Mayor Frank Cownie said in a press release. A city mandate continues.

Des Moines schools and DSM police aren't requiring their employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine, but most say they want it, according to internal surveys conducted by both groups.

By the numbers:

• 76% of 3,115 DMPS employees surveyed said they wanted to get vaccinated. It's worth noting that there were 1,885 staffers who didn't respond.
• 60% of the 411 eligible DMPD police officers, dispatchers and crime scene investigators said they want the vaccine.

The big picture: Pew Research Center reports that 60% of Americans plan on getting vaccinated — and confidence has increased over time.

Sunday's high temps across the metro area were in the bone-chillingly low single digits — and forecasts show we're not gonna reach above freezing this entire week.

• 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨 Not records, but we think it's still a good excuse to warm up with a few early Valentine's Day cuddles.

If approved, Des Moines will build sidewalks along 13 blocks of residential streets near Howe Elementary School under a plan that will be considered today.

This is how it looked when Jason drove by Sunday morning near the intersection of Southeast 7th and East Broad streets. With no sidewalks in sight, pedestrians had two choices:

1. Walk through snow.
2. Walk in the street.

Want to try something new? Check out the snack and sweets aisles at C Fresh Market, Des Moines' largest Asian grocery store.

• Salted egg chips, soft mochi and crunchy rice snacks line the shelves.
• Prices are cheaper than on Amazon or "ethnic" food aisles in other stores.

🐇 Linh's favorite snack? A bag of White Rabbit Creamy Candy for $2.79.

• The popular Chinese sweet is a milky, chewy candy that's similar to taffy. (And rabbits are the luckiest of all 12 animals in the Zodiac.)