Happy Friday! You finally made it to the sunshine.

☀️ Weather: Sunny, with a high of 63 and a low of 45.

🎂 Happy birthday to our members Whitney Free, Allison Smith, Eric West and Carol Kruse!

• And happy early birthdays to Murray Williams and Gary Mishler!

💰 Situational awareness: A special Iowa legislative session begins this morning to consider up to $1.36 billion in incentives for Mesabi Metallics' planned $15 billion steel mill in Lee County.

Today’s newsletter is 1,015 words — a 4-minute read.

Iowa United Basketball could invest millions of dollars to build a private outdoor recreation and training area.

Why it matters: The project is another major investment by founder Mark Scharnberg in the scholarship-based prep school he and his wife fund.

Driving the news: On Monday, the Des Moines City Council will hold a public hearing on a zoning amendment that would allow private outdoor sports and recreation uses on about 10.6 acres near 2400 Gannett Ave.

Catch up quick: Scharnberg — president of Katecho, a manufacturer specializing in medical and cosmetic products — launched the private Christian basketball school last year.

• The school, which is part of Oakmoor Academy, operates from a renovated 73,000-square-foot warehouse near the airport that includes basketball courts, a performance training center and housing for up to 24 boys.

Flashback: Scharnberg told Axios at the time that he was investing about $150,000 per athlete annually and hoped that expanded academics and sponsorships would eventually make the program financially sustainable.

Yes, but: That's no longer the plan. Scharnberg says he and his wife have decided to treat Iowa United as a "passion project" and expect to continue funding it themselves.

• Iowa United has also dropped the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) spring/summer component of its program, so students are no longer in Des Moines year-round, Scharnberg said.

Context: Scharnberg says recruiting players for both the school and its AAU team proved difficult, and keeping high school students away from their families for most of the year was challenging.

• The program now runs roughly from late August through early April, allowing players to return home and compete with AAU teams elsewhere in the spring and summer.

Zoom in: The outdoor area will be developed in phases and could eventually include a basketball court, soccer field, outdoor performance center and picnic area.

• Initial earthwork, fencing, a retaining wall and road could cost $500,000 to $1 million, with additional amenities added over several years. Major construction will likely start next year, Scharnberg tells Axios.

⭐️ 1 fun thing to go: Iowa United Basketball was the answer to yesterday's "Where's Jason?"

• Axios DSM reader Joey Aguirre won two tickets to Eerie Evenings, courtesy of the Greater DSM BOOtanical Garden.

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Toney Chem has been rehearsing for his biggest music set, yet in an unlikely place: his car.

• He's been practicing while driving to visit his wife, Sarah, who's spent the past month hospitalized with a severe lung infection and plans to watch his Panda Fest performance over FaceTime.

Why it matters: Chem, who co-owns 5 Borough Bagels with Sarah, says music has been his anchor through some of the hardest moments of his life.

• "Every time there's any kind of traumatic event in my life, music is always the lifesaver," he says.

State of play: Sarah has been at MercyOne downtown for a month after her pneumonia developed into empyema, resulting in lung surgery, chest tubes and weeks in the ICU.

• She is now out of intensive care and hopes she can go home next week.

How it started: Chem released his first album in 2003 at 16.

• At 18, Chem, a Pella native and Cambodian American, moved to New York City, where he pursued his creative passions, but also faced living in "survival mode" after the death of his mother and suffering from alcoholism.
• He met Sarah and they moved to Iowa in 2013, opening 5 Borough Bagels in Clive three years later.
• He's been sober for five years, which he says is when "music started speaking" to him again. He released his second album last year.
• "I was able to heal," he says. "I was suppressing all these emotions."

What they're saying: The last two years have been "non-stop" as he's pursued music and grown 5 Borough Bagels, which may supply the Des Moines airport next year.

• This month has made him rethink that pace, however.
• "I'm realizing God is kind of telling me to slow down," he says. "Don't always say yes to everything."

Go deeper

Friday

🐼 Pandafest | An Asian food and culture festival | Outlets of Des Moines | Starts Friday at 4pm and goes through Sunday | Tickets: $18

🧙 Movie Night: "Hocus Pocus" | Cozy up for an outdoor screening of the Halloween classic with pizza, popcorn, cookies and drinks. | 6:25pm | Colby Park | Free!

Saturday

🌞 Downtown End of Summer Celebration | Games, music, drinks, free Exile beer and the Iowa vs. Ohio State game on the Jumbotron. | 2:30–7pm | The Hub Spot | Free!

🎸 The Pork Tornadoes | Johnston's final Sounds of Summer event for this season. | 7–10pm | The Yard at Johnston Town Center | Free!

Sunday

🎶 Sunday Funday | Local musicians with food, cider and farm views. Bring the kids, dog, and blanket or lawn chair. | 3–6pm | Wilson's Orchard & Farm, Cumming | Free!

Strychnine Live Music and Drinks opens tomorrow in the former Lefty's space near Drake University.

Why it matters: It preserves a small stage for local and emerging acts after Des Moines lost longtime venues including Gas Lamp and Vaudeville Mews in recent years.

What's next: The venue at 2307 University Ave. opens at noon, with bands taking the stage around 2pm.

• Tomorrow's shows are $10 for either of two music blocks, or $15 to catch both.

Read more: How Strychnine was named

🪶 Jason might learn how to write with feather quills at tomorrow's Heritage Jubilee in WDM.

🚣 Linh is heading to Clear Lake this weekend for a girls' trip.

This newsletter was edited by Chloe Gonzales.