Aug. 14, 2026, Des Moines Daily Umbrella Podcast

Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.Good morning, and welcome to the Daily Umbrella Podcast for Friday, Aug. 14, 2026. Here are the stories you need to know to start your day. …The American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa has filed a federal lawsuit against the state on behalf of The Satanic Temple after the group was denied permission to hold an event in the Iowa Capitol rotunda. According to the ACLU of Iowa, The Satanic Temple applied in 2024 to hold a holiday display in the rotunda but was denied. Previous displays had been allowed but were vandalized. The lawsuit raises questions about free speech, religious expression and how public spaces are made available to different groups. …Story County officials are considering whether to renew a contract for Flock Safety cameras in Ames. The cameras have generated controversy over who has access to the information they collect. Last October, police departments that were not authorized to access the data were able to do so. The supervisors have expressed concerns about access to the information. And Flock Safety is responding to growing criticism across the country. The surveillance technology company announced changes to its license plate reader platform Thursday in an effort to address privacy concerns and documented abuses of its system by some members of law enforcement. …If you are headed to the Iowa State Fair tonight, there is a change to the Grandstand lineup. John Waite will perform at 8 p.m., replacing Rod Stewart, who canceled his Friday night performance. Waite is the singer-songwriter behind hits including “Missing You” and “When I See You Smile.” The concert is free, and no Grandstand ticket is required. …A man is facing an animal abuse charge after Iowa City police say he dragged a dog from an electric scooter. The incident happened Aug. 5 near Broadway Street and Sandusky Drive. According to a criminal complaint, an officer saw a man riding an electric scooter with something dragging behind him. The officer realized it was a small dog and stopped the man. The complaint says the dog’s body was “flopping around like a ragdoll.” …Food Dude Jim Duncan takes a look at an Iowa icon in his latest CITYVIEW feature: the Big Steer restaurant in Altoona. Duncan writes about Des Moines’ history of being hard on its icons, from public art to old buildings to giant cows. The Big Steer’s roadside cow has been standing along Adventureland Drive since 1984. Unlike Anderson Erickson’s giant cows, Annie and Eric, the Altoona cow has never been given a name. But the Big Steer has earned plenty of recognition as the home of “Iowa’s finest prime rib” and as one of the few surviving veterans of Iowa’s wind-grieved supper club era. …In sports, Kyle Schwarber had quite a night in Iowa. The Philadelphia Phillies slugger hit two home runs into an Iowa cornfield Thursday night as Philadelphia defeated the Minnesota Twins. Schwarber, who grew up in Middletown, Ohio, played college baseball at Indiana and spent his first six major league seasons with the Chicago Cubs. …On this date in history, Aug. 14, 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law. In 1985, Michael Jackson purchased the publishing rights to the vast majority of the Beatles’ catalog for $47 million. And in 2003, one of the largest blackouts in North American history hit the northeastern United States and parts of Canada. Fifty million people were affected. …And finally, today’s morning chuckle. Yesterday’s riddle asked: What is a frog’s favorite type of music? The answer? Hip hop! Today’s question is: Why did the meteorologists name their bowling team Lightning? Think you know the answer? Send your guess to [email protected] before noon today for a chance to be featured in the next edition.