Aug. 25, 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 Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026. Here are the top stories you need to know. …We begin in southern Iowa, where a measles outbreak has grown to 17 confirmed cases, according to Iowa Health and Human Services. That is two more cases than the department’s previous update. Officials also identified a new potential exposure location. Anyone who visited Sunnyside Grocery in Bloomfield on Aug. 15 between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. may have been exposed to measles. If you were in that area during that time, health officials are urging you to be aware of possible symptoms and follow guidance from Iowa Health and Human Services. …Here is some good news from the Iowa State Fair. Food vendors donated 11,000 pounds of food to the Food Bank of Iowa this year — nearly twice as much as last year. And one contribution really stands out: The Iowa Egg Council donated 6,912 pounds of hard-boiled eggs. …If your calendar is not already full this week, there are several food events worth considering. On Thursday, Aug. 27, Wilson Ciderhouse is hosting a Sturgeon Moon dinner featuring seven seafood courses inspired by chef Jacob Demars’ roots in Cape Ann, Massachusetts. There is one seating at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 28, brings the Historic Corn Plot Dinner at Wallace Farm in Orient. The dinner celebrates Pioneer Hi-Bred’s centennial and will feature corn grown at the farm. Also beginning Friday and continuing through Sunday is the World Food & Music Festival at Western Gateway Park in downtown Des Moines. …Now, let’s check the weather… and the air. Today will be partly cloudy, with a high around 86 degrees and a low tonight near 68. There is about a 20% chance of rain. Wednesday looks mostly sunny, with a high around 84 and a low near 64. Thursday should also be mostly sunny, with a high around 84 and a low near 62. And if your nose has been telling you something is going on outside, it is not imagining things. The allergy outlook is elevated today, with weeds among the primary concerns. The Daily Umbrella's allergy report specifically lists nettle, chenopods and ragweed as the top allergens. Ragweed is particularly worth watching this time of year, as weed pollen becomes a bigger problem heading into fall. …Publisher Shane Goodman shares in his column how he spent part of his weekend driving Iowa’s county roads, which he says is one of the best ways to discover that you can go a long way in Iowa without actually getting anywhere in particular. And that got him thinking about those little roadside signs we tend to ignore: Iowa’s mile markers. They are not really there to tell us exactly how many miles we have traveled. Iowa DOT now more accurately calls them “reference posts.” The physical posts are placed at approximately one-mile intervals, but they can be as much as 1.04 miles apart. So do not get angry at your odometer when Mile 100 and Mile 101 do not turn out to be exactly one mile apart. …And finally, today’s Morning Chuckle asks: What song is it when a guy throws his laptop into the ocean? Think you know the answer? Send your guess to [email protected] before noon today for a chance to be featured in the next edition. And be sure to subscribe to our full email version of The Daily Umbrella for free at www.TheDailyUmbrella.com. …