Sept. 1, 2026, Des Moines Daily Umbrella Podcast

Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.Good morning, central Iowa. It is Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. Here is your Daily Umbrella Podcast morning update. Let’s get started. …Two people are dead after an overnight house fire in Des Moines. Des Moines firefighters were called to a home in the 1400 block of Tiffin Avenue at about 2 a.m. Tuesday. According to Des Moines Fire Lt. Gene Emery, two people died. …Meanwhile, in Polk County, supervisors have approved what is being called a historic, long-term lease agreement with Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino. The Polk County Board of Supervisors approved the agreement Monday. That agreement is expected to provide long-term financial stability for the county. …Around the country, rescuers in the Grand Canyon have recovered the bodies of two people following a major flash flood. About 80 people were rescued over the weekend. One person remains missing. The flooding also severely damaged the only water pipeline serving Grand Canyon National Park. …Now for something a little lighter. A recent study says Oreo is the most talked-about food and snack brand on social media in the United States. There are 11.4 million Instagram and TikTok posts using the Oreo hashtag. That’s a lot of cookies. The study was conducted by digital marketing consultant Chris Laas using YouGov data and social media statistics. Clearly, people have opinions about cookies. And maybe more importantly, people have opinions about how to eat them. Do you dunk it? Twist it apart? Eat the cream first? Eat the chocolate wafers first? Put it in ice cream? Or do you eat an entire sleeve and then quietly put the empty package back in the cupboard? …Now, let’s check the weather. Tuesday will be partly cloudy, with a high of 93 and a low of 73. There is a 20% chance of rain. Wednesday will also be partly cloudy. The high will be 93, with a low of 74. Rain chances are 20%. Thursday looks a little warmer. Expect partly cloudy skies, with a high of 94 and a low of 74. The rain chance Thursday is 30%. And if you are dealing with allergies this morning, the pollen count is listed at 11.6, in the high range. The top allergens are nettle, chenopods and ragweed. …Let’s get to sports. The Chicago Cubs had quite a night Monday. They hit a franchise-record nine home runs in a rout of the Milwaukee Brewers. That included three home runs by third baseman Alex Bregman. It was his second three-homer game of August. And in international soccer, Lionel Messi has retired from international competition with Argentina. Messi finished his international career with 207 appearances and 125 goals. He also won a World Cup and two Copa América titles. …On this date in history, Sept. 1, 1972, American chess grandmaster Bobby Fischer defeated Boris Spassky in Reykjavik, Iceland. And Sept. 1 also marks one of the deadliest natural disasters in history. In 1923, the Great Kanto earthquake struck Japan. The magnitude 7.9 earthquake devastated Tokyo and Yokohama. More than 140,000 people died. …And finally, your morning chuckle. Yesterday, we asked why water never laughs at jokes. The answers included: Because it does not like a dry sense of humor. Because it is all wet. And because it “harbors” a lot of resentment. Today’s riddle is a little tougher. What do you get when you throw a billion books 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.