Community Corner

🌱 Patch AM: How the $146M Southwest Mixmaster overhaul will change your commute

Make time for Raise the Woof: The Dog House Social on the Des Moines Patch calendar

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Tuesday September 1st Patch AM
Tuesday September 1st Patch AM (Patch graphic)

Hi there, Des Moines! We've got your morning read ready! Read on to stay connected. ☕️️

In today's newsletter:

  • How the $146M Southwest Mixmaster overhaul will change your commute
  • How Des Moines families are turning overdose grief into lifesaving action
  • How will Des Moines' growing data center hub reshape water, taxes, and jobs?

Also on today's calendar: Raise the Woof: The Dog House Social and 5 more events.

Today's riddle: What is the 1 way to guarantee winning a small fortune at the casino? 🤔 (Answer below!)

From our Partner
Today's Des Moines Patch AM is brought to you in part by T-Mobile. After investing billions to light up their network from big cities to small towns, T-Mobile is America's Best Mobile Network in the US according to Ookla Speedtest®. Based on analysis by Ookla® of Speedtest Intelligence® data 1H 2026. We thank T-Mobile for their support in helping to keep communities like ours connected and for making today's Des Moines Patch AM possible.
Find a T-Mobile store near Des Moines. Advertisement

Weather forecast:

  • Tuesday: Partly sunny, a t-storm; hot, with a high of 95 and low of 75 degrees. 🌶 Hot!
  • Wednesday: Mostly sunny and hot, temps: high: 93, low: 74.
  • Thursday: Partly sunny and hot, with a high of 94 and low of 74 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

• Construction begins on $146 million Southwest Mixmaster project in West Des Moines (kcci.com) — Drivers in West Des Moines and the wider metro should prepare for years of construction as a $146 million overhaul of the Southwest Mixmaster gets underway, including overnight closures on I-80/35. A new flyover bridge, modeled on Des Moines' East Mixmaster, will eventually replace the cloverleaf, aiming to ease congestion and improve safety for commuters heading downtown.
   

• Families honor lives lost to overdose at Iowa Capitol memorial (kcci.com) — Des Moines residents joined families at the Iowa Capitol to remember loved ones lost to overdoses, while city landmarks like the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden glowed purple for Overdose Awareness Day. Local nonprofit Steps of Hope is expanding free naloxone boxes, including Iowa's first publicly accessible box in Des Moines, to help prevent future deaths and reduce stigma around addiction.
   

• Iowa groups ramp up campaigns for and against data centers (spencerdailyreporter.com) — Data centers are rapidly expanding in Iowa, with the largest hub in the Des Moines area and a major digital infrastructure summit set here on Sept. 29. Community, environmental, labor, and tech groups are clashing over water use, tax incentives, and jobs, while new tools and meetings aim to help local residents and officials evaluate future projects.
   

📸 Around Des Moines

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🗓 Upcoming Events in Des Moines

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📣 Des Moines Shout Outs!

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🗓 Events Nearby

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • If you dropped cash at Walmart on 73rd today, it's at the customer service desk.
    Sorry this wasn't posted sooner. I had to get home and log in for work but I found and turned it in about 4:00 p.m. (Nextdoor Waterbury)
  • Anybody need any work done?
    Evenings or weekends? Can do pretty much anything you need fixed inside or outside of your house lmk!!! (Nextdoor South Fort Des Moines)
  • Excell Brands posted a job opening for Warehouse Distribution Specialist in Des Moines. Apply here.
  • Ryder System posted a job opening for Payroll Coordinator II - REMOTE in Des Moines. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Des Moines here.

🗞 Nearby News

Altoona

West Des Moines

  • Johnston Medicaid spending for pathology and lab procedures climbs to $37,267 in 2024 (desmoinessun.com)

Ok Des Moines! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: By starting with a large fortune. (Thank you Kourtney Z. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!

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