🌱 Meta Expands Altoona Campus + New Botanical Garden Statue

Morning, neighbors! It's me again, Katarina Betterton, your host of the Des Moines Daily.

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First, today's weather:

Mostly sunny; breezy, cooler. High: 43 Low: 24.

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Here are the top 3 stories in Des Moines today:

1. Police report some Des Moines area schools are improperly storing drugs confiscated from students. The issue gained attention last week after officers were called to Lincoln High School to break up a fight and discovered that the school's staff had been sitting on a week's worth of confiscated drugs that included marijuana, ADHD pills, anxiety pills, and allergy medication. Staff members had also flushed some of the drugs down a toilet, according to the police report. Police advise schools to immediately call and have an officer pick up confiscated drugs to avoid future mishandling. (KCCI Des Moines)
2. Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has announced plans to expand its campus in Altoona with the addition of two new buildings. Once the construction is completed, the total square footage of the campus will surpass five million, making it the company's largest operational data center in the world. The Meta Altoona Data Center will continue to be supported by 100 percent renewable wind energy. (KCCI Des Moines)
3. A new sculpture was installed at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden on Tuesday. The sculpture was commissioned by the Greater Des Moines Public Art Foundation and created by Spanish artist Juanjo Novella. It depicts a leaf with a long, curved stem. (desmoinesregister.com)

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Today in Des Moines:

• Family Painting Night At Urbandale Public Library (6:00 PM)

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From my notebook:

• The US National Weather Service will now send WEAs any time thunderstorm warnings mention 80 mph winds. (Facebook)
• Fire crews with the West Des Moines Fire Department received extra training today, using the burn cell to work on hose advancement, water application, and pumping drills." (Facebook)
• Former Iowa state epidemiologist and medical director Dr. Caitlin Pedati left the Iowa Department of Public Health, citing an interest in pursuing new career opportunities. (Facebook)

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You're all caught up for today. I'll see you around!

— Katarina Betterton

About me: Katarina loves to read and write. Her hobbies include cooking her grandmother's recipes, learning new languages, and crafting. She and her husband live with their mutt, Ledger, and Shiba Inu, Mikasa, who are both way too cute for their own good.