🌱 Travel and COVID Over The Holidays + New Elementary School Bid

Good morning, Des Moines! Like many of you, the Patch team is taking some time off to enjoy the holidays, so there will not be a newsletter in your inbox tomorrow. We appreciate your understanding of this slight pause in our schedule, and I will be back on Monday with the next edition of the Des Moines Daily! Now, here's everything happening around town today.

---

First, today's weather:

Rather cloudy and mild. High: 57 Low: 32.

---

Here are the top stories in Des Moines today:

1. COVID-19 cases in Iowa are surging, fueled by the introduction of the omicron variant, so it is important to bear in mind travel and holiday guidelines. Vaccinations are invaluable during the holiday season, as those that are vaccinated have an extra layer of protection. As always, it is important to wear a mask, social distance, and wash hands frequently. (Mason City Globe Gazette)
2. On Tuesday, the Ankeny School Board has accepted construction bids for the city's next elementary school. The new school is intended to relieve capacity challenges in the school district as enrollment continues to grow. It will be on the city's northern side and is set to open in 2024. (Des Moines Register)
3. Dads are coming together to help reduce fights on Des Moines Public Schools' campuses by joining a group called "Dads on a Mission". The plan they decided on was to be positioned at East High School in three shifts: morning, lunch, and after school. Those involved will have to have a clean background to make sure it's safe for them to be on a school campus. (Local 5 - weareiowa.com)
4. A damaged Des Moines glass mural, called "Expansion," has been removed for repairs. The mural is on its way to Germany where artists will be repairing it. Jessica Rowe, with the Greater Des Moines Public Art Foundation, is organizing the repair and said she hopes to have the glass mural repaired and reinstalled by the spring. (KCCI Des Moines)

---

Today's Des Moines Daily is brought to you in part by our friends at Verizon. They're building the fastest 5G network in the country. To learn how 5G is going to change life for you and your community — and to get access to this amazing technology — click here. And thank you Verizon for sponsoring this community resource in Des Moines!

---

From my notebook:

• What would you like to see in Valley Junction? Take our Visual Preference Survey and tell what type of future you would like to see in Historic Valley Junction. The survey is open until Thursday, Dec. 30th, 2021. (Nextdoor)

---

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Events:

• Save 15 Percent On FTD's Christmas Collection (December 25)
• Add your event

---

Loving the Des Moines Daily? Here are all the ways you can get more involved:

• Send a friend or neighbor this link so they can subscribe
• Get your local business listed in front of readers

---

That's it for today! I'll see you soon.

— 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.