Community Corner

🌱 Patch AM: How this weekend’s I-80 ramp closure could change your drive

Also check out 2026 Art Center Gala on the West Des Moines Patch calendar

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Wednesday September 16th Patch AM
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Cheers West Des Moines! We're back, helping you stay up to date with what's happening. Let's take on the day together! ☀️

In today's newsletter:

  • How this weekend's I-80 ramp closure could change your drive
  • Basement flooding in West Des Moines: what neighbors are rushing to buy.
  • How a West Des Moines firm helped spark Des Moines' timber boom.

Also on today's calendar: Blue Plate Mystery Dinner & Auction and 6 more events.

Today's riddle: What is the difference between black eyed peas and chick peas? 🤔 (Answer below!)

From our Partner
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Weather forecast:

  • Wednesday: A shower and thunderstorm, with a high of 68 and low of 64 degrees.
  • Thursday: Humid with a stray t-storm, temps: high: 76, low: 65.
  • Friday: Humid with rain and a t-storm, with a high of 88 and low of 69 degrees. 🌶 Hot!

📰 News we're reading

• Westbound I-80 on-ramp at southbound Jordan Creek Parkway to close Friday night, Sept. 18, into Saturday morning (iowadot.gov) — Drivers in West Des Moines should plan around a temporary closure of the westbound I-80 on-ramp from southbound Jordan Creek Parkway this Friday night, Sept. 18, through late Saturday morning. Crews will be doing asphalt overlay work, and traffic will be detoured via Ashworth Road between Jordan Creek Parkway and Grand Prairie Parkway, so expect delays and slower work-zone speeds.
   

• Local residents and hardware stores scramble for supplies amid unexpected September floods (weareiowa.com) — West Des Moines residents are dealing with flooded basements after heavy September rains, leaving local hardware stores like Cappel's Ace with nearly empty shelves for pumps, shop vacs, and squeegees. Homeowners are scrambling for plumbers and supplies while stores rush to restock, anticipating more rain and an unusually high demand for flood-fighting gear this late in the year.
   

• New Heart of America HQ in East Village to continue mass timber trend (desmoinesregister.com subscription) — A new mass-timber headquarters for Heart of America Group is planned for Des Moines' East Village, but it also highlights how a West Des Moines-based firm, the Cutler Group, helped popularize this sustainable building style around the metro. The $24 million project, backed by city tax incentives, could bring hundreds of jobs downtown and continue a regional shift toward greener construction.
   

📸 Around West Des Moines

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🗓 Upcoming Events in West Des Moines

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★ Featured events ★

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📣 West Des Moines Shout Outs!

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🗓 Events Nearby

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Thank you 👏👏👏 to these businesses for making West Des Moines PatchAM possible:

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • DMOS posted a job opening for Surgery Scheduler - Prior Authorization in West Des Moines. Apply here.
  • American Eagle Outfitters posted a job opening for AE - Stock Associate in West Des Moines. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near West Des Moines here.

🗞 Nearby News

Clive

  • Iowa Crop Progress and Condition Report — Week of Sept. 14 (gctimesnews.com)

Urbandale

  • Urbandale native earns historic honor for impact beyond the football field (who13.com)
  • We Ranked 10 Iowa Apple Cider Donut Shops From Good To Completely Irresistible (travelmag.com)
  • Des Moines resident shares firsthand witness of life in West Bank (blackiowanews.com)

Des Moines

Ok West 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: Black eyed peas can sing us a song but chick peas can only hummus one. (Thank you Bev H. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!

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