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Good morning, Des Moines! It is Friday, Oct. 9. 2026, and this is your Daily Umbrella Podcast, your five-minute briefing on what is happening around central Iowa and beyond. …

We begin in Ottumwa, where an invocation at Tuesday’s City Council meeting is drawing controversy. Former council member Matthew Dalbey delivered a prayer that ended with the words “hail Satan.” According to The Ottumwa Courier, local pastor Rick Bick took the microphone, despite public comment normally being reserved for the end of meetings, and called the invocation a curse on the city. …

Meanwhile, some major retailers are heading to Altoona. The developer behind The Shoppes at Prairie Crossing announced the first group of stores coming to the area. They include Barnes & Noble, HomeGoods, PetSmart, Marshalls, Sierra, Burlington and Boot Barn. More retailers are expected to be announced in 2027. …

In West Des Moines, the new owner of Valley West Mall has told the remaining 17 tenants to leave within 30 days. That includes the Des Moines Children’s Museum. The museum’s general operations manager said the notice came as a surprise. …

Around the world, Hurricane Simon is heading toward Mexico’s Pacific coast, and forecasters expect it to strengthen. Early Friday, the storm had maximum sustained winds of 90 mph, and hurricane warnings were issued for parts of the central and southwestern coast. …

And in a surprising development from the Pentagon, officials say the planned firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan will be livestreamed. It would be the first U.S. military execution in more than 65 years. …

Now, for some noodle news. Barilla has purchased Goodles, a macaroni-and-cheese brand that launched in 2021 and now accounts for 7.8% of U.S. shelf-stable mac-and-cheese sales. The purchase price was not disclosed, but the company was valued at $86 million a year ago. Goodles has been taking market share from Kraft by promoting enhanced protein and fiber. And here is the local connection: The product will continue to be made in California rather than moving production to Barilla’s U.S. plant in Ames. …

In baseball, Cleveland’s Guardians stayed alive in the American League Division Series, beating the Chicago White Sox in Game 4 to force the series back to Cleveland. In the NFL, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was reportedly upset after a stadium worker called the team’s loss to Tampa Bay embarrassing. The Buccaneers entered the game winless and left with a 24-16 victory. And in basketball, LeBron James made his preseason debut with Philadelphia’s new-look 76ers lineup, offering an early glimpse of how the star-studded group might work together. …

On this day in 1936, Hoover Dam began transmitting electricity to Los Angeles across 266 miles of transmission lines. In 1975, Soviet physicist and human rights advocate Andrei Sakharov won the Nobel Peace Prize. And in 1992, a meteorite crashed into an orange Chevrolet Malibu in Peekskill, New York. …

Today will be partly cloudy, with a high of 82 degrees and a low of 65. There is a 30% chance of rain. Saturday looks sunny and breezy, with a high of 84 and a low of 62. Sunday will bring another warm day, with a high of 80 and no rain expected either day. …

Yesterday’s morning chuckle asked: Why do we tell actors to break a leg? The answer: Because every play needs a cast! And now for today’s chuckle: Why does a milking stool have only three legs? Think you know the answer? Email your guess to tammy@iowalivingmagazines.com 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.