Indianola Square businesses are banding together and have formed the Indianola Downtown Merchants marketing and events group to promote the area and help build the area. "We are now an official nonprofit organization," Indianola Downtown Merchants President Brandy Werner said. "We are really focused on creating a vibrant shopping and dining district for both local and non-local patrons."

(KMAland) -- At the end of June, waivers allowing the federal government to provide free school meals to all children will expire. As the programs return to pre-pandemic norms, Iowa families struggling to secure enough food are encouraged to explore options. Temporarily removing income requirements allowed families negatively affected by the pandemic to access these meals during school and over the summer, but resuming eligibility rules comes as rising grocery costs take a big bite out of household budgets.

DES MOINES, Iowa — A car crashed into a Mexican restaurant building in Des Moines on Friday afternoon. The Des Moines Police Department responded to a crash at the intersection of Indianola Ave. and East Hillside Ave. at around 2:30 p.m. Law enforcement said the male driver was heading northbound at a high-rate of speed.

A volunteer loads food into a sack at the Des Moines Area Religious Council food pantry in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP photo/Charlie Neibergall) If you’re on the other side of the fence — able to donate to the food bank rather than visiting to use its services — your local pantry can surely use your help. Running them is more complicated and expensive than it might seem.

That hamburger you're eating could help feed an area family from the Helping Hand hydroponic garden. That ribeye sandwich you're savoring could help pay for a child's summer camp where she'll learn how to manage her recent diabetes diagnosis. Those "screwy taters" dripping in cheese you enjoyed at last year's National Balloon Classic may have helped to give vision to a child like Joseph Carlson of Indianola for the first time in his life.

It's a classic for a reason. Eggs Benedict is a rich and satisfying dish found on brunch menus everywhere. The good news is that you don't have to leave home to relish in the tastiness of Eggs Benedict, and you can cook up this crave-worthy brunch item from the comfort of your own kitchen. The ingredients are simple, it's the techniques that have home cooks thinking it's too big a feat to take on.