🗣️ It’s Friday, the last one in May!

Time for Only in Iowa, this week’s photo, Positively Iowa, and news you can use.

A spread of breakfast dishes and a mug of coffee on a wooden table. (Cozy Café Johnston/Facebook)

In this economy, free food is a blessing we can’t take for granted. And if you have kids, that’s even more important.

Check out these Des Moines restaurants offering free kids’ meals—yes, free—on certain days of the week.

🐝 The Scripps National Spelling Bee was this week, and three Iowans were a part of it:

14-year-old Caleb DeVan, an eighth grader from Southview Middle School in Ankeny, won a statewide spelling competition in March with the word “jackal.”

11-year-old Malayna Eichwald, a fifth grader from Davenport who is homeschooled, went word-for-word for seven rounds with a 13-year-old to win the Dispatch-Argus Spelling Bee.

And they were overseen this week by Scripps head judge Mary Brooks of West Des Moines, who gives students words of encouragement when they misspell.

Join COURIER and 3.14 Action on June 11 for Facts vs. Fiction: The Fight for Science in American Democracy.

Misinformation isn’t just noise. It’s shaping policy decisions that determine who can afford care, which communities are protected, and how our government responds to real-world risks.

This live conversation will examine what’s at stake when facts are ignored and how science-informed leadership has shaped policy on healthcare, climate, agriculture, and public health. At a moment when institutions and public trust are under attack, we’ll explore what happens when decision-making is driven by evidence, what it takes to rebuild trust, and why scientific integrity is essential to democracy.

Stay tuned for more speaker announcements, and don’t miss this conversation.

Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Amie Rivers. It was edited by Paula Solis.

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