Good morning, and welcome to The Daily Umbrella podcast for Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026. Here are some of the stories and information making news around Iowa and beyond. …

We’ll start with a troubling trend in Iowa high school athletics. Eight Iowa high schools have canceled their varsity football seasons this fall because of safety concerns and low participation numbers. According to the Iowa High School Athletic Association, the schools include Davis County in Class 2A; Central Decatur and New London in Class A; and Exira-EHK, Lone Tree, Mormon Trail, Rockford and Siouxland Christian in the eight-player division. For many Iowa communities, high school football is about more than Friday night games. It’s a tradition, a gathering place and a source of community pride. But schools are increasingly having to balance that tradition with concerns a ...