Episode notes
Good morning, Des Moines. It’s Monday, Sept. 21, 2026, and this is your Daily Umbrella Podcast. Here’s what’s making news this morning. …
Merlyn Linn, the founder of Linn’s Haunted House in Des Moines, has died at age 88. Linn died Sept. 17, according to a news release posted on the Linn’s Haunted House Facebook page. Linn grew up on a farm near Dayton before moving to Des Moines at age 10. After high school, he served in the U.S. Navy and later married his high school sweetheart, Shari Robinson. At age 26, Merlyn and Shari bought a store and turned it into Linn’s Supermarket. Linn’s Haunted House became a familiar part of the Halloween season in central Iowa. His legacy will live on each fall as people continue to seek out a good scare. …
Gas prices are also making news. Drivers across Iowa are seeing higher prices following a power outage at ExxonMobil’s Joliet refinery in Illinois. The outage forced the refinery to shut down and put additional pressure on the Midwest fuel supply, contributing to a sharp overnight spike in prices. …
In Marion, flooding has closed several parks after heavy weekend rain. Marion received about 4 1/2 inches of rain Saturday and Sunday. Floodwater covered trails, basketball courts and green space at Thomas Park, while Prairie Hill and Boyson parks also were closed after nearby creeks overflowed. One resident described Thomas Park as looking like a “ginormous swimming pool.” …
In national news, an ICE agent shot and wounded a man Sunday afternoon in Austin, Texas, according to local authorities. The man was hospitalized in serious but stable condition. Anti-ICE protesters gathered at the scene following the shooting. …
Overseas, Russian drones struck the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, a day after Ukrainian forces launched more than 1,000 drones at Russia, according to officials. The attacks come amid continued fighting and little apparent progress in diplomatic efforts to end the war. …
Now, let’s check the weather. Today will bring scattered showers, with a high of 64 and a low of 53. There is a 60% chance of rain. Tuesday will be partly sunny, with a high of 63 and a low of 51 and no rain in the forecast. Wednesday will be partly cloudy, with a high of 65 and a low of 53. There is also no rain in the forecast. The allergy report today is in the low range, with a rating of 2. Top allergens include nettle, chenopods and ragweed. …
And finally, here’s your day in history. On Sept. 21, 1939, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt appeared before Congress and asked lawmakers to amend the Neutrality Acts and lift an embargo on military aid to European countries facing Nazi aggression. On this date in 1955, the Daughters of Bilitis was founded in San Francisco. It became the first lesbian-rights organization in the United States. And on Sept. 21, 2008, the final baseball game was played at the original Yankee Stadium. The Yankees defeated the Baltimore Orioles, 7-3, with Mariano Rivera pitching a perfect ninth inning. …
And now for today’s morning chuckle: How do you make a robot angry? Think you know the answer? Send 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.