😁 Happy Friday! Well, Iowa really said “remember winter?” and absolutely meant it. We’re in an extreme cold watch, which means it is offensively cold. The kind of cold that hurts your face and makes you question every life choice that led you outside.

Weekend Weather:
Today ⛅ Hi -1, Sat 🌨 Hi 5, Sun 🌥 Hi 13, Mon ☀ Hi 22

B&A Club:
🎂 Happy Birthday
Zach Niehaus -- Carroll (40 yrs)
Jeff Schon -- Glidden (62 yrs)
Preston Ogren -- Carroll (11 yrs)
🥂 Happy Anniversary
none reported

Takis doesn’t think so, as it searches for a “Chief Intensity Officer.”

Claire Yubin Oh

Some intense news for spice-loving job seekers: Takis, the popular corn tortilla chip brand, launched a public hunt last week for its first-ever “Chief Intensity Officer,” a paid brand ambassador role targeting content creators with a unique competition format that involves public voting and live judging for a $30,000 winning prize.

The job ad — that is, of course, really a marketing campaign — is emblematic of a country that no longer settles for mild. For some time now, America has been quite happily setting its mouth on fire, embracing heat in almost anything edible, with chilis and spice making their way into everything from mac ‘n’ cheese to sandwiches, lemonade to ice cream.

Perhaps in part because of a new generation of spice ninjas who carry their own mini Tabasco bottles and sriracha key chains, chili sauce is outgrowing its condiment peers. Indeed, it was the only one to grow in retail volume from 2019 to 2024 in the US among data provider Euromonitor’s list of sauce categories, squeezing up 13% while more traditional accompaniments like BBQ sauce, mayonnaise, ketchup, and soy sauce all saw their volumes drop.

For restaurants and packaged food companies battling rising food costs, spice has become a relatively cheap and effective way to get restaurant-goers’ attention and mark up menu prices. Snack makers like Frito-Lay were early to the trend, with its “Flamin’ Hot” flavoring first created in 1989 — which now occupies the No. 1 spot in spicy salty snacks, generating more than $3 billion in retail sales a year.

America’s melting pot of cultures has also seen its collective palette expand, with influences from Latin, Asian, and African cuisine bringing up the collective spice tolerance of the nation. That’s particularly true in younger people, with 51% of Gen Z in a 2024 survey considering themselves “hot sauce connoisseurs.” A whopping 35% have even signed a waiver (like this?) before eating something spicy. The soaring success of shows like “Hot Ones,” which invites celebrities to eat progressively hotter hot wings, have only poured fuel on the spicy fire.

As such, trends during the pandemic appeared to accelerate the spicy trend, though growth has calmed down ever since. Menu data from Datassential provided to Sherwood News reveals that 95.5% of some 4,861 restaurants surveyed offered at least one spicy menu item in the second quarter of 2025, more than the number of restaurants that offered chicken (95.1%).

However, the share of menu items with the word “spicy” has stayed relatively flat since 2023, at ~9% as of Q2 2025, suggesting that we may have hit a bit of a spice plateau.

That said, Google data suggests that when it comes to searching for a mouth-tingling meal, America’s appetite is still growing: searches for “spicy food” are at their all-time high.

At the state level, data from grocery delivery platform Instacart found that New Mexico was America’s hot sauce capital — with residents there ordering 31.9 ounces of the stuff between October 2023 and September 2024, followed by, perhaps ironically, Alaska, where residents eager to warm up ordered 29.2 ounces per customer.

Bottom of the spice list, per Instacart? Alabama.

The Carroll County Republican Central Committee hosted three of the five GOP’s gubernatorial candidates running for governor in the upcoming November election at a forum yesterday (Wednesday) evening. Not an empty seat could be found at the Santa Maria Winery, with attendees having a chance to socialize, hear directly from the GOP’s hopefuls, and having small group discussions with the contenders. First to speak was former District 91 Representative Brad Sherman (R-Willamsburg), who endorsed President Trump during the 2024 elections, who decided that his work was not finished in government and that his broad range of experience, his core values that will not be compromised, and wanting to make Iowa the best it has ever been, as why he should be the next Iowa Governor. Next to speak was former Iowa Administrative Services Director Adam Steen, who says he has jumped into the race to preserve and protect the culture of Iowa. For the last five years, Steen has worked with Governor Reynolds and her administration through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) task force. He has been a business owner in the private sector and on the inside as someone who continued to look for improvements to ensure efficiency. Steen says he will fight for every Iowan everyday if elected as governor. The third candidate to speak was District 89 Representative Eddie Andrews (R-Johnston), who was proud to announce the passing of the banning of eminendomain for a carbon capture pipeline in the Iowa House that he was voting on earlier Wednesday. Andrews says he pursued a seat in the legislature to address mental health and education in Iowa and he says leadership honored not through the promises made, but the promises kept. After introductions, candidates went table to table, having conversations with attendees on key issues that Iowans want to see addressed. Two other republican contenders that are running for Iowa Governor but not in attendance include District 4 Representative Randy Feenstra (R-Hull) and Iowa farmer and business owner Zach Lahn. The Carroll County Republican Central Committee will be holding two more forums in a similar fashion at a later date for other races this upcoming election. PHOTOS

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🍪 The City of Glidden is inviting the public to the library this Saturday to have treats and ask questions with local first responders. From 10 a.m. until noon, staff from three local agencies, Carroll County EMS, Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, and the Glidden Fire Department will share a little background information on what they do and how they ensure the safety of all community members. Glidden Administrative Assistant Krysten Bernholtz says she did a spin on the “Donuts with Cops” events that were held in neighboring towns and decided on “Cookies and Questions” expanding to other services aside from law enforcement. Bernholtz says this is an opportunity for kids to meet the local first responders and have a little fun while doing so. Again, the City of Glidden is inviting everyone to the come and go event of “Cookies and Questions with First Responders” this upcoming Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon at the Glidden Public Library.

📖 The Lake View Public Library shared its annual report during the City of Lake View City Council meeting this past Monday. Library Board President Judy Kramer says the library had a record-breaking year, serving over 14,000 patrons and had very successful programs over the course of 2025. Kramer says the library submits these statistics every year to the State Library of Iowa, as it is fully accredited at a Tier Three status, having the highest level of certification for public libraries. Director and lead librarian, DiAnne Fikkert, also has the highest level of certification for a public librarian. This allows for the maximum funding amount allocated from the state to the library. Kramer says the rest of the funding comes from local government entities, donations and gifts, and fundraising from The Friends of The Library organization. Kramer says that group earns enough money from the annual book sale fundraising event to pay for all of the activities during the summer reading program. She wishes to thank all the supporters, staff and volunteers that assist the Lake View Public Library to continue its purpose of informing and educating patrons. The annual report was presented to the city council before the library’s budget request for Fiscal Year (FY) 2027. The library is asking for a 2.52 percent increase in funding, which equates to around $60,970 to help finance capital improvement projects, the purchasing of a new copier and a 50 cent per hour wage increase to all librarians. No decisions were made during Monday’s meeting as budget requests are still just being introduce to the council.

🏥 Manning Regional Healthcare Center (MRHC) announced that the Recovery Center is the recipient of more than $500,000 in Iowa opioid settlement funding to provide opioid use disorder (OUD) services to patients. This funding will allow to strengthen care to individuals in Carroll, Crawford, Shelby and Audubon Counties, expanding access to intake and outpatient services, Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) and chronic pain management. A MAT clinic would be established at MRHC, using management practices to reduce opioid reliance and improve outcomes.  Another component would be to increase access for Crawford County residents following the closing of Denison’s former outpatient provider by offering on-site intake assessments and transportation to Manning for outpatient and MAT services. MRHC CEO Shannon Black says “this investment allows us to reduce barriers that often prevent rural residents from getting timely, effective care. It strengthens our ability to serve patients close to home while responding to a growing regional need.” MRHC will continue its mission to improve access to care, working with regional partners to reduce the sigma and support lasting recovery for all patients.

Iowa Winters are wild ‘IOWA WILD’ and we want you to prove it! What is the craziest winter story you have? What wild things have you seen or done during an Iowa winter storm or winter season? Tell Us or Show Us and you could win a 4-pack of tickets to see the Iowa Wild Ice Hockey Team live in action! Enter today and tell us about your Wildest Iowa Winter experiences! Get bonus points for sharing a photo (photos are not required)! One weekly winner will be chosen to score a 4-pack of Flex Tickets* to see the Iowa Wild (read details here).

At the start of each week the Carroll Broadcasting Sports Network Crew catches up with area high school coaches to recap their previous weeks events and preview the match ups that are happening for the week ahead. Listen here and subscribe.

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Jason Clayworth

"Fish game" arcades that have become popular in businesses across the metro have sparked crime and nuisance concerns, prompting the Des Moines City Council to launch a review of ways the city can regulate them.

Why it matters: The games are proliferating rapidly, yet under the current state law, DSM officials have little direct oversight of them, council members and police tell Axios.

Catch up quick: The Iowa Legislature revised the state's social and charitable gambling law in 2015, mostly to modernize language dating back to the 1970s that focused on games like bingo.

Zoom in: Now, "skill arcades" or "fish games" — gambling-style video tables that entice customers to catch virtual fish for prizes — are in about every neighborhood of the city, recently retired DSM City Councilman Chris Coleman tells Axios.

The intrigue: The games are licensed by the state, giving local governments limited power to regulate them.

The big picture: Cities in other states have also wrestled with how to better oversee the games, with Charlotte, North Carolina, police warning that the arcades target low-income populations.

What they're saying: Most businesses with the machines are responsible operators, but a handful have had ongoing issues, often linked to large groups gathering at the establishments late at night, Des Moines Sgt. Paul Parizek tells Axios.

Reality check: DSM police don't specifically track fish game complaints.

Yes, but: They believe the presence of the games is linked with the number of calls to some businesses, including a few that have had dozens of calls since June, Parizek said.

What's next: DSM's legal department is expected to provide the City Council with an analysis of potential next steps in the coming months.

More State Headlines:

✅WEEKEND INSIDE: A list of the 25 most popular tv shows right now.

✅CHEAT SHEET: Tips for surviving the short, cold days of winter.

✅READ: Myths vs. Facts about warming up your car on a cold day.

✅BELOW FREEZING: The outdoor fun doesn’t have to end just because it’s cold outside.

✅ 26 THINGS IN 2026: 26 pop culture events to look forward to this year!

✅HALF FULL OR HALF EMPTY: In case your parents didn’t teach you…

✅ENTER TO WIN: Iowa Winters are wild… prove it! Enter your wildest Iowa Winter story for a chance to win.

✅ FRIDAY: 5 Year Anniversary Celebration at Deep Roots Salon!

✅SATURDAY: Luke Farland Music at Pour Decisions in Manning!

✅SUNDAY: Sunday Funday Euchre at The 4R’s Tavern!

Mini Crossword: For those of you that wake up each morning wanting a challenge - how fast can you complete this crossword. Ready, set, go.

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