🌱 Patch AM: Which new Ames shops changed your shopping options in 2025?

Good morning Ames! We're back again in your inbox, keeping you updated with what's happening in and around town. ☀️

In today's newsletter:

• Which new Ames shops changed your shopping options in 2025?
• See what three Ames kids are most proud of this year
• How Ames scientists may shape the future of ultra-fast computing

Today's riddle: I think I’ll wear only one boot today. 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

• Wednesday: Cloudy, with a high of 37 and low of 10 degrees. ⛄️ Brr!
• Thursday: Colder with decreasing clouds, temps: high: 27, low: 17.
• Friday: Partly sunny, with a high of 29 and low of 15 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. From vintage clothes to furniture, what stores opened in Ames in 2025? (desmoinesregister.com subscription) — New and expanded shops across Ames — from Furniture Mart USA to Overflow Thrift, CrawDaddy Outdoors, The Slow Era, and b.e.good — reshaped local shopping in 2025. Residents now have more options for furniture, outdoor gear, thrifting, and unique clothing, especially in west Ames and downtown.
   

2. What did you accomplish in 2025? Readers tell us their wins. (washingtonpost.com) — Three Ames kids are proudly featured for learning to ride a bike, tackling a tough class, and successfully moving up to middle school in a nationwide roundup of 2025 personal wins. Their stories sit alongside achievements from readers across the country, celebrating everyday perseverance and growth.
   

3. Unexpected feature in transitional metal-based compounds could enable a new class of spintronic materials (beforeitsnews.com) — Researchers at Ames National Laboratory helped discover a surprising electronic feature in a manganese-based alloy that could advance future spintronic computing and memory technologies. While highly technical, the work highlights cutting-edge materials science happening right here in Ames with potential long-term global impact.
   

4. Look back at Iowa's top news stories of 2025 (iowapublicradio.org) — One of the biggest Iowa stories this year for Ames residents was Planned Parenthood’s decision to close its clinic here, alongside locations in several other cities. The statewide roundup also highlights major political shifts, school funding changes, and federal policy impacts that shaped daily life across Iowa in 2025.
   

5. Iowa confirms avian flu in backyard flock (hpj.com) — Ames plays a key role in tracking Iowa’s latest avian flu case, with the National Veterinary Services Laboratory here confirming detections that feed federal monitoring sites. State officials report H5N1 in a Dallas County backyard flock and urge all Iowa poultry owners, including those in Ames, to tighten biosecurity, watch for symptoms, and report suspected cases immediately.
   

📸 Around Ames

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📣 Ames Shout Outs!

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🗓 Events Nearby

Wednesday December 31

• Gilbert Library is Open
  Gilbert, IA Calendar , 207 Main Street , Gilbert
  10:00 am
• Cribbage & Mahjong
  Sixty Forward , 205 S Walnut Ave , Ames
  1:30 pm

Thursday January 1

• Fire Department Meeting
  Gilbert, IA Calendar , 105 SE 2ND STREET , Gilbert
  6:00 pm

Friday January 2

• Girls Basketball: Roland-Story vs West Marshall (Junior Varsity)
  West Marshall High School Gym
  4:30 pm
• Boys Basketball: Roland-Story vs West Marshall (Junior Varsity)
  West Marshall Middle School Gym
  4:30 pm
• Boys Basketball: Roland-Story vs West Marshall (Junior Varsity 2)
  West Marshall Middle School Gym
  5:45 pm
• Girls Basketball: Roland-Story vs West Marshall (Varsity)
  West Marshall High School Gym
  6:00 pm
• Boys Basketball: Roland-Story vs West Marshall (Varsity)
  West Marshall High School Gym
  7:30 pm

Monday January 5

• Girls Basketball: Iowa Falls-Alden vs Roland-Story (Junior Varsity)
  Roland-Story High School North Gym
  4:30 pm
• Boys Basketball: Iowa Falls-Alden vs Roland-Story (Junior Varsity)
  Roland-Story High School
  4:30 pm
• Boys Basketball: Iowa Falls-Alden vs Roland-Story (Junior Varsity 2)
  Roland-Story High School South Gym
  6:00 pm
• Girls Basketball: Iowa Falls-Alden vs Roland-Story (Varsity)
  Roland-Story High School North Gym
  6:00 pm

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

Thank you 👏👏👏 to the local businesses for making Ames PatchAM possible:

• Mindsee.it — (646) 663-8317
  Teach your kids they can achieve the impossible!

Click here to show your appreciation! 💚

Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.

💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

• Good morning, Ames from your Public Works team 👋
  Here’s a couple of pictures (and a video) that pretty much sum up the morning commute (and much of the day): cold temps, blowing wind, and slick… (Nextdoor )

• PetSmart, Inc. posted a job opening for Retail Sales Associate Part Time in Ames. Apply here.
• Trelleborg Group posted a job opening for ServicePLUS Material Handler in Ames. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Ames here.

Ok Ames! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I heard there’s only a 50 percent chance of snow.
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

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