Community Corner

🌱 Patch AM: How one Prairie Ridge 7th-grader is welcoming Ankeny’s newest teachers

Also check out AYP HOLIDAY PARTY on the Ankeny Patch calendar

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Thursday December 11th Patch AM
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Hey there, Ankeny! Let's get started with what's happening in and around town. Read on and stay in the loop. ☀️

In today's newsletter:

  • How one Prairie Ridge 7th-grader is welcoming Ankeny’s newest teachers
  • Could Ankeny soon see drones dispatched as first responders?
  • How new federal farm aid announced in Ankeny could affect local growers

Also on today's calendar: Outlets of Des Moines Hosts LifeServe Blood Drive and 6 more events.

Find out what's happening in Ankenyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Today's riddle: What did one tuna say to the other after getting caught stealing files from work? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

Find out what's happening in Ankenyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

  • Thursday: Snow and ice in the afternoon, with a high of 27 and low of 18 degrees. ⛄️ Brr!
  • Friday: Cloudy, breezy and cold, temps: high: 25, low: 4.
  • Saturday: Colder with a little snow, with a high of 7 and low of -13 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

• Ankeny 7th-grader crafts handmade pottery to welcome new teachers (desmoinesregister.com subscription) — An Ankeny seventh-grader at Prairie Ridge Middle School has been quietly crafting personalized pottery gifts to welcome new teachers, with support from her art teacher and the Ankeny Community School District. Her early-morning project highlights how local educators nurture creativity and kindness, and she hopes her example inspires other students to take small actions that make school feel more welcoming.
   

• Part 1: Droning on (nwestiowa.com) — Emergency agencies in northwest Iowa are increasingly using drones to find missing people, manage disasters, and keep first responders out of harm’s way, and a similar first-responder drone program is being discussed in Ankeny. Local readers can see how these tools speed rescues, guide firefighters, and even locate escaped livestock, while also raising fresh questions about privacy and police surveillance across the state.
   

• Statements on farmer bridge assistance program announcement (kmaland.com) — Federal farm leaders gathered in Ankeny as the Trump administration rolled out a new Farmer Bridge Assistance program, promising billions in one-time aid for row crop producers. Iowa commodity groups and state officials say the payments will help cash-strapped farmers in the short term but stress that Ankeny-area growers ultimately need stronger biofuel policies, better trade deals, and a modernized Farm Bill to restore long-term profitability.
   

📸 Around Ankeny

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🗓 Upcoming Events in Ankeny

Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!

★ Featured events ★

    Thursday December 11
  • AYP HOLIDAY PARTY
    Whiskey River Ankeny, 1350 SW Vintage Pkwy, Ankeny
    6:30 pm

Want to see your event featured? Click here!

Other local events

📣 Ankeny Shout Outs!

Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!

🗓 Events Nearby

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

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • Viking Foundation 2025 Grants Announced —Viking Foundation Read on Patch
  • i have about 3 packs ( 45$ worth) of prevail adult briefs, size 3 side opening that i would like to give to someone that can use them,,i broke my ankle and was in a nursing home, they gave them to me to take home but i dont need them..
    please call me at 515 850 6387 if they can be of ay use to you..no charge .... I am located in Ankeny and sorry but still on no weight on foot for… (Nextdoor Ashland Pointe)
  • Does someone Bennink snow removal guys?
    I need talk with him (Bennink), but I am not finding him. Thanks all! (Nextdoor Somersby)
  • CRH plc posted a job opening for Quality Control Manager in Ankeny. Apply here.
  • The Home Depot, Inc. posted a job opening for Lot Associate in Ankeny. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Ankeny here.

🗞 Nearby News

Johnston

Polk City

  • Final funding secured for long-awaited downtown Des Moines soccer stadium (who13.com)
  • Iowa farmland values stable despite ag downturn, new ISU survey shows (desmoinesregister.com)
  • Hotly contested 2026 Iowa Legislature races expected in Polk County (desmoinesregister.com)

Ok Ankeny! 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 could get canned for this!
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

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