🌱 Patch AM: Did West Des Moines’ favorite baby names make the national list?

Hello West Des Moines! Here's our latest buzz. Let's get into it. ☀️

In today's newsletter:

• Did West Des Moines’ favorite baby names make the national list?
• How a West Des Moines scam sparked a statewide business crackdown push
• West Des Moines family joins others in mourning Wilbert Carl Sick

Today's riddle: What did one pirate say to the other? 🤔 (Answer below!)

From our Partner
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Weather forecast:

• Saturday: Becoming windier and colder, with a high of 36 and low of 18 degrees. ⛄️ Brr!
• Sunday: Breezy in the morning, temps: high: 36, low: 28.
• Monday: Partly sunny, with a high of 51 and low of 37 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

• What were 2025's most popular baby names in the Des Moines metro? (desmoinesregister.com subscription) — West Des Moines parents can now see how their baby name choices stack up, as MercyOne’s West Des Moines and Des Moines birth centers released their most popular 2025 names. The lists highlight overlapping local favorites like Noah, Liam, Oliver, Norah, Vivian and Sophia, and compare them with national trends reported by BabyCenter.
   

• Paul Pate pitches stricter laws to crack down on fraudulent businesses (desmoinesregister.com subscription) — A West Des Moines resident’s experience with 17 fraudulent businesses registered to neighborhood addresses is helping drive a push for tougher state laws on sham companies. Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate wants faster ways to dissolve fraudulent entities while keeping business registration simple for legitimate entrepreneurs ahead of the 2026 legislative session.
   

• Wilbert Sick Obituary (westerniowatoday.com) — A local connection to West Des Moines comes through step-grandchild Jaiden Stephens, who is among the family members mourning longtime Iowa farmer and educator Wilbert Carl Sick. The 93-year-old Army veteran, teacher, and lifelong farmer from the Shelby area is remembered for his dedication to faith, family, and the land, leaving behind children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren across Iowa and several other states.
   

📸 Around West Des Moines

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🗓 Events Nearby

Saturday January 10

• Kindergarten Signing Day
  Waukee, IA Calendar
  9:00 am
• The Original Big Indoor Garage Sale
  Horizon Events Center , 2100 NW 100th St , Clive
  9:00 am
• Crafty Saturdays
  Waukee, IA Calendar , 950 S. Warrior Ln. , Waukee
  10:00 am
• Boys Basketball: Waukee vs Des Moines Roosevelt (Varsity)
  Roosevelt High School Des Moines, IA 50312
  5:00 pm
• The Wildest
  The Avenues of Ingersoll & Grand , 558 28th St , Des Moines
  7:30 pm

Sunday January 11

• Teen Hangout
  Children's Cancer Connection , 5701 Greendale Rd , Johnston
  9:00 am
• Pick Your Project Workshop (All Ages!)
  Board & Brush Creative Studio - Clive , 12871 University Ave Suite 150 , Clive
  1:00 pm
• Teen Super Sundays
  Waukee, IA Calendar , 950 S. Warrior Ln. , Waukee
  1:30 pm
• Live Music: Heath Alan
  Middlebrook Mercantile , 4125 Cumming Ave , Cumming
  2:00 pm
• Demon Tiger's Portal (Ages 10
  Painting with a Twist , 3753 86th St , Urbandale
  3:00 pm
• Shih Tzu Meetup
  Paws & Pints , 6218 Willowmere Dr , Des Moines
  4:00 pm
• Arrow Academy of Music Free Trial Piano Lesson
  Arrow Academy Of Music , 10430 New York Ave G , Urbandale
  5:30 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 West Des Moines PatchAM possible:

• Mindsee.it — (646) 663-8317
  Teach your kids they can achieve the impossible!
• Tech Stack Digital Solutions — (515) 855-6499
  Website Design and Digital Marketing for Small Businesses

Click here to show your appreciation! 💚

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

• I saw 2 husky dogs running loose at Bishop Dr.
  and 92nd. One was a red and the other was a dark gray. They had harnesses on one was red and the other blue. They looked like they had just… (Nextdoor University Ave)
• Retired and shopping for dental insurance.
  I will be needing several crowns so is there a good website or has anyone needed a lot of dental work when they retired? (Nextdoor Meadowview Park)

• Robert Half posted a job opening for Accounts Payable Specialist in West Des Moines. Apply here.
• Lowe's Companies, Inc. posted a job opening for Retail Sales – Part Ti in West Des Moines. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near West Des Moines here.

🗞 Nearby News

Clive

• Safety issues push back reopening of I-35/80 University Avenue ramp (kcci.com)

Ok West Des Moines! 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 sea you!
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

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