TRAINING TOWER FOR FIREFIGHTERS Fire Marshal Jon Lund, left, and Captain Steve Kiburz stand outside the training tower that is part of the new Fire Station 4 under construction at 1505 Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway. The $15.8 million station is expected to open in early 2026. The five-story training tower, shown in the background, will serve firefighters from all 11 Des Moines stations. The cost to build the tower and the covered trench (below grade) is estimated at $300,000

VOTE YES: OUR CITY NEEDS STRONG SCHOOLS State and federal funding for public schools has taken painful cuts in recent years. And those cuts threaten the communities that depend on them for more than simply educating children without regard for ability to pay. “Public schools often provide economic benefits for communities,” asserts the Learning for Justice program of the Southern Poverty Law Center, “including employment, economic opportunities, and encouragement for famili