The Des Moines Pastoral Counseling Center broke ground for its new $3.3 million facility today at 8553 Urbandale Ave., Urbandale. The 14,200 square-foot facility was designed by SVPA Architects Inc. and will be constructed by Hubbell Construction Services. The facility was designed to meet the rapidly increasing mental health needs of central Iowa children and adults, and will double the current leased space of 7,000 square feet.

A nonpartisan National Town Hall Meeting will take place in 19 cities across the country, including Des Moines, on Saturday. Iowans will gather in Levitt Hall at Drake University from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. to make recommendations to leaders in Washington about fiscal priorities. The discussion, titled “America Speaks: Our Budget, Our Economy,” will originate in Philadelphia and link to the 19 meeting sites. Participants will work in small groups and use keypad polling to identify national messages to elected leaders.

Des Moines Metro Opera will open its 38th annual festival season on Friday with Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro” at 7:30 p.m. in Indianola. The production will star Craig Irvin of the Lyric Opera of Chicago and Sarah Jane McMahon of the New York City Opera. June 26 features the opera “Macbeth,” and the third production, “Susannah,” will open July 3. All performances will be at the Blank Performing Arts Center at Simpson College in Indianola. For more information, go to www.desmoinesmetroopera.org.

Attorney General Tom Miller has appointed Jennifer Easler as Iowa’s acting consumer advocate. She replaces John Perkins, who has served in the position since 2001 but is retiring. The move is effective as of June 25. Easler has been a utility attorney in the Office of Consumer Advocate since 1996. A permanent consumer advocate will be appointed before March 15, 2011.

TBM Consulting Group, a leader in business improvement for the manufacturing and service sectors, awarded Pella-based Pella Corp. with the 2010 “Perfect Engine” award. The award recognizes Pella’s commitment to continuous improvement and outstanding production. This is the second time Pella Corp. has won the award, making it the first company to do so.