Contentious DSM Council Meeting Discusses Housing Zoning

On By Isabella Murray

A new Des Moines zoning code was pushed forward by the city council despite pleas by local developers and housing advocates to make the changes more flexible for lower-cost building. Council chambers overflowed Monday evening as its members unanimously approved the first of three readings on the first code overhaul in 54 years, after over four hours of public hearing. Controversy surrounds the proposed code’s minimum square footage requirements and other design standards. Some city officials and neighborhood associations are pushing for better quality and more variation in the city’s homes, though critics say the the plan will add further […]

Trailblazer Iowa Democrat Endorses Pete Buttigieg

On By Pat Rynard

Pete Buttigieg has his first notable public endorsement for the Iowa Caucus: Jean Lloyd-Jones of Iowa City, a former legislator and the first woman who was nominated by a major Iowa party for a U.S. Senate race. “I support Mayor Pete because he has the brains, the temperament, and the experience to make him an excellent president,” Lloyd-Jones, 90, said in a statement. “He represents a generation far removed from mine, and he sees the world with new eyes. He can reframe issues in ways that disrupt old patterns of thinking and he understands the balance between technology and humanity.” […]

Ep112: New Rural Messaging Ideas, Sanders College Tour

On By Josh Cook

Pat Rynard sits down to discuss this week’s Iowa Caucus happenings, and Josh Cook joins to talk about Congressman Ro Khanna’s help with a new tech jobs in Jefferson, Iowa, and how it could provide a new rural America messaging and policy approach for Democrats.

County GOP Leader Defends King’s “Supremacist” Remark

On By Elizabeth Meyer

As state and federal party leaders desert Congressman Steve King, one Republican leader in the 4th District is a prime example of the constituents who never have wavered in their support. Mark Leonard, chairman of the Ida County Republicans, defended King in a recent article in The Atlantic centered on supporters of the House Republican. When asked by The Atlantic reporter about King’s 2017 statement, “We can’t restore our civilization with somebody else’s babies,” Leonard, was in agreement. “If we bring people from another culture here and overpopulate this place with people from a different culture, we won’t build up […]