2023

As a medical doctor, new Iowa Rep. Austin Baeth (D-Des Moines) has met a lot of everyday Iowans and listened to them talk about their issues. Their stories, and those skills, are things he plans to bring to the chambers of the Iowa Legislature this year. “In general, I hope to put a lot of…

An Iowa City company started during the pandemic as the “last mile” delivery service for Amazon will close next month. GRIT Delivers LLC, which delivered Amazon packages in Amazon-branded delivery vehicles to the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City area, notified the state it would close on Feb. 5 and lay off 62 workers. The company’s website had…

Iowa teachers would be required to out many LGBTQ students to their parents regardless of home situations in a new bill introduced this morning by many House Republicans, including Speaker Pat Grassley. House File 9 aims to prohibit schools and their teachers from “Willfully withholding information from, or knowingly giving false or misleading information to,…

Gov. Kim Reynolds used her sixth Condition of the State address on Tuesday to attack her critics, talk about her accomplishments, discuss new ways to restrict abortion rights, and laid out extensive proposals to remake public education. “Together, we have built a strong foundation upon which Iowa can continue to rise,” she said. “A place…

Most of Sen. Janice Weiner’s (D-Iowa City) life has been dedicated to public service. Serving her community is how she was raised, her personal philosophy, the majority of her life experience, and part of her Jewish values. “I view myself as a lifelong public servant,” she said. “And to me, this is part of continuing…

A manufacturing plant and major employer in northeast Iowa will close next month, leaving 45 workers out of a job. Commercial Vehicle Group (CVG), an Ohio-based international company that supplies components for the commercial vehicle market, announced in October it would shutter its Monona plant. Its final day is Feb. 3, according to Iowa’s Worker…

During opening day speeches on Monday, legislative leaders in the House and Senate offered a preview of their goals for education policy this year, with Republicans making it clear they intend to pass a school voucher bill. Sen. Amy Sinclair (R-Allerton), the new Iowa senate president, set the tone about the necessity for the state…

Iowa workers on strike since May have rejected the latest offer from Case-New Holland International to return to work, saying the company wasn’t even offering what replacement workers are currently making. The strike of more than 1,000 workers involves United Auto Workers (UAW) members at Case-New Holland International (CNHi) plants, about 400 of which are…

As Iowa lawmakers kick off the 2023 session today, advocates for Iowa’s working people worry majority Republicans will continue to pass more legislation that will hurt working families. “I just hope there aren’t any more economic attacks,” said Felicia Hilton, political director of the North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters. “It’s really impacting families.”…