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Iowa News You Can Use

WATCH: The magic of Iowa diners

By Amie Rivers

June 19, 2025

The cultural legacy of Iowa diners is unmatched.

Check out the latest episode of Cornhole Champions, a podcast that is sometimes about Iowa politics.

  • Amie Rivers

    Amie Rivers is Iowa Starting Line's newsletter editor. She writes the weekly Worker’s Almanac edition of Iowa Starting Line, featuring a roundup of the worker news you need to know. Previously, she was an award-winning journalist at the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier; now, she very much enjoys making TikToks and memes and getting pet photos in her inbox.

    Have a story tip? Reach Amie at [email protected]. For local reporting in Iowa that connects the dots, from policy to people, sign up for Amie's newsletter.

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CATEGORIES: LOCAL VIDEO

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LOCAL VIDEO
WATCH: Dirty River Dreaming

WATCH: Dirty River Dreaming

A $125 million project is transforming Des Moines' underutilized and murky river into a 150-mile recreational waterway with beach-like areas, dam...

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WATCH: Dirty River Dreaming

WATCH: Dirty River Dreaming

A $125 million project is transforming Des Moines’ underutilized and murky river into a 150-mile recreational waterway with beach-like areas, dam improvements, and 86 connected sites. Would you swim in it?

Follow Iowa Starting Line for more.

WATCH: Iowa’s First District Rematch: Bohannan vs. Miller-Meeks Round Three (PT 4) – Cornhole Champions #31

WATCH: Iowa’s First District Rematch: Bohannan vs. Miller-Meeks Round Three (PT 4) – Cornhole Champions #31

Christina Bohannon is making her third bid to unseat US Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks in Iowa’s 1st Congressional District, coming off a razor-thin 799-vote loss in 2024. In one of 2026’s most closely watched races, Bohannon believes her working-class roots and independent voice can finally break through.

On this episode of Cornhole Champions, Zachary Oren Smith sits down with Christina Bohannon to discuss why 2026 will be different after outperforming other Democrats nationwide and winning 33,000 Trump voters in 2024.

Toss some bags about Iowa rolling back civil rights protections for trans Iowans… Trump heads to the Iowa fairgrounds… And officials debunk water safety rumors amid the ongoing nitrate crisis.

Cornhole Champions is a weekly podcast powered by Iowa Starting Line with music by Avery Mossman and show art by Desirée Tapia. We are a proud member of the Iowa Writers Collaborative.

*LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE TO CORNHOLE CHAMPIONS:*
– YouTube – https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2LsUFhizO07jdk5Wav4mOT7tArltF8z5&si=FryZd7N7tG5tJ5Ju
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… and everywhere you listen to podcasts

*SHOW RUNDOWN:*
01:00 – The 799-Vote Heartbreaker – 0.2% Loss Despite Trump District Win
02:30 – Miller-Meeks Enthusiasm Gap – Why Republicans Cross Over
04:00 – Miller-Meeks Voting Record – $4,400 Tariff Costs and Medicaid Cuts
05:30 – Bucking Party Establishment – Defeating 20-Year Incumbent by 34 Points
08:00 – “Pragmatic and Compassionate” – Miller-Meeks Medicaid Cut Justification
10:00 – Talk is Cheap Analysis – Miller-Meeks Pattern of Empty Gestures
12:30 – Why 2026 is Different – Building Momentum Over Multiple Cycles
13:30 – County-by-County Campaign – Keokuk to Scott County Tour

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