Iowa already banned over 3,000 books from school libraries. Now lawmakers want to make sure kids can't get to the public library either.
Iowa Mennonites and supporters joined nationwide protests calling for Target, which is headquartered in Minneapolis, to publicly oppose the violent actions of ICE and federal agents in Minnesota.
Mennonite Action, a national organization with local chapters in Johnson, Washington, and Iowa counties, has been organizing to call for an end to the military occupation of Palestine. The “Sing Down the Doors at Target” protests were also meant to link “military-style” violence in America and Palestine.
“We are distraught by the hijacking of Christianity to justify hate and division,” Aliese Gingerich of First Mennonite Church of Iowa City said in a press release. “Christian nationalism is not Christlike. It has nothing to do with the teachings and the example of Jesus Christ, who called us to love our neighbor and to care for the vulnerable—from Palestine to Minnesota to Iowa City.”
Students at Waukee and Trailridge staged a walkout Friday to protest the Trump administration and ICE. Xavier Carrigan, Democratic candidate for Iowa's 3rd Congressional District, joined them in support.
Iowa Republicans proposed a bill to ban partnerships between public schools and libraries, which have bridged gaps in rural and urban community access to books. President of the Iowa Library Association Brittany Jacobs explained what reopening those gaps would mean for Iowa communities.
Iowa Republicans advanced a bill that would allow for citizenship status to be used as a reason to deny professional licensure, including in health care. With rural hospital closures, layoffs, and worker shortages abound, Iowans confronted lawmakers about how a bill like that would worsen the state's thinning health care system.
Iowa Republicans are asking public schools to do more with even less.
Iowa Republicans advanced legislation Wednesday that would make Iowa the first state in the nation to completely eliminate vaccine requirements for K-12 students. A representative of Blank Children's Hospital says the bill scares pediatricians "the most."
Read more here: https://iowastartingline.com/2026/02/05/republicans-push-eliminate-school-vaccine-requirements/
All the Republicans running to be Iowa’s governor believe life begins at conception—a belief that’s at odds with supporting in vitro fertilization (IVF).
This week, Iowa Republicans advanced a "Don't Say LGBTQ+" bill for grades 7-12. This Iowa high school student explained to lawmakers how a bill like that would impact her classmates.
Iowa Republicans on Wednesday introduced a bill to ban local governments from passing any ordinances that expand protections for groups not protected by the Iowa Civil Rights Act.
State Sen. Renee Hardman spoke at an 8 a.m. House subcommittee, which took place less than 24 hours after the bill was introduced. No speakers at the subcommittee were in support of the bill.
