Ty Rushing is the former Chief Political Correspondent for Iowa Starting Line. He is a trail-blazing veteran Iowa journalist, an Emmy-nominated filmmaker, and co-founder and president of the Iowa Association of Black Journalists.
Ty Rushing
Latest from Ty Rushing
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Trump: Reynolds and DeSantis are dead to the MAGA movement, voters
Donald Trump’s feud with Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds reached new heights on Sunday as multiple media outlets reported that she plans to endorse Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Trump’s top challenger in the GOP presidential primary. As first reported by the Des Moines Register, Reynolds plans to formalize her DeSantis endorsement at a Des Moines rally…
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Nearly $150,000 spent so far in Ankeny, Johnston school board races
As Iowa school board elections have become more political, the costs associated with running for a volunteer position that decides everything from budgets to bus routes have also increased. Campaign disclosure reports for city and school board candidates, city and school political action committees, and local ballot issue committees were due by 4:30 p.m. Thursday,…
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Dallas Center-Grimes parents worry about school board candidate’s right-wing ties
When Sean Cully launched a Facebook page for his Dallas Center-Grimes (DCG) School Board campaign, his intro stated that he wanted to “protect students, parents and educators from wokeism!” Shortly afterward, Cully scrapped that language. In the new intro, Cully said he wanted “To champion students with my 20+ years of experience in leading and…
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Ankeny School Board candidate Amber Romans was almost a teacher. Now she wants to fight for them
Sometimes the only standing between you and following in your father’s footsteps is a broken leg—or at least that was the case for Amber Romans. Romans’ father became a teacher after his time in the US Navy. She initially went to college intent on becoming an educator too, until a leg injury forced her to…
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Tired of school board drama, Ankeny parents want renewed focus on education
About 11 years ago, the Brennan family was preparing to move from the Philadelphia suburbs to Iowa. They had a number of options to choose from—as long as the city was by a John Deere plant—but picked Ankeny because of the reputation of the public school system. “I was hesitant because Iowa and Philadelphia are…
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Why did the Ankeny Chamber pull out of hosting a school board forum?
The Ankeny Chamber of Commerce pulled out of co-hosting Tuesday’s Ankeny School Board candidate forum after it received unspecified “threats,” but the Ankeny Police Department says nothing has been reported. KCCI reported on Oct. 18 that the chamber withdrew its support from a school board candidate forum that was slated to feature all 10 candidates.…
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Katie Claeys is proud of her record on the Ankeny School Board
Considering the turmoil that has surrounded the Ankeny School Board over the last few years, no one would blame Katie Claeys if she decided not to run for a second term. However, she is not afraid of a challenge. “We still have a lot of work to do,” Claeys said when asked why she was…
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Lya Williams wants to stop book bans, expand STEM in Johnston schools
One of the first things you should probably learn about Lya Williams is that her name is pronounced Lee-Uh and not Lie-Uh. Another thing you should know is that she cares deeply about the future of public education in the Johnston School District. Williams has thrown her hat in the ring for a second time…
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Diversity question draws mixed response from Johnston School Board Candidates
The demographics of the Johnston School District are becoming more diverse, which is why the district has tried to place an increased emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts. Part of the district’s mission statement is to “commit all district resources to guide the learning of all students to graduate as confident learners with…
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Johnston students’ well-being top issue for Soneeta Mangra-Dutcher
Soneeta Mangra-Dutcher still has work to do, which is why she is running for a second term on the Johnston School Board. The 50-year-old mother of three Johnston High School graduates ran unsuccessfully for a board position in 2017 before she won a seat in 2019. The landscape around school board and school board races…
