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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Iowa GOP Makes Changes To School Curriculum Approval Bill
A modified version of the Republican-led teacher curriculum-review bill is being debate on the Iowa House floor this evening. The new version of the bill, House File 2577, trimmed the estimated cost of implementing the new “transparency” policies from $27.4 million annually for school districts to $16.4 million annually, according to the nonpartisan Iowa Legislative…
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Here’s Which Politicians Hy-Vee Has Donated To Lately
Hy-Vee has been under closer scrutiny this past week after a wave of layoffs at their corporate headquarters and IT departments, as well as follow-up comments by their CEO demeaning the former staff for not taking retail jobs in their stores. The timing of the layoffs happened to coincide with actions by the Iowa House…
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Former Hy-Vee Staff Share How Layoffs Played Out
On a regular basis via an internal site, Hy-Vee’s 93,000 employees can watch new episodes of “Employee Show: Hy-Lights,” a well-produced in-house program where spokesperson Tina Potthoff interviews CEO Randy Edeker about the latest happenings in the West Des Moines-based company. However, last Friday’s “Hy-Lights” was different, according to one former Hy-Vee employee who was…
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Hy-Vee Confirms Layoffs, Some Clues Point To Impacted Departments
Hy-Vee, the West Des Moines-based grocer, confirmed to Axios and KCCI on Wednesday that it was laying off employees, but the company didn’t specify which departments or how many people lost their jobs. The grocery store chain told Axios the people they laid off were hired for “COVID-related projects” that are no longer needed while…
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Iowa Teacher Bonus Checks Will Be Taxed
Iowa teachers are being taxed on their $1,000 “thank you” bonuses from Gov. Kim Reynolds. “Those are subject to state and federal tax withholding,” confirmed Tim Bloom, Newton Community School District director of business services. Bloom said this was based on guidance from the Iowa Department of Education, which Reynolds delegated to handle distribution of…
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Where Education Bills Stand In The Iowa Legislature
This year’s Iowa Legislative session—which started Jan. 10 and is still going—saw the introduction of more than 50 education bills. These bills covered a wide swath of proposals, everything from jailing teachers and librarians to banning the use of indigenous mascots in public schools. As of Friday, a number of those education bills are dead…
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Gov. Reynolds Criticized For Blaming Shooting On Iowa Schools
Gov. Kim Reynolds said the “real tragedy” behind the March 7 fatal shooting outside of East High School in Des Moines was the educational system letting those kids down. Reynolds made those remarks to the media during a Wednesday press conference at the Des Moines International Airport. She was there to announce that $100 million…
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One Year Later, How Biden’s Rescue Plan Is Helping Northeast Iowa
Thanks to the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), a nonprofit daycare center in Decorah is closer to its $7 million goal to build a new facility that will allow it to serve an additional 250 children. The Sunflower Child Development and Discovery Center is able to leverage a $500,000 contribution from the Winneshiek County Board…
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GOP Curriculum Approval Law Would Cost Iowa Schools Tens Millions of Dollars
A proposed stringent approval system of every piece of material used in all Iowa public school classrooms could cost those schools, at minimum, about $27.4 million a year, according to one state agency. The nonpartisan Iowa Legislative Services Agency (LSA) drafted the estimate based on SF 2369, the Iowa Senate’s version of Iowa House Study…
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Ankeny Approves Bonuses for Teachers Excluded From Reynolds’ Plan
The Ankeny School School Board approved on Monday evening allocating $131,333 to 122 certified staff members who will not receive a $1,000 bonus via Gov. Kim Reynolds’ teacher retention initiative. According to Ankeny’s latest annual progress report, the district has 863 certified teachers. In her Condition of the State address, Reynolds announced she was giving…
