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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Rural Iowa School Board asks State for More Funding, Opposes Voucher Bill
The Osage School Board made two requests in a letter it wrote to the Iowa House and Senate education committees: More funding and no school vouchers. State lawmakers agreed to a 2.5% increase to State Supplemental Aid on Monday, although some Iowa Democrats proposed a 5% rate instead. In their letter, signed by all five…
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Iowa House Passes GOP Tax Bill, Says Iowa Won’t be the Next Kansas
Iowa House Democrats tried to add provisions to the House Republicans’ tax plan that would have provided tax credits in a range of areas including child care and emergency service volunteers, but the tax reform bill passed as is after a nearly two-hour floor debate Wednesday. HF 2317 passed mostly along party lines, 60-38, minus…
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Iowa Flat Tax Bill has Supporters, Detractors During Public Hearing
An Iowa union member had a warning to Iowa Republicans pushing for a flat tax rate. “This bill contains glitter—some may see as improvement—but beware, the flax tax benefits the wealthiest of taxpayers by far the most,” said Pete Hird, secretary-treasurer of the Iowa Federation of Labor. Hird gave his warning during Monday’s public hearing…
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Dr. Cunningham, a Waterloo Native, was Iowa’s First Black High School Principal
The Dr. Walter Cunningham School for Excellence is one of 11 public elementary schools in the Waterloo School District and it is named after a barrier-breaking educator. Cunningham was the first Black person to become a high school principal in Iowa when he was named principal of Waterloo’s East High School in 1975. East, which…
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Bible’s Rape, Incest Passages Read at Book Banning Senate Hearing
Passages from a number of books that could be considered “obscene” under an enhanced legal definition of the word were read during a Thursday Iowa Senate subcommittee hearing, including an excerpt from the Bible. Keenan Crow, director of policy and advocacy for One Iowa Action, read the Old Testament story of Lot and his daughters…
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New Bill Would let City Councils Overrule Local Library, Limit Access to Books
Under a new proposal, Iowa public libraries may have to create a secondary adult section to keep certain materials away from minors; however, the bill does not specify if red lights or beaded curtains will be required. Rep. Jon Thorup (R-Knoxville) introduced HF 2321 on Thursday. Thorup’s bill would allow a city council to overturn…
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Iowa Classroom Camera Bill Dies Before the First Hearing
A decision on whether or not to move forward a bill that would mandate cameras in almost every Iowa public school classroom happened off-camera. A Wednesday Iowa House subcommittee hearing on HF 2177—the aforementioned classroom camera bill—that was set to be livestreamed never took place as House members effectively killed the bill ahead of time.…
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Oskaloosa School Board Approves Curriculum After Local Debate in 5-2 Vote
Supporters spoke overwhelmingly in favor of the Oskaloosa School District adopting the Wit & Wisdom curriculum after some parents tried to derail its implementation because they thought it covered critical race theory (CRT), an outlawed subject not taught in Iowa K-12 schools. The new curriculum was approved 5-2 with board members Kathy Butler and Clint…
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Iowa House Dems Introduce Bill to Remove Native American Mascots
Four Iowa Democrats introduced a bill to phase out Native American mascots in Iowa public and private schools by 2024, which one Indigenous organization said is long overdue. HF 2224 was introduced by Molly Donahue (D-Cedar Rapids), Brian Meyer (D-Des Moines), Art Staed (Cedar Rapids), and Mary Wolfe (D-Clinton). The bill would prohibit schools from…
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Camera Installation Could Cost Same as a Teacher Salary for a School, One Estimate Shows
Rep. Norlin Mommsen (R-DeWitt) wants to add cameras that provide a live feed to just about every public school classroom in Iowa as part of his bill, HF 2177. While there are a number of concerns with the bill—the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA)…
