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‘Gut punch after gut punch’: IVF patients speak out after Alabama ruling
IVF patients speak out after Alabama ruling regarding IVF embryos. Here’s what you need to know about the Alabama Supreme Court’s IVF ruling.
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Lies and threats: Iowans share what fake pregnancy resource centers are really like
When Mica Chase, then 19 years old, set foot in an anti-abortion center 14 years ago, all they wanted was a free pregnancy test. But when the test was complete and the Cedar Rapids resident said they didn’t want to be pregnant, staff members started talking about religion. They told Chase abortion is murder. They…
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UPDATE: Seaboard ends contract after 9 kids found working illegally in Sioux City meatpacking plant
At least nine children were working on overnight shifts cleaning dangerous meatpacking equipment at a Sioux City plant, according to court filings Wednesday from the US Department of Labor (DOL). The children were allegedly employed by Fayette Industrial, a Tennessee-based company that contracts with other companies to clean their facilities. Fayette had the children working…
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Crafty Grandma: Waterloo craft-fluencer sharing her skills
Sue Wright and I had been chatting over coffee for a while, about her crafting projects, her tiny cardboard houses, and her YouTube presence, when I noticed the buttons of her shirt bore a striking resemblance to buttons inside of the miniature house she was showing me. “Wait—you made this? All the clothes you’re wearing…
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Meet the nonprofit director promoting birth control access in Iowa
Allison Smith’s outlook on birth control access completely changed when Donald Trump was elected in 2016. “I think around that time there was some really concerning rhetoric,” she said. At the time, Smith lived in Minneapolis and worked in health care administration at Whitecap Health Advisors. “There were major concerns about what [President Trump and…
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15 Martin Luther King Jr. Day events across Iowa in 2024
They say Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a federal holiday held this year on Jan. 15, 2024, should be “a day on, not a day off.” So in that spirit, here are some events coming up honoring—and furthering the legacy of—one of this country’s greatest civil rights leaders. (For an even more comprehensive list of…
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Navigating the new FAFSA? Here’s what you need to know.
The new FAFSA form has been released. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) determines eligibility for federal financial aid.
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An open letter from Iowa journalists covering a school shooting
A single gunman opened fire in the cafeteria of Perry High School in Iowa, on Thursday, Jan. 4, killing one sixth-grader and wounding seven others before taking his own life. The Iowa Starting Line staff covered this tragedy and here are our reflections on what that experience was like and how it has affected them. Ty…
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No more Kum & Go? New owner Maverik of Utah retiring famous brand
Will Kum & Go have come and gone by next year? One new report claims that’s the plan by the store’s new owners. The Iowa-based convenience store chain Kum & Go—a brand occasionally mocked outside of the Midwest for its mildly salacious name—was bought by Utah-based Maverik last year. Maverik said in August it would…
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Rightwing trolls quickly took advantage of Perry tragedy
Even before the identity of the student who shot multiple people at Perry High School was confirmed by law enforcement Thursday afternoon, right-wing misinformation on social media was filling the void. Posts from verified and other accounts on Twitter (X) in the early hours after the shooting that killed one and injured five others were…
