News
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What’s a lockout? Brenntag Des Moines workers locked out by management
Brenntag Des Moines workers have been locked out of work by their employer. But what is a lockout—and how can you support workers right now?
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Criticism at city council meetings is legal, Iowa judge rules
Judge: City’s arrest of critic is ‘quintessential viewpoint discrimination’ by Clark Kauffman, Iowa Capital Dispatch February 23, 2026 Declaring that a citizen was “targeted because he criticized the police department and city leadership,” a federal judge has ruled that the City of Newton violated the rights of a critic by twice having the man arrested…
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7 Brew Des Moines workers left out in the cold, until this viral video
An Iowa TikTok creator thought she was calling attention to a specific problem in Des Moines. She had no idea the problems at this coffee chain were so widespread—until hundreds of messages began pouring in. “The number of people I’ve had crying in my DMs and on the phone,” Madelyn Houser Webb told me, “because they’ve…
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Whirlpool Amana laying off another 341 workers March 9: Iowa Worker’s Almanac, Feb. 19, 2026
Iowa Worker’s Almanac news briefs, Feb. 19, 2026: Back to work, for some: John Deere last week rehired 245 laid-off workers in Iowa, with 150 of them going back to work in Waterloo alone. Good news for those folks, but that’s less than half of the 598 workers the company laid off in 2025. Whirlpool will cut 341 workers…
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Nathan Sage drops out of US Senate race, endorses Turek
Nathan Sage dropped out of the Democratic primary for Iowa’s US Senate race, endorsing Josh Turek. This reshapes the 2026 Democratic primary as Turek and Zach Wahls duke it out to take on Republican establishment pick Ashley Hinson for the open seat. Nathan Sage, the Marine and Army veteran who was the first Democrat to…
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2 new Iowa bills to lower grocery prices: Iowa Worker’s Almanac layoffs and news for Feb. 12, 2026
Iowa Worker’s Almanac news briefs, Feb. 12, 2026: Pushing workers out of Iowa: Workers are leaving Iowa in droves. One Iowan confronted Republican lawmakers about how striking state affirmative action policies and allowing for discrimination in professional licensure would only make the problem worse. Two new grocery store bills to keep prices down: State Sen. Zach Wahls this week introduced two bills…
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Hinson, Miller-Meeks, Nunn back bill that could make it harder for married women to vote
The SAVE Act is a massive overhaul of the country’s elections. Iowa’s House delegation was part of the razor-thin margin that passed it. The bill could disproportionately impact eligible women voters. The US House of Representatives passed an elections overhaul bill Wednesday that would implement sweeping regulations on how people register to vote and how…
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Iowa Republican bill would classify all abortions as homicide
Legislators have been happy to prosecute abortion providers in the past. But their new move is to target Iowans who get abortions themselves, classifying the procedure as a homicide. Iowa Republicans have been pushing for years to make abortions less accessible to Iowans and criminalize their healthcare providers. This session, however, Republicans are pushing legislation…
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Get to know Iowa’s winter Olympians and Paralympians
Elite athletes with Iowa ties have competed in the Olympics and Paralympics for decades. Here are a few you should know.
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Farmers haven’t profited in a decade: Iowa Worker’s Almanac layoffs and news, Feb. 6, 2026
Working-class news you can use for Feb. 6, 2026:
