Politics
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Progressives sweep in Urbandale School Board race
Progressives endorsed by the teachers union swept the Urbandale school board race, though the lone incumbent just squeaked back into her seat. Six candidates were running for four open seats, all at-large. Katherine Howsare, who has been on the school board for eight years—or two four-year terms—was the only incumbent school board member running. She…
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Progressives capture four seats on Ankeny School Board
Progressive candidates—Katie Claeys, Shelly Northway, Amber Romans, and Amy Tagliareni—won four out of five open seats on the Ankeny School Board in Tuesday’s election, according to unofficial results. Conservative candidate Stephanie Gott also won a seat. Eight candidates were vying for four at-large seats with four-year terms, including a four-person bloc of right-leaning candidates and…
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Biden invests $5 billion to support rural communities, including in Iowa
Golden Grain Energy LLC will use a $2.2 million grant to create infrastructure to expand the sales and use of renewable fuels by installing an above ground ethanol storage tank and a loading rack at the company’s location in Mason City.
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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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As Iowa housing costs soar, Biden wants to turn empty offices into housing
In Sept. 2020, the median home sale price in Iowa was $188,500. As of Sept. 2023, that figure had risen to $229,600, a 21% increase, according to Redfin. Renters are also paying more in Iowa. They paid an average of $947.54 between January and March 2020. Now, they’re paying $1,085.55, a $138.01 increase.
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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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Every Iowa House Republican voted for an anti-abortion extremist for Speaker
Before being elected to Congress, Mike Johnson tried to shut down an abortion clinic in Louisiana. After Roe v. Wade was overturned, Johnson called it a “historic and joyful” day and later expressed support for nationwide abortion ban. Now, he’s the new Speaker of the House.
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Johnston students want support, respect from the school board
A lot of school board election coverage gives weight to who the candidates are and what they stand for, but students want to know when people will listen to them. The Johnston School District held a candidate forum at Johnston High School last week, where all eight school board candidates answered questions about how they…
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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…
