It’s the Friday news roundup: July 12, 2024.

Inside baseball: Iowa Rep. JD Scholten was back on the mound this past weekend, as a last-choice fill-in pitcher for the Sioux City Explorers, and the 44-year-old was so good in nearly 7 innings of work that he got a standing ovation and was written up in Sports Illustrated.

Check out the Explorers, or one of six other semi-pro teams around Iowa, here.

Photo courtesy of Courtney Cook/Unsplash.

I scream, you scream: July is National Ice Cream Month (like you needed an excuse). So check out a dozen shops around Iowa with interesting flavors, or revisit this list (voted on by Starting Line readers) of Iowa’s Top 30 ice cream parlors.

Don’t miss it, don’t even be late: We’re less than a month out from the Iowa State Fair, the state’s largest annual event. And while there will be fewer politicians vying for your attention than there were last year, there will still be plenty to enjoy; get your Iowa State Fair guide right here.

As Iowa food banks hit record demand, advocates push Reynolds to approve Summer EBT

Gov. Kim Reynolds blamed childhood obesity on her decision not to accept $29 million in federal funds to feed Iowa kids over the summer.

As a result, food pantries across the state have experienced record-high demand.

The Iowa Hunger Coalition, a group of food pantries and other anti-hunger nonprofits, are urging Reynolds to change her mind next year. They’ve started a petition and are looking to get 2,500 signatures; read and sign that here.

Need food for your kids this summer? Though the federal program is out this year, a limited number of summer meal sites for school-aged children are up and running; find one near you here.

Need help after recent flooding? Residents of Clay, Emmet, Lyon, Plymouth, and Sioux counties may be eligible for emergency food assistance, known as D-SNAP. Find more information on that here.

Project 2025—the Heritage Foundation-backed, Christian nationalist blueprint for a second Trump term—is starting to make its way into the mainstream consciousness. (Here’s a recent story we did on how it would affect Medicare and prescription drugs.)

So we want to know: Is Project 2025 motivating you to head to the polls this November? Email me and tell me how.

In states with abortion bans, doctors have had to watch pregnant patients get sicker and sicker before doctors can treat them. Dr. Emily Boevers, an OB-GYN in Iowa, said she hopes the governor is ready for phone calls from physicians who want to know if a patient is sick enough to qualify for life-saving treatment.

Adrian came to the shelter as an injured stray and now that he’s recovered, he’s ready to find his new family. At the shelter, he enjoys people watching and when people come in to pet him. You can meet this sweet guy at the Cedar Valley Humane Society.

Ruby has done well with other dogs at the shelter, but she’d also be okay as the only dog in the house—she loves playing regardless. What she really needs is a family that won’t leave her alone for too long because she tends to chew on things when she gets bored. Other than that, all she needs is love and attention. You can find her at the Cedar Valley Humane Society.

Debate coverage:

• “You had a link in your email about the debate saying ‘we have the highlights right here.’ Actually it was a link to 5 lies that Trump gave during the debate. I could not find a single thing about Biden’s poor performance. It’s clear that Trump spent a great deal of time spreading lies, but to completely ignore how poorly Biden did is not good journalism.” ~Cameron V.

Abortion ruling affecting your vote?

• “Absolutely. And I will be encouraging other voters to turn out to VOTE as well.” ~Clare S.

• “Good thing the State of Illinois is close by for abortions.” ~David G., Moline, Illinois

Iowa Republican mad at national Republican platform:

• I’m surprised [Iowa Rep.] Brad [Sherman] is so miffed at the process used for the Republican national platform as it mirrors how the Republican-led state legislature has passed bills for years (ramming things through with limited or non-existent public comment period, no subcommittee or committee discussions, passed in the dead of night, keep public in the dark, etc.) And yet, no blame directed towards the (real) head of the Republican party, Donald Trump, as well as a full-throated endorsement for his election November.” ~Mike J.

Mercy workers getting ignored in UIHC merger:

• “I just read your newsletter regarding the UIHC employees who have come from Mercy Hospital, which led me to read the subsequent links about UIHC pay scales and the UIHC pay restructuring … This is interesting and might be worth taking a look at all state universities.” ~Rachael R.

• “While I never had a bad experience at UIHC, I must say that the staff I interacted with at Mercy were always very professional and I enjoyed working with them! I’lI hope that the union is able to fight for the nurses and staff, because that kind of pay cut is a major insult to the men and woman that risk their lives caring for our sick and injured. If the administrators are worried about the shortage of health care professionals, then they should pay them what they deserve!!” ~Ashley M.

Another reason we should get a W team:

• “Don’t forget about Iowa State. The Cyclones were 3rd in the nation in attendance. Before Caitlin Clark, Iowa State women have been good for years. Just another reason for a WNBA team in Des Moines.” ~Dave K.

Window tint enforcement:

• “I and numerous people I know have been run down, by the Iowa Highway Patrol, to remove their window tint, and fined, for the vehicle they purchased already having tint. … While visiting the Iowa Legislature for lobby day, I walked through the private parking lot for elected members. I was pissed to see numerous automobiles with illegal tinted windows! I would love to see someone investigate this abuse of power. … I am actually considering moving to another state that allows window tint.” ~Martin M.
  
  

Apps vs. websites:

• “I was very interested in reading Kevin Baskins’ story on the Subway franchise owner who fears fines and prosecution for violating child labor laws. However, every link I clicked on led me to a TicTok or X site. I don’t (and won’t) subscribe to either of these apps. So I’m left disappointed—I couldn’t read the story. I’m disappointed too that you bill your service as a newsletter, but I couldn’t read the news story in text. I hope you can make all stories readable without sending us to other apps. ” ~Karen G.
  
  

Sex negativity:

• “Sex for pleasure causes all kinds of problems. People should not get pregnant out of wedlock or have babies that they do not want.” ~Paul B. 

P.S. The unsubscribe button is at the bottom.

• “Stop sending.” ~Marty R.

Iowa Atheists and Freethinkers are inviting the public to a protest of the Family Leader Summit at 4 p.m. today (Friday, July 12) outside of Veterans Auditorium in Des Moines. Learn more here.

The Hawkeye Area Labor Council and Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Building Trades will host a roundtable discussion on Iowa’s child labor crisis at 4 p.m. Tuesday, July 16, at IBEW 405 Union Hall in Cedar Rapids. Learn more here.

House of Hope will hold a public groundbreaking for a new Empowerment Center to support single mothers and women aging out of foster care at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, July 18, at 845 West 4th St. in Waterloo. For more information, contact Dusky Steele at 319-232-3823.

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