It’s Friday, Aug. 1, 2025.

🗣️ It’s Friday; time for reader replies!

My take: I hate keeping the windows closed when it’s these fall-like temperatures. But it’s only nice out because Canadian wildfire smoke is keeping the heat at bay—and bringing us that lovely fine particulate matter to make your lungs hurt. So far this year, 3,000 fires have burned in Canada on more than 22,000 square miles—and northwest winds are now sending that smoke southeast, straight into the Midwest.

Are you feeling the smoke? What are you doing about it? Reply and tell me.

Other Iowa news briefs:

• Have you spotted a wild turkey? Tell the Iowa DNR here.

• Summer means more blood donations are generally needed, while regular donations drop off. If you can, schedule a time to donate a pint here.

• If you’re in Cedar Rapids, sign up to accompany immigrant Iowans to their check-in on Tuesday. (If you’re not, donate to help immigrant families through Iowa City Catholic Worker here, donate to help the family of Muscatine resident Noel Lopez here, and tell Congress to stop ICE from hiding their identities when they disappear people here.)

• Cases of measles are on the rise in Iowa enough to prompt these signs at hospitals.

• Organizers are trying to start a holistic sexual assault clinic in Des Moines; learn more and contribute to that effort here.

• Rep. Ashley Hinson, a Republican who was elected in Northeast Iowa, has a new challenger for her seat.

• Could Iowa get a new car ferry?

• I’m curious as to why there are seven Iowa counties that don’t participate in Alert Iowa.

• Data centers need a hell of a lot of water—and in Cedar Rapids, they’re apparently just taking it, contributing to the drying of our planet.

🐶 “This is Teddy (Theodore Roosevelt) Thunhorst, acting very bored while I fold my clean laundry,” says reader Mary T. “He’s letting me know he isn’t going to let me get out of a walk when I’m finished.”

Mary, my dog gives me that same pre-walk look too!

Send me your pet photos here.

🌼 “Birdsfood trefoil next to a sidewalk,” says reader Marc W.

Send me your flower photos here.

A view of a busy day at the Iowa State Fair with the Iowa Capitol building in the background. (Photo courtesy of Iowa State Fair)

Readers are invited to add to the conversation by emailing responses@iowastartingline.com. Please include your first name and last initial. You may also want to include your city, but that’s up to you. I may edit your content for conciseness or to correct typos.

On Iowa’s water quality:

• “Here are what I believe are the interrelated issues with regard to the worrisome state of Iowa’s precious water supply:

  The dominance of agri-business in raising those animals upon whom we (or most of us) depend for their flesh’s nutritional value. Their factory farms, besides being cruel ways to ‘raise’ animals, also a major contributor to the feces and urine that inevitably finds its way into Iowa’s waterways. The ‘capture’ of the state’s politicians by these corporate farming operations and their allies among groups who supposedly champion the interests of farmers and small communities but who, in fact, are also in the pockets of the rich. Most prominent among these is the Farm Bureau. …

  The willingness—even determination—to not know the facts about Iowa’s water. If the matter were perceived by those in power to be as important as it, in fact, is, then multiple studies should have long ago been taken to assess the problem and recommend the required action steps to remedy the matter.

  The underfunding of those agencies and programs that serve the majority of Iowa’s citizens. Clearly, it is most notable in the neglect of our colleges, universities, community colleges, and public schools, but it also shows itself in intentionally choosing to not publish the facts of the situation.

  IF the governor and legislature were at all serious about it—which, I think, it is obvious that they are not—I would propose immediately appointing a task force of scientific and agricultural experts to determine the scope of the problem, identify the major contributors to Iowa’s concerning water quality, and then recommend specific action steps to be undertaken ASAP.

  Of course, Amie, this would also involve the kinds of bipartisanship, respect for facts, and a willingness to offend their biggest contributors that has seemingly vanished from Iowa’s—and so many other states’—scene.“— Greg C.

  
  

• “I agree ag is a major contributor to the nitrate problem. But the question, really, is what do we do about it? Laws? Good luck on that (Chris) Jones.

  This is going to take a colossal effort of system-level ag change, including changes to federal farm policies. Somehow. The $344 million in new water treatment infrastructure isn’t a government subsidy Jones, it’s a ratepayer subsidy.

  The federal and state government should kick in some dollars to make sure we have advanced treatment systems to not only filter out nitrates but the other cancer-causing crap that comes with it. That old de-nitrification equipment is old-school equipment that doesn’t remove the other stuff that is the real concern.

  (Central Iowa Water Works) needs to get their act together. We don’t run public drinking water systems based on wished-for source water. We may recognize in a decade that we’ve had our own Flint, Michigan problem. The public health folks at U of I have been warning us for years. 10 ppm nitrate is an arbitrary level that is not likely safe for our situation. Radon also needs to be looked at, including in our drinking water. That could also explain our upward trend in cancer rates while smoking-related cancer is in decline in other states.

  If you want more ag people to get on board, find some others to contribute to the vision for change other than Chris Jones. He’s screeching chalk on a blackboard and doesn’t really understand the complexity of the fundamentals of agriculture and markets and soil health required to get where we need to go. It’s not coming by dictate.” — John N., West Des Moines

• “Thanks for your water quality coverage today and including a mention of Polk County’s Central Iowa Source Water Research Assessment (CISWRA).

   

  The Harkin Institute is hosting a presentation of that report on Monday, August 4th, at 6:00 in Sheslow Auditorium at Drake University. It would be great if you could include that in one of your posts this week. … We are hoping to have a packed auditorium. Six hundred registrants so far.” — John N. (different John N. than above)

• “When the Starting Line receives photos and the exact location of the water strips used to monitor water for nitrates, are you going to share this information with the (Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement) CCI so that they can archive this data and use it appropriately as scientific evidence? The CCI is collecting this data for statewide evidence of nitrate pollution. If your data does not reach the CCI, then it may be worthless for scientific purposes.  

   

  Thank you so much for your continued efforts to keep the public informed on these most significant issues such as the rising cancer rates as the nitrate levels are rising so rapidly in Iowa’s drinking water.” — Bill P. and Colette B., Coralville (NOTE: We will be publicizing our results!)

• “I have lots of nitrate testing results that I can send you. I ordered some strips today. You can see some of my results on Substack (I Run For Water) or my Facebook page (Prairie Fire Foundation).” — Mike S.

On our Cancer in Iowa series:

• “Did you see this? Good connection point to reach out with cancer initiatives.” — Brittney S.

• “I am so very sorry to hear your story about your mom, but I am so glad to hear that someone is investigating growing cancer rates in Iowa. My family, for generations, has lived in Iowa and has too many stories of cancer. I also lost my mom, a nonsmoker, to lung cancer in 2019 at age 63. A previously healthy individual, a nurse, died 21 days before my youngest son was born. This last month, my aunt, another nonsmoker having always lived in Iowa, was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer and is hoping to start chemotherapy next week. This follows my grandfather who died of adenocarcinoma of his abdomen at age 50, my grandmother who has had colon cancer twice as well as breast cancer (still living and cancer free), and a great grandmother who died from stomach cancer. Genetic testing has always been negative, which makes one highly suspicious of environmental factors. This is a story/investigation that means a lot to me and I wanted to share my deep appreciation for your work!” —
  Michelle K.

On queer Iowans leaving the state:

• “Queer and trans/nonbinary person married to a queer and transmasculine person. We met in Iowa; we got married in Iowa. Briefly moved to California 2017-2020 and now we are back with no plans to leave. Staying in Iowa because my mother-in-law has Alzheimer’s and we want to be here as long as she can remember us.” — Elliot L., Cedar Rapids

• “I’m not a queer Iowan, but I have lived here 30-plus years and I would appreciate it if you would make this a serious, balanced story. Here is why: First, that’s what you should be doing. Second, these stories never ask, of the LGBTQI community, difficult questions.

  The question is this: Over the course of your lifetimes in Iowa, would you agree that prior to Varnum v. Brien, life was far worse than it is in 2025?

  If they don’t agree, they’re too young to have perspective, so they don’t know that it truly is better than it ever was, except immediately after Varnum, and before the legislature had a chance—and took it—to make things messy all over again. That brief period was phenomenal.

  If you don’t ask that, and insist on answers, then all you are doing is amplifying the belly-aching of children who do not appreciate the real suffering of their gay forebears and they’re at once ignorant and ungrateful.” — Joseph F., West Des Moines

  (NOTE: I’d argue that to continually want to better our situation is not equivalent to being ungrateful for past progress. And it ignores several fundamental ways in which opponents of LGBTQ+ rights have systematically made things worse in recent years—something our community, even younger folks, are acutely aware of.)
  

• “Amie, I don’t define myself as queer, but wanted you to know how incredibly grateful I am for your work, especially after experiencing a great personal loss. You are an Iowa treasure.” — Sue A.

Who stops to help:

• “I’m reaching out to share a compelling and concerning story posted by a local hospice nurse near Tiffin, Iowa. She stopped to help two panicked men whose vehicle was on fire—while dozens of others drove by without helping. The men, who were described as foreign and not white, said they had been stuck there for at least 10 minutes with flames and smoke. This incident not only demonstrates a heroic act by a citizen, but also raises urgent questions about racial bias, immigrant safety, and community responsibility. This took place in Tiffin—a busy road in a small town. The story has already gained attention on social media and deserves wider coverage.” — Angela J.

Responding to replies on whether churches, now allowed to endorse political candidates, should pay taxes:

• “(Richard) P. hit it right on the head. The Waterloo paper is way overpriced and you have to beg for money on cancer stories; your union must not be any good that you are so underpaid and have to beg for money. Feel so sorry for you, get a better paying job.” — Kenneth W.

• “Don’t let Richard P.’s response get to you, Amie. It doesn’t matter whether you attend a church or not, you have a right to an opinion about Separation of Church and State.” — Clare L.

On the derecho anniversary:

• “August 10 will mark five years since the Iowa derecho. Would be interesting to see how things have changed.” — Don C. (NOTE: KCRG did a nice article on this as it relates to disaster response.)

On rural hospitals worried they’ll have to lose services:

• “I have been helping a friend settle her 90-year-old dad into his new home in Clinton. She lives in Davenport. I live away, but have spent much of the past 20 years taking care of my elderly parents first in Clinton and then the last 10 years in Cedar Rapids. We both grew up in Clinton and went to ISU.

   

  We have both been pretty shocked at the state of hospital care and perhaps as or more importantly, the poor quality and lack of medical care in Clinton. That’s not a tiny town. It used to have two hospitals. It’s had only one for a long time.

  My friend said the town doesn’t have or soon will not have a cardiologist. We’re talking a lot of older people and a population over 20,000. She’s shifted her dad to doctors in Davenport and is quite happy with the care (she’s a veterinarian, so she knows medical care). But that’s what … a 40 mile drive? OK when you have a retired daughter in her mid-60s, but that’s not everybody.

   

  Thanks for the work you’re doing. I really appreciate a new perspective.” — Sandy H.

On the language of our leaders:

• “In regards to Zach Nunn describing the latest round of Trump deporting Iowa workers… ‘right sizing’… what does that even mean?… sounds like something Goebbels might have said.” — Kevin S.

Letter of the Week: ICE is violating the Constitution

“Pascul Pedro was whisked away by ICE while attending his standard immigration check-in on July 1, and then sent to a ‘detention’ center in Louisiana, and deported only days later, sometime over the weekend.

That afternoon, I was in my car listening to a story of (President Donald) Trump and (Florida Gov. Ron) DeSantis crowing about Alligator Ally. The news quoted someone who said people there are ‘locked in cages, without access to a lawyer, deprived of dignity, water and decent food.’

Now, having been educated in Iowa in the 20th century, I actually know how to read and also have a basic understanding of civics. I began to wonder—isn’t there something in our Constitution that forbids cruel and unusual punishment?

When I arrived home, I looked it up, and sure enough, in the Eighth Amendment, there is such a prohibition. Looking further, in the Fifth Amendment, I read no person shall be ‘deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.’

I thought, ‘Well, maybe “person” only includes citizens, so that is why this “detention” in horrific conditions, without due process, was legal.’ So I kept reading, and found, in Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution, the statement ‘No person, except national born Citizens, or a Citizen of the United States at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the office of President.’

It became clear from this that ‘person’ means everyone. And therefore, what ICE is doing is illegal. It is not just a moral issue: We are violating the essence of our own Constitution. …

I say we demand that our elected representatives honor the oath that they made when they took office, which is, ‘I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.’

Please note that with this oath, Senators (Chuck) Grassley and (Joni) Ernst, as well as Iowa Representatives (Zach) Nunn, (Randy) Feenstra, (Mariannette) Miller-Meeks, and (Ashley) Hinson, take an oath to support and defend the Constitution, not the President. In fact, that is the basis for our three separate but equal branches of government. When they tolerate ICE carrying out these abductions, our representatives are violating this oath.

For our representatives, it is not a question of human decency, mercy, or justice.  Allowing this to occur is an impeachable offense.” –Mary H., Salem, Iowa

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