🗣️ It’s Friday. Time for Only in Iowa, this week’s pet photo, Positively Iowa, and news you can use.

The exterior of Groundswell Cafe. (Groundswell Cafe)

One Iowa eatery is doing more than simply serving food.

Discover how the state’s only pay-it-forward cafe is creating a community—and keeping it fed.

Local news is essential for democracy.

Our reporting cuts through false narratives, documents what’s actually happening in our communities, and provides voters with the clear, factual information they need—especially when the stakes are high.

🛷 Must be those Iowa winters: Riley Dyche, 33, from southwest Iowa’s Farragut, placed seventh in this year’s Iditarod in Alaska, a 1,000-mile dogsled race from Anchorage to Nome.

😵‍💫 For those who fidget: Mason Meeker, 13, of Baxter, was born with drugs and alcohol in his system and uses fidget toys as a coping mechanism. When his adoptive parents bought him a 3D printer, he started making them for others with ADHD.

🔥 Right place, right time: Meagan Murray, a letter carrier in New Hampton, was walking her route when she noticed smoke coming from an older customer’s home in 2024. She helped the resident escape the fire and was honored this month by her union as Humanitarian of the Year.

Grocery prices are bacon our hearts, so we dug into the best deals across Iowa. Check out these 8 chains and local stores that will save you a pretty penny.

More workers report struggling in their lives (49%) than thriving (46%), and more news and layoffs from the Mar. 26, 2026, edition of the Iowa Worker’s Almanac.

Thursday, March 26, is Equal Pay Day, a day highlighting how much less the average American woman makes compared to the average American man.

Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Amie Rivers. It was edited by Paula Solis.

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