Iowa Starting Line
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Why Iowa has the same skin cancer rate as Arizona
The Hot Spot: Investigating Cancer in Iowa Share with a friend For decades, tanning used to be a regular part of some (mainly white) folks’ beauty routines. In my parents’ era, that meant slathering on tanning oil and lying out in a swimsuit in direct sunlight. In my era, that meant frequenting a tanning salon,…
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Have you seen the mountain lion in Iowa?
Your emails and Positively Iowa Share with a friend 🗣️ It’s Friday; time for reader replies! My take: I will not at all be surprised if Iowa Republicans try to pass this unconstitutional Oklahoma BS here when the legislative session starts back up in January. Here’s hoping I’m wrong. Iowa news briefs: Mountain…
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Iowa cancer survivors share their stories
The Hot Spot: Investigating Cancer in Iowa Share with a friend Gano Whetstone settled into the infusion chair at Des Moines’ Mission Cancer + Blood and asked for her usual: black coffee and a warm blanket. On treatment days, she takes the paratransit bus to the hospital, arriving early to wait in the lobby…
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1st West Nile case confirmed in northern Iowa
Your emails and Positively Iowa Share with a friend 🗣️ It’s Friday; time for reader replies! Fun fact of the day: William Britton “Bil” Baird was born on this day in 1904. A Mason City native and puppeteer, he created the beloved Charlemane the Lion character, though you might best remember him as the…
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We need more cancer research. What’s the holdup?
The Hot Spot: Investigating Cancer in Iowa Share with a friend Amie here. I’ve mailed out nitrate test strips to Iowans in 61 different cities; here’s a map of those cities. Glad to see folks from all around the state contributing! If a QR code isn’t your jam, here’s that response form. Now, for…
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🥘 The best things to eat at the State Fair
Your emails and Positively Iowa Share with a friend 🗣️ It’s Friday; time for reader replies! My take: I see Northern Dewatering, the Minnesota company that illegally drilled around 40 wells on the site of an under-construction Cedar Rapids data center, is being fined $20,000 by Linn County. They’re a private company, so…
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The link between pesticides and cancer
The Hot Spot: Investigating Cancer in Iowa Share with a friend Amie here. I’m putting your nitrate test strips in the mail this week, so expect that. (If you get an envelope with your address handwritten on a label and no return address, that’s from me!) Inside, you’ll find: a test strip; instructions on…
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🧈 Heading to the Iowa State Fair? Here’s what to know
Your emails and Positively Iowa Share with a friend 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…
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The link between Iowa’s worsening water quality and rising cancer rate
The Hot Spot: Investigating Cancer in Iowa Share with a friend It’s Tuesday, July 29, 2025. Amie here. This week’s story is on Iowa’s water quality, how it may be contributing to our high cancer rates, and what we can do about it. (Scroll down to find out how to get a free nitrate test…
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🍿 Iowa’s drive-in movie theaters and what they’re showing this summer
Your emails and Positively Iowa Share with a friend It’s Friday, July 25, 2025. 🗣️ It’s Friday! My take: Iowa Starting Line intern Victor Robbins did a phenomenal job on this story of LGBTQ+ Iowans who have fled the state they grew up in. Folks shared their stories of discrimination, dirty looks, and even…
