It’s the Friday news roundup: Dec. 20, 2024.

Hey, Iowa Starting Line readers!

If you’re a Positively Iowa fan, you might recognize my name. For those of you who aren’t (which… why not?), I’m Starting Line’s social media manager, Avery! I’m helping out with newsletters this week so Amie can take some extra holiday time off. 

Let’s start on some high notes.

👽 New brew alert: Iowa State students in the university’s brewing science program teamed up with Backpocket Brewing to make “Alien Juice Party,” a citrus-flavored IPA. As of today, the brew is available on tap at all three of Backpocket’s locations.

❄️ Winter fun: Live like you’re in a Home Alone installment with horse-drawn sleigh rides, holiday-themed train and trolley rides, and dazzling light displays. There ARE ways to enjoy Iowa winters!

🎁 Still shopping? Thanks to our Facebook followers, we received a ton of great suggestions for shopping local for holiday gifts. Better yet, these places have gifts made by Iowans, in Iowa.

All of us at Iowa Starting Line are incredibly grateful to you for fueling our little Iowa newsroom for another year. Zach, Amie, Nikoel, and I hope you get to spend time with loved ones and enjoy some rest during the holiday season. We’re heading out, too, so you won’t see us in your inbox next week. But don’t worry—we’re already thinking about next year!

🏛️ Legislative session incoming: When we return from break, we’ll hit the ground running with 2025 legislative session coverage. You can prepare by reading our breakdowns of what Democratic lawmakers are planning and what the reproductive rights landscape could look like. 

💕 Gratitude heals: This time of year can be hard, especially now that we’re entering a new year with a terrifying presidential administration ahead. 

When these emotions run high, I like to ground myself in the good. It reminds me that even though things suck, I have a lot to love. Like this Christmas, I’m grateful I get to spend a week with my sister who moved to the East Coast last year.

Looking back on 2024, what are you grateful for? And what are you looking forward to in 2025? Reply to this email and let me know!

Administrators of Holy Family Catholic Schools in Dubuque met with parents this week over concerns about a tuition hike coming in the next school year. Every student from elementary to high school will have the same $11,100 tuition, starting in the 2025-2026 academic year. 

Holy Family’s move follows that of several other private schools that raised their tuition after Gov. Kim Reynolds signed the state’s new voucher program into law in 2023.  

A study found that kindergarten tuition at Iowa private schools shot up between 21% and 24% since the voucher program began. 

“To the extent tuition levels outpace the ESA payment, families unable to further contribute to tuition may be priced out of schools, thus defeating the program’s stated goal,” the study said. “If this is the case, ESAs act as tuition subsidies for families who can already afford private school.”

We shouldn’t have to, but more Iowans are taking drastic measures to have some ownership and assurance over their reproductive health. If you’re worried, too, a simple step you can take is to talk to a reproductive care provider about your health priorities.

Question of the Week: Tell us what you think Iowa’s state legislators should focus on this session.

• “Clean water, clean air, healthy soil. Especially clean water with our cancer rates so high!” – Carolyn W.

• “Public schools funding and reproductive rights.” – Tammy M.

• “Child care support. Investing in additional childcare services and financial supports and not just allowing younger folks to take on more responsibility. One option—free state reimbursed child care for child care workers. State subsidizes child care costs at at child care facility at current commercial market rate (tax free) for every child care employee making child care jobs more attractive and increasing perceived compensation for the work done.” – Mari H.

• “Affordable housing; addressing health care and food deserts in Iowa; joining Summer EBT and stop pursuit of setting up yet another separate infrastructure for providing food for hungry kids with dollars going to contractors; water quality improvement; delay any further tax cuts until after impact of the cuts already made along with impact of fully funding private school vouchers are known; increase public school funding.” – also Mari H.

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