It’s Friday, Jan. 26, 2024.

Hey folks, it’s Amie, and because
Valentine’s Day is around the corner, we’re making up some cards for y’all!

Here’s a sneak peek:

This Valentine is for you if you’re the type to squander your political popularity in order to stand by your man, even if Iowa voters weren’t feeling the love for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis last week.

But hey, they’re not ALL political references:

In fact, most of them are terrible puns on Iowa’s cities.

Ty Rushing
(my pun-maker in crime) and I had *way* too much fun with these.

Keep an eye out for all the cards on Starting Line’s social media pages in the coming days!

Did you know National Pizza Day is Feb. 9?

So what better time to ask our Starting Line fans: Where’s the best place in Iowa to get a slice?

More priests in schools, less money:

How Iowa Republicans are kicking off 2024

If, like me, you thought Iowa Republicans were going to cool off on their extremism this year—given that it’s an election year for many of them—oh boy, were we ever naïve.

As it becomes ever harder in this state to pay the bills, find a better job, and avoid getting cancer,
here’s what the “party of freedom” believes our state’s priorities are in the first month of the Iowa Legislature:

• make it even harder to get abortion medication;

   

• force cell phone makers to install a filter to prevent minors from viewing “obscene materials” (as defined by Iowa Republicans, obviously);

   

• loosen requirements for their program that gives taxpayer money to anti-abortion centers; and

   

• put religious chaplains in public schools

“We’re just past
two weeks into the 2024 legislative session,” laments Barb Kalbach with Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, in a guest editorial about another proposal to take more than half a million dollars away from every school district in Iowa to give to private school families.

Covering state legislature accurately and truthfully—with our eyes wide open to what these bills will cost us—is our bread and butter at Iowa Starting Line. Tell us how we’re doing below:

A quick 1-question survey to help inform our journalism.

Sweetie Pie is just that, but you have to let her warm up a bit first which could take some time. When she’s comfortable though, you won’t be able to escape her purrs or her kneading. She prefers gentle handling and the small pleasures of open windows and nighttime playtime, so if you’ve got a calm, quiet home with people who can patiently wait for Sweetie Pie to come out of her shell, contact the ARL: https://www.arl-iowa.org/adopt/86906/find-a-pet/pet-detail/

Sesame came in as a stray, but you’d never know it from how playful and friendly he is. This young guy may be shy at first, but if you bring out a wand toy or a feather, he’ll be a fast friend. If you want a playful buddy and have other cats, check him out at the Humane Society of North Iowa: https://www.hsni.org/?p=68343

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird filed suit against the social media app TikTok for “misleading parents,” and claimed the app exposed children to “inappropriate content.”

Commenters called out what they saw as hypocrisy.

“‘Won’t somebody please think of the children?!?’ — meanwhile they can now work in pork processing facilities overnight and serve alcohol to adults…” one said.

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