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Taking on Sen. Chuck Grassley is no small task, given his large victory margins dating back to the 1980s. It doesn’t help that Iowa has been trending ever more red over the past decade. But the three Democrats running in the June 7 primary all see a path to pulling off the upset, winning back…

Christopher Smith wants you to know two things. One: A nationwide railroad strike is the last thing his Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation (SMART) members, some 700 of whom work for Iowa’s rail carriers, want. For the last three years, and through an arduous federally mandated bargaining process, they’ve tried to come to an…

Iowa Senate Republicans passed HF 2416 on Wednesday, a bill that bans transgender girls from playing school-sponsored sports entirely. The measure passed along party lines, 31-17, and will more than likely be signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds. The main argument Republicans used is that they want to protect girls’ sports and Title IX victories. Another…

Henry Riding—spelled Ridings in some instances—was born into enslavement in Missouri and died as the wealthiest Black man in Sioux City. Born in Lexington, Missouri, in 1839, Riding literally fought for his freedom as a Union soldier during the Civil War. He served in the 1st Kansas Colored Infantry Regiment, the first Black unit to…

After her second time having sex, Julie Brown began experiencing severe pain on the right side of her abdomen. It was 1979 and Brown, a now-Des Moines resident, was 16 and living in Dubuque. In the hospital, after blood tests, a nurse quietly asked if Brown could be pregnant. After saying “yes,” she went into…

Wapello County was among several in Iowa to receive millions in American Rescue Plan funding. Specifically, the funding went to the River Hills Health Center and the Southern Iowa Economic Development Association (SIEDA), both based in Ottumwa, to help them meet community needs and recover from difficulties and setbacks they faced because of the COVID-19…

A decision on whether or not to move forward a bill that would mandate cameras in almost every Iowa public school classroom happened off-camera. A Wednesday Iowa House subcommittee hearing on HF 2177—the aforementioned classroom camera bill—that  was set to be livestreamed never took place as House members effectively killed the bill ahead of time.…

When Daniel Gutmann won the special election for a seat on the Urbandale School Board, he did it despite significant challenges from the right. Gutmann is an openly gay elementary school teacher, a member of the teacher’s union, a Democrat, and an outspoken supporter of progressive issues. He calls himself the perfect candidate to whip…