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Iowa's June 7 primary results provided us with a clearer picture of where the state's politics are headed as we approach the midterm elections, with some surprises in local races across the state yesterday. As always, this is not an exhaustive list of every...
Iowa has landed a spot as the second-worst state in the country for puppy mills, according to an annual report released by the Humane Society of the United States. In Iowa, 17 puppy breeding facilities appeared on the list. Many were repeats from previous years. Only...
Most of Iowa’s major cities are friendly to LGBTQ people, according to a report released by the Human Rights Campaign, a national organization for LGBTQ advocacy. The annual report measures city non-discrimination laws, city services, the city as an employer, how law...
If you grew up enjoying the American circus, you can thank Iowa. While the Hawkeye State didn’t host the first circus on US soil—that honor goes to Philadelphia—Iowa played a key role in the industry’s development and is directly connected to “The Greatest Show on...
Iowans head to the polls for the June 7 primary election to pick their party’s candidate for the November general election. Early voting is already happening at local county auditor’s offices. This year, US Sen. Chuck Grassley is running for an eighth Senate term....
The Iowa Legislative session has entered overtime as Iowa House Republicans continue a stalemate with Iowa Senate Republicans and Gov. Kim Reynolds on a few key issues including school vouchers and curriculum oversight. Cut to unemployment benefits, a legislative...
Iowa has a rather infamous history of plane crashes. Several famous people from the worlds of sports, politics, and, of course, music have lost their lives in the Hawkeye State during aviation-related tragedies. Those losses on top of dozens of others have left a mark...
While Iowans are increasingly flocking across the Mississippi River to obtain legal marijuana at Illinois dispensaries, Iowa's legislative majority seems stuck in a "Reefer Madness" mindset when it comes to marijuana legalization. The growing disconnect between Iowa...
Council Bluffs once played host to one of the most famous figures in underground crime. Meyer Lansky, AKA “The Mob’s Accountant,” lived seasonally in the Western Iowa city for a period in the early 1940s while he operated the Dodge Park Kennel Club. The dog-racing...
Iowa Starting Line will be sharing historical photos of our state and our communities every morning on our Facebook page. Sometimes they'll just be one-off interesting photos we find in archives, sometimes they'll be a series on a specific topic. When we do a series,...
US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Rep. Cindy Axne (D-Iowa) held a press conference Thursday to discuss the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, what it has done for Iowa—and other rural areas—and what it will do in the future. Highlighting...
If your town, allegedly, had a mayor who abused his power, a city clerk who embezzled funds, and a corrupt police department—all at the same time—then you might be from Armstrong, Iowa. The town of around 875 people in Emmet County near the Minnesota border was rocked...
Iowa Senate Republicans passed an amended child-care bill on Monday that included language to address daycare worker shortages by putting teenagers to work. House File 2198 allows 16- and 17-year-old employees and substitutes at child care centers to watch school-aged...
In light of recent education bills at the Iowa Legislature, whether it’s promoting vouchers for private schools or restricting what teachers are allowed to mention in class, many Iowa students are getting fed up. And they're standing up. Friday afternoon in Johnston,...
Iowa has made some excellent contributions to the world, from the first computer to sliced bread. To celebrate this, we are going to have a regular series of articles that highlight the achievement of Iowans and Iowa companies. In this first article, we’re going to...
A little more than a year after it was passed, more Iowa communities are starting to approve the use of American Rescue Plan money for projects Some of these projects aim to solve problems related to water, public safety, and other social services. In many cases, this...
Turning Point USA, a far-right student organization, is branching out to Iowa middle and high schools. This expansion includes new chapters in Mason City Johnston, and Pleasant Valley. Some parents in the Johnston School District recently spoke out against the group,...
Graphic novels featuring LGBTQ characters aren't just the current punching bag for Republican politicians trying to regulate such books in school libraries—they're a vital resource for kids, teens, and young adults looking to find their own identities in a visual way....
Employees at one of the state's largest hospital systems who argued they weren't receiving overtime pay in a timely manner won damages from their employer in federal court this week. Six employees at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City brought the...
Wednesday afternoon, Republicans in both chambers of the Iowa Legislature supported an amendment to reduce unemployment benefits from 26 to 16 weeks. GOP senators added a one-week waiting period before those benefits are delivered in their version. The amended bill,...
Once again Senate Democrats tried to legalize recreational marijuana for the state of Iowa, and once again they were struck down without a hearing.
In a meeting where conspiracy theories and anti-vaccine rhetoric were shared heavily by elected officials, the Iowa Senate Judiciary Committee passed a bill banning COVID-19 vaccine requirements for enrollment at child care centers, K-12 schools, community colleges,...
The Iowa House passed a bill Monday that would allow anyone to use archived footage from Iowa PBS—regardless of copyright—for independent projects, even though doing so could cost the state a lot of money and raises legal concerns. The bill is the result of former...
Ask anyone in Iowa, and they have their favorite Mexican restaurant. It is standard Iowan protocol. Every Iowan can make an argument for their favorite Mexican restaurant, be it they have the best chips and queso or the best margaritas. What is more surprising and...
Thanks to the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), a nonprofit daycare center in Decorah is closer to its $7 million goal to build a new facility that will allow it to serve an additional 250 children. The Sunflower Child Development and Discovery Center is able to...
There were more than 50 education bills introduced during this year’s Iowa legislative session, including proposals to place surveillance cameras in public school classrooms, ban books, jail teachers, and take funding away from public schools to support private...
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...
There's a new potential solution for Iowa's shortage of substitute teachers: unpaid volunteers. The Iowa Senate passed a bill Monday to allow school districts to accept volunteer substitute teachers to help with the shortage of paid teachers and substitutes in the...
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...
A rural Iowa school superintendent shared some insight on how educators are feeling about being in the political crosshairs during an Iowa House Education Subcommittee hearing on Thursday. "We're working like dogs to have additional requirements so that everybody has...
