An Iowa Republican likened an abortion “pandemic” to COVID-19 as a bill that would create an abortion state information dashboard passed on Thursday through a legislative subcommittee. “COVID-19 has had a huge impact on a lot of Iowans, and unfortunately we’ve lost a...
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Josh Mandelbaum Seeks 2nd DSM City Council Term, Releases Steering Committee
Des Moines City Councilman Josh Mandelbaum will be running for reelection this fall. The environmental attorney announced this morning he'll seek another term on the council for his Ward 3 seat, which covers the southwest quadrant of Des Moines. In kicking off his...
‘Modest’ Marijuana Penalty Reform Bill Advances In Iowa Senate
A “small step” on marijuana reform advanced on Tuesday in the Iowa legislature. A GOP-sponsored Senate bill that would lower legal penalties for first-offense Iowans who possess less than five grams of marijuana passed through a Senate Judiciary subcommittee with...
How Iowa’s Afro-Latinos Struggle To Feel Accepted In Either Culture
“If a race has no history, it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world, and it stands in danger of being exterminated.” Those were the words of Carter G. Woodson, a prominent African American historian, author and...
Carlin: Most Iowa GOP Senators Think 2020 Election Was Stolen
At the close of a three-hour-long debate highlighting clashes in the Iowa Capitol over former President Donald Trump’s debunked claims of widespread election fraud in the 2020 race, the state Senate passed a controversial elections bill along party lines. The GOP...
Public Education “Revenge Bill” Rolls Through Iowa Senate
Another fast-tracked education bill that will short Iowa’s public schools is vindictive amid ongoing COVID-19 challenges, Democrats say. Introduced by Senate Republicans less than a week ago, the education plan that suggests a 2.2% funding increase — well below...
What Iowa Starting Line Accomplished In 2020
As a very, very long 2020 winds down to a close, I thought it would be good to take a look back at what Iowa Starting Line accomplished in our most successful year yet. One thing I don't always do a good job of is publicly touting our successes — I'm always cautious...
Tastes Of Her Homeland Bring Columbian Woman Success In Iowa
When people first meet Lorena, they are impressed by her physical beauty. She is one astonishing woman, but when you get to know her well, you just know that her inside is even more beautiful than her outside, and that is a rare find. She is a fortress, standing tall...
Honduran Upbringing Led Iowa Doctor To Infectious Disease Work
Most days, Iowans check in on the news to keep track of the coronavirus pandemic's latest developments in the state. One of the experts we rely on is Dr. Rossana Rosa. Rosa came to Iowa via Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida, and now works as an infectious...
Honduran Upbringing Led Iowa Doctor To Infectious Disease Work
Most days, Iowans check in on the news to keep track of the coronavirus pandemic's latest developments in the state. One of the experts we rely on is Dr. Rossana Rosa. Rosa came to Iowa via Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida, and now works as an infectious...
Honduran Upbringing Led Iowa Doctor To Infectious Disease Work
Most days, Iowans check in on the news to keep track of the coronavirus pandemic's latest developments in the state. One of the experts we rely on is Dr. Rossana Rosa. Rosa came to Iowa via Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida, and now works as an infectious...
ICU Beds In SE Iowa Rare, Staff Shortages Increases, Burlington Hospital Warns
The number of Iowans hospitalized due to COVID-19 has doubled in the last few weeks, forcing hospitals like West Burlington's Great River Medical Center to implement emergency procedures in order to prepare for a surge in patients that exceeds its current capacity. At...
ICU Beds In SE Iowa Rare, Staff Shortages Increases, Burlington Hospital Warns
The number of Iowans hospitalized due to COVID-19 has doubled in the last few weeks, forcing hospitals like West Burlington's Great River Medical Center to implement emergency procedures in order to prepare for a surge in patients that exceeds its current capacity. At...
ICU Beds In SE Iowa Rare, Staff Shortages Increases, Burlington Hospital Warns
The number of Iowans hospitalized due to COVID-19 has doubled in the last few weeks, forcing hospitals like West Burlington's Great River Medical Center to implement emergency procedures in order to prepare for a surge in patients that exceeds its current capacity. At...
Top Iowa Republicans Haven’t Acknowledged Biden’s Win
Joe Biden secured enough electoral votes on Saturday to win the presidency, but the top Republicans in Iowa and across the country haven't acknowledged his win as President Donald Trump refuses to concede and trumpets claims of widespread voter fraud without evidence....
What Happened: Stories From The Ground In Iowa’s 2020 Election
Whether you are a Democrat or a Republican in Iowa, the way races played out up and down the ballot Tuesday night was surprising. The “blue wave” Democrats were counting on after four years of President Trump was in fact a red one that swept through the Des Moines...
What Happened: Stories From The Ground In Iowa’s 2020 Election
Whether you are a Democrat or a Republican in Iowa, the way races played out up and down the ballot Tuesday night was surprising. The “blue wave” Democrats were counting on after four years of President Trump was in fact a red one that swept through the Des Moines...
Greenfield Pitches ‘Pragmatic, Scrappy Farm Girl’ In Key Iowa Counties
Instead of handshakes, there were elbow bumps. Rather than town hall meetings and rallies, small groups gathered on their own turf: on a farm, a union hall, a local restaurant. For Democrats, campaigning amid the coronavirus pandemic means meeting people where they...
Greenfield Pitches ‘Pragmatic, Scrappy Farm Girl’ In Key Iowa Counties
Instead of handshakes, there were elbow bumps. Rather than town hall meetings and rallies, small groups gathered on their own turf: on a farm, a union hall, a local restaurant. For Democrats, campaigning amid the coronavirus pandemic means meeting people where they...
Where Dems Are Spending Big To Break Iowa GOP Trifecta
Democratic candidates are dramatically out-raising and in many districts out-spending their Republican opponents in the battle for control of the Iowa House. It's a change from past cycles, and may well put Democrats on the path to flipping the net of four seats...
Experience, Dedication Drives Sara Huddleston’s Run For Iowa House
I met Sara Huddleston a few years ago while searching for contacts in the Latino community in Storm Lake. Most everyone I spoke to would tell me the same thing: “You have to talk to her, she is an icon in our community, and she will help you for sure." Now Huddleston...
Experience, Dedication Drives Sara Huddleston’s Run For Iowa House
I met Sara Huddleston a few years ago while searching for contacts in the Latino community in Storm Lake. Most everyone I spoke to would tell me the same thing: “You have to talk to her, she is an icon in our community, and she will help you for sure." Now Huddleston...
Andrews Tackles Derecho, COVID During Key Iowa House Race
Second-time Iowa House District 95 candidate Christian Andrews gathered supporters and fellow candidates last weekend for a socially distanced campaign rally—with about two weeks until election day, Andrews said all needed to intensify efforts to finally flip the Iowa...
Andrews Tackles Derecho, COVID During Key Iowa House Race
Second-time Iowa House District 95 candidate Christian Andrews gathered supporters and fellow candidates last weekend for a socially distanced campaign rally—with about two weeks until election day, Andrews said all needed to intensify efforts to finally flip the Iowa...
Big TV Spending In Iowa House Races Reveal Key Battlegrounds
With just 17 days until election day, six-figure ad buys have begun popping up across Iowa’s major media markets for Iowa House races — in total, Starting Line found $2.2 million worth of buys on network TV for state legislative races for the House in the first three...
DNC Warns Of Trump’s COVID Spreading In Ad For His Iowa Visit
The Democratic National Committee has launched a new TV ad in Des Moines ahead of President Donald Trump's rally tonight, lambasting him for holding indoor events during the pandemic and "turning the White House into a super-spreader." After contracting the...
Reynolds Encourages Iowans To Attend Trump’s Super-Spreader Rally
As Iowa passes a sobering milestone — 100,000 Iowans have now been infected with COVID-19 — Gov. Kim Reynolds is encouraging people to pack President Donald Trump's Des Moines rally on Wednesday. The outdoor rally at the Des Moines airport is scheduled for Wednesday...
Ernst: ‘No Reason’ Not To Hold Trump Iowa Rally If He’s COVID Negative
Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst said Sunday there is "no reason" President Donald Trump "shouldn't be out and about" campaigning if he has tested negative for COVID-19, the highly infectious respiratory disease he was diagnosed with on Oct. 2. "He should be negative, and if...
Scholten: What A 374-Town Tour Of Iowa’s 4th District Teaches You
For J.D. Scholten, visiting all 374 towns in Iowa's sprawling 4th Congressional District gave him the opportunity to see up close "the potential in this district." But it also put into focus the hardships facing rural America, from closed down grocery stores to low...
Scholten: What A 374-Town Tour Of Iowa’s 4th District Teaches You
For J.D. Scholten, visiting all 374 towns in Iowa's sprawling 4th Congressional District gave him the opportunity to see up close "the potential in this district." But it also put into focus the hardships facing rural America, from closed down grocery stores to low...
