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As students return to the classroom and heated debates about schools resume, it's a perfect time to examine what Iowa's two gubernatorial candidates have in mind for the future of education in Iowa. Deidre DeJear, the Democratic candidate for governor, wants to put...
As families are squeezing in last-minute shopping to get ready for back-to-school, Iowa schools are also scrambling to get ready. Across the state, shortages for positions such as bus drivers and classroom teachers still persist, and getting those positions taken care...
The last time Sen. Chuck Grassley held an open town hall meeting, he got an earful from Iowans upset over unaddressed gun violence. The tense exchanges and Grassley's explanations drew national attention. That was two and a half months ago, on June 1. Grassley hasn't...
Congressman Ro Khanna, who represents the most economically muscular district in the nation’s history in Silicon Valley, wants to see the wealth generated in his corner of California — and its $10 trillion in market capitalization — river out to other parts of the...
Jean Lincoln, like many of the striking workers picketing their company, doesn't want to be there. A utility operator at Ingredion in Cedar Rapids who has worked there "almost 30 years to the day," Lincoln's work involves chemically treating the incoming water for the...
School bus drivers in Cedar Rapids are worried about low staffing brought on by noncompetitive wages, and say a recent cyberattack on the district has made things worse just weeks before school starts. They can agree on one thing: They just want to be able to come...
After months of negotiating over their contract, workers at an eastern Iowa manufacturing plant are on strike until a deal is struck. Ingredion workers affiliated with the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco, and Grain Milling union, or BCTGM Local 100-G in Cedar Rapids,...
I’m hiking every beautiful place I can think of around my home state, to showcase the beauty Iowa has to offer. Follow along on social media using #AmieTakesAHike to pass along your suggestions and see where I’m headed next. I hadn't been venturing around Wildcat Den...
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...
After nearly three months of a union strike in southeast Iowa, workers say there's no sign of an agreement in sight. More than 1,000 unionized workers at CNH Industrial (CNHi) in Burlington, Iowa, and Racine, Wisconsin—where they manufacture Case and New Holland...
Chris Pietropinto knows what it's like to have to choose between bills. For the last two decades, the Cedar Rapids woman and her husband have lived on one income, after a disability at 23 meant Pietropinto could no longer work. Instead, she did her best to balance...
Another strike could be looming—this time at a tire plant in Des Moines. United Steelworkers Local 310 (USW 310) said contract negotiations with Bridgestone have effectively stalled, and are now shoring up support among elected officials and community leaders to push...
Every year, volunteers from across the state and beyond work together to pull, drag, dig and carry trash out of an Iowa river chosen by the leaders of Iowa Project AWARE (A Watershed Awareness River Expedition). And this year, I joined them for a day on the West Fork...
By my count, there are at least six Iowa cities that have the name of a primary or secondary color in their name. Here’s a little refresher for those of us who can’t remember what we learned in elementary school art class: Red, yellow, and blue are primary colors,...
With state supreme courts in a new focus after the overturn of Roe v Wade, elections for those people responsible for interpreting state law are also getting renewed attention. In June, the Iowa Supreme Court reversed their previous 2018 decision that said abortions...
Urbandale residents have a chance to elect someone to fill a vacancy on the Urbandale School Board during a special election on July 12. The polls are open from 7 a.m.-8 p.m. on Tuesday, July 12. But residents can vote early from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. until Monday, July 11,...
What will Iowa's road and bridges look like without enough construction workers to repair them? We could soon find out. Iowa's new unemployment law goes into effect Friday and it limits workers to just 16 weeks of unemployment, a 10-week reduction from the previous...
From the time he learned English as a young kid, Jorge "Junior" Ibarra was frequently called to translate for his Spanish-speaking parents. Sometimes, the stakes were low. At parent-teacher conferences, when his teacher would say that Ibarra was a frequent talker and...
Former presidential candidate and US Sen. Bernie Sanders will stop in Iowa this week to show solidarity with workers who have been on strike for over a month. Sanders will hold a town hall in Burlington at 3:30 p.m. Friday with United Auto Workers Local 807, which...
From the northwest corner to the southeast, proud Iowans have recommended new products for me to try and write about for Starting Line’s Iowa Made series. So, I will again put my tastebuds to the test and try five new items produced right here in the Hawkeye State. No...
Barring some outlandish or criminal behavior while in office, the sitting governor typically backs the sitting legislators in their own party during a primary election. But after her much-touted school voucher bill failed to gain traction in the Iowa Legislature this...
A major employer in Waterloo is offshoring some of its operations to Mexico to make room for new products, though the company was tight-lipped about potential layoffs. John Deere announced Wednesday to its Tractor and Cab Assembly Operations workers in Waterloo it...
As he travels the state on his second run at a US Senate seat, Mike Franken is used to meeting fellow military veterans, and getting peppered with a lot of questions about foreign policy. It makes sense: A retired US Navy three-star admiral who served for more than...
For the second year in a row, Gov. Kim Reynolds’ attempt to divert public school funds to private schools was defeated. Iowa House Speaker Pat Grassley (R-New Hartford) confirmed to the Des Moines Register on Monday that Reynolds’ school voucher proposal—which would...
The important June 7 primary election is fast approaching in Iowa, with early voting already underway at local county auditor's offices. As more Iowans tune into the campaigns in the final weeks, the biggest contest is the race to take on Sen. Chuck Grassley. Three...
Owning a small business has always been difficult, particularly if you're facing discrimination because of your gender or race. Add in an economic crisis brought on by the perfect storm of a pandemic, supply chain problems, inflation, overseas conflicts, and empty...
Drivers at King's Ready Mix in Cedar Rapids went on strike Tuesday for better wages while the company argues their pay is fair. Jesse Case, secretary/treasurer of Teamsters Local #238, said 16 drivers were striking for higher wages, the only thing workers were...
Another United Auto Workers (UAW) union strike is on. More than 1,000 unionized workers at CNH Industrial (CNHi) in Iowa and Wisconsin, where they manufacture Case and New Holland agricultural products, began striking at noon on Monday. The union failed to reach an...
Nine somber events were held around Iowa marking Workers' Memorial Day this week. Labor unions around the state held events marking the 53rd anniversary of the establishment of OSHA (the Occupational Safety and Health Administration) and read the names of 71 Iowans...
The Republican-run Iowa House agreed to cut benefits for unemployed workers by 10 weeks yesterday in a move critics say will cause an even further exodus of workers out of a state that desperately needs them. The Iowa Legislature's vote to cut unemployment benefits...
