The Iowa Farm Bureau has released a statement claiming that the state's waterways are becoming cleaner, despite evidence that nitrates and phosphates are higher than ever.
The Meskwaki Nation police chief has identified his son as one of the two Iowa National Guard members killed in Syria Saturday.
Acts of kindness can bring a smile like nothing else. Here are nine of our favorite everyday stories in 2025, from rescuing animals to ending local hunger.
The Meskwaki Nation worked with the University of Northern Iowa to return cultural artifacts to the tribe. The items will now be housed at The Meskwaki Cultural Center and Museum.
Case New Holland says it will close its Burlington plant by the middle of next year. Workers say it's not because of money—which the company has plenty of—but because they want to break the union.
Sign the petition to keep CNH in Burlington here: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/tell-case-new-holland-invest-in-burlington-protect-our-plant?source=direct_link&&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Iowa%20Worker%27s%20Almanac%2011-13-25&utm_term=Iowa%20Starting%20Line%20-%20Workers%20Almanac
For more stories like this directly to your inbox, subscribe to the Iowa Worker's Almanac.
A day before Des Moines woman Leticia Jacobo was scheduled to be released from the Polk County Jail, jail staff told Jacobo she would be turned over to ICE agents—even though Jacobo is Native American.
This year’s Obamacare open enrollment period, which started Nov. 1 in most states, is full of uncertainty and confusion for the more than 24 million people who buy health insurance through the federal and state Affordable Care Act marketplaces.
Thousands of dollars worth of ground pork were donated to local food banks. Here are all the details.
Iowans will soon head to the polls to cast their votes in the 2025 city council and school board elections.
It's easy to miss what's happening in Iowa when you're scrolling past headlines. GDP down 6.1% in Q1. Soybean markets shipped to Argentina. A $20 billion bailout that somehow bypassed the farmers who needed it most. But this isn't just about tariffs or trade policy. It's about who holds power in Iowa and who gets left behind.
On Cornhole Champions, host Zachary Oren Smith sat down with Chase Seibert and Liz Fleming to unpack the New York Times story everyone should be reading: how Trump's economic policies hit Iowa harder than almost anywhere else in the country.
Toss some bags about Iowa’s economic woes… health insurance costs going up… and some reflection on a year of Cornhole Champions.
Cornhole Champions is a weekly politics and policy podcast powered by Iowa Starting Line, hosted by Zachary Oren Smith and produced by Rebecca Steinberg, with music by Avery Mossman and art by Desirée Tapia.
SHOW RUNDOWN:
0:00 – Cold open and Zach's cryptic note about chips
1:30 – Marinette Miller Meeks refuses town halls: "When hell freezes over"
4:30 – Welcome to Cornhole Champions and what's coming today
6:30 – The New York Times story Iowa needs to read: Trump's policies hit hard
9:00 – Why bailouts don't help small farmers and Argentina gets our markets
11:00 – John Deere layoffs, tariffs, and what it means for the Quad Cities
12:00 – Immigration crackdowns devastate Iowa's meat packing industry
*LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE TO CORNHOLE CHAMPIONS:*
- YouTube - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2LsUFhizO07jdk5Wav4mOT7tArltF8z5&si=FryZd7N7tG5tJ5Ju
- Substack - https://cornholechampions.substack.com/
- Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cornhole-champions-podcast/id1779497714
- Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5rzNpiA4IwgLmxbyrhETY6?si=6c4a527fa9ad4f64
- PocketCasts - https://pca.st/74atty1j
... and everywhere you listen to podcasts
*FOLLOW ZACHARY OREN SMITH ON SOCIAL MEDIA:*
- Twitter - https://x.com/zacharyos
- Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/zacharyosmith
- Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/zacharyos.bsky.social
- Threads - https://www.threads.com/@zachosmith
- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/zacharyos/
*FOLLOW IOWA STARTING LINE ON SOCIAL MEDIA:*
- Twitter - https://twitter.com/iastartingline
- Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/IowaStartingLine
- TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@iowastartingline
- Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/iowastartingline
- YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@UCXN791Qw5opBRLyvTWYl43w
