Civic Engagement
-
How to vote in Iowa: A complete voter guide
Whether you’re a first-time voter or a seasoned vet, voting can still be confusing—but we’ve broken down all you need to know about how to vote in Iowa. Check out our voter guide below to review important dates, instructions for registering to vote (or updating your existing registration!), info for voting early or by mail,…
-
The fight against ‘clearly unconstitutional’ Iowa immigration law
Recent Iowa immigrants and allies are still fighting against an Iowa immigration law they say unfairly discriminates against and targets them. Lawyers with the US Department of Justice and the American Immigration Council argued in court Monday that a judge should stop SF 2340 from going into effect July 1. The law would allow state…
-
2 years after historic union vote, Grinnell students sign 1st-in-nation contract
By Zach Spindler-Krage, News Editor, The Scarlet and Black Members of the Union of Grinnell Student Dining Workers (UGSDW) officially ratified, in a 162-1 vote, the first contract in US history to cover all undergraduate student workers. On Friday, Grinnell College signed the contract, which takes effect immediately. The historic contract raises the base wage for…
-
Founded with banned books in a garage, Annie’s Foundation opens new office
A year ago, Sara Hayden Parris’s garage was packed haphazardly with books, banners, signs, and other supplies for Annie’s Foundation events. Now, because of a generous donation, those days are no more. On March 28, Parris, board members, and supporters came out to cut the ribbon on a physical office space for Annie’s Foundation, at…
-
Opinion: I was an Iowa legislator. Where’s the substance to today’s bills?
In today’s hyper-partisan, emotion-fueled political environment, where policy proposals are seemingly presented and defended with facile slogans and tribal appeals, how can any citizen differentiate between the truly good and beneficial ones and those that either serve only a few or harm or denigrate others? I would like to advance a modest proposal based upon…
-
‘I’m not going to teach in Iowa’: UNI students explain why they’re not sticking around
She grew up in Ames and went to the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) in Cedar Falls to become a teacher. But Lydia plans to leave Iowa as soon as she graduates. “Here at UNI, there’s so much emphasis in our classes on social-emotional learning and inclusion and talking about issues of diversity,” she said.…
-
Students rally at Iowa Capitol to demand change on guns
Monday marked the start of the 2024 Iowa Legislative session and Iowans kicked it off by demanding lawmakers listen to what they want and put the people of Iowa first this year. Two events ran together, one hosted by the Iowa chapter of March For Our Lives (MFOL) and the other hosted by multiple Iowa…
-
Starting Line’s most ‘WTF’ stories of 2023
Iowa had a number of “WTF” news stories in 2023. We recapped some of them including the Satanic Temple drama, the fallout between Kim Reynolds and Donald Trump, and more.
-
Iowa campaign board receives multiple threats related to city, school elections
Staff members for the nonpartisan Iowa board that oversees the integrity of political campaigns received numerous threats related to the city and school elections that took place earlier this month. During Thursday’s Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board meeting, executive director and legal counsel Zach Goodrich noted the uptick in anger at him and staff…
-
If you want to retain Iowa teachers, vote in school board elections
Want to stop the mass exodus of quality teachers from leaving Iowa? Want to make sure they’re not only paid fairly, but feel like their district has their back? Turns out, your vote on Nov. 7 could mean the difference between a school board that cares about teachers and a board that just wants to…
