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Iowa News You Can Use

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Jun 2025 11

WATCH: Trump anti-DEI push supercharges Iowa Pride (PT 3) – Cornhole Champions #28

By | LOCAL VIDEO, COMMUNITY, Iowa Production Staff

Corporate America is pulling back from Pride Month as Iowa LGBTQ+ organizations feel the financial squeeze from Trump's anti-DEI push. Des Moines Capital City Pride lost nearly $70,000 when Nationwide and Mid-American Energy walked away, while Iowa City Pride saw $15,000 in support disappear. But record individual donations and packed attendance prove the queer community's resilience runs deeper than corporate sponsorship dollars.

On this episode of Cornhole Champions, Zachary Oren Smith, Amy Rivers, and Avery Staker discuss how Iowa's Pride organizations are adapting to lost corporate funding while doubling down on grassroots community support.

Also in this episode, an overview of Iowa's 2026 Senate race. Perry's second chance. And a one-on-one with US Senate candidate Zach Wahls.

Cornhole Champions is a weekly podcast powered by Iowa Starting Line with music by Avery Mossman and show art by Desirée Tapia. We are a proud member of the Iowa Writers Collaborative.

*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

*SHOW RUNDOWN:*
00:00 - Corporate Pride Pullback - Iowa Organizations Lose $85,000+ in Sponsorships
00:47 - The Pendulum Swing - Corporate America's Profit-Driven Pride Strategy
01:10 - "Gay is Cool" - How Pride Became a Marketing Opportunity
01:30 - Queer Resilience - Community Survives Beyond Corporate Support
02:06 - Individual Donations Surge - Capital City Pride Sees Record Grassroots Funding
02:51 - Attendance Up Despite Funding Down - Community Shows Up Regardless
03:00 - Pride's Radical Roots - Remembering Stonewall Was a Riot
03:30 - Des Moines People's Pride - Community-Organized Alternative at Waterworks Park
04:13 - June 14th Event Preview - Queer Elder Panel and Local Artists
04:49 - Finding Real Allies - When Fair Weather Friends Reveal True Support
05:23 - Iowa Pride Events Statewide - Supporting Community Over Corporations

*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/

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Jun 2025 10

WATCH: Waverly, Iowa’s first ever Pride event

By | LOCAL VIDEO, COMMUNITY, Amie Rivers

Waverly, Iowa, had never before held a Pride event, and wanted to do something unique.

Organizers decided to showcase an important part of the town—the Cedar River—along with celebrating the area's LGBTQ+ community.

"The current political landscape is messy and unpredictable," the Waverly Human Equity and Diversity Commission said in announcing the event on the city's website. "Let's gather and celebrate the wonderful diversity of humanity and our community."

The city's own political landscape was messy: One group of pastors opposed any showcase of LGBTQ+ pride. Another group of pastors affirmed the event was welcome in town. It even made national news.

But the Sunset Pride Float on June 5, put together by the commission in collaboration with Crawdaddy Outdoors, was actually a chill event. At least 60 paddled a short stretch of the Cedar River in kayaks, canoes, and stand-up paddle boards, while dozens of others cheered them on from the bridges and banks, holding signs and waving flags.

"Tonight was truly special," one paddler wrote in an Instagram post. "Never have I been more proud of this town than I was tonight. Good on you Waverly!"

youtube - Iowa Starting Line
Jun 2025 6

WATCH: Woman who confronted Joni Ernst at town hall reacts to viral response

By | POLITICS VIDEO, POLITICS, Amie Rivers

At a Parkersburg town hall, Senator Joni Ernst faced fierce pushback as she defended the Trump Administration's cuts to Medicaid. India May was in the audience when she shouted at Ernst that "people will die" if kicked off Medicaid. Ernst responded, "Well, we all are going to die." The exchange went viral and prompted an equally tone-deaf apology video from Ernst the next day.

On the latest episode of Cornhole Champions, Amie sat down with May to talk Ernst's response, Iowa's health care crisis, and May's campaign for Iowa House in 2026.

Watch the episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsJtzmNlfbo&t=3s

youtube - Iowa Starting Line
Jun 2025 5

WATCH: Meet Justin Putzier, a motor sports content creator from Iowa

By | LOCAL VIDEO, COMMUNITY, Amie Rivers

Justin Putzier, an Iowa content creator, loves racing and motor sports. He's been to race tracks all over the Midwest, and interviews current and former racers on his YouTube show "Full Throttle with JP." And he does it all with cerebral palsy, a disorder that affects body movement and muscle coordination.

"I do have CP," he said. "[But] I want to come across as someone very interesting that might have very interesting questions."

Subscribe to JP's Full Throttle on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@JPFullThrottle18

youtube - Iowa Starting Line
Jun 2025 4

Watch: FINALLY: The secret report on deadly Davenport building collapse (Part 2) -Cornhole Champions #27

By | POLITICS VIDEO, POLITICS, Amie Rivers

A six-story Davenport apartment building collapsed, killing three people two years ago. And we can finally read an investigation into the fall that the Scott County Attorney tried to keep secret. Inside: cash workers, altered reports, and a runaway landlord.

On this episode of Cornhole Champions, Zachary Oren Smith, Amie Rivers, and Avery Staker examine the explosive report.

Also in this episode, US Sen. Joni Ernst viral gaffe and the Trump Administration's generation-defining cuts to Iowa's scientific research and development.

Cornhole Champions is a weekly podcast powered by Iowa Starting Line with music by Avery Mossman and show art by Desirée Tapia. We are a proud member of the Iowa Writers Collaborative.

*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

*SHOW RUNDOWN:*
00:30 - Three Deaths, One Amputation - Andrew Wold Shopping for Steel When Building Fell
01:00 - Wold Ran From Police - Special Agent Warrant Service Goes Wrong
03:00 - Amy Rivers Eyewitness Account - "We Knew It From Day One"
06:00 - Cash Workers and Fake Contractors - Wold Lied About Licensed Masons
07:00 - Mid-American Energy Warning - Too Dangerous for Utility Workers

*FOLLOW ZACHARY OREN SMITH ON SOCIAL MEDIA:*
- Twitter - https://x.com/zacharyos
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