Jackie Norris, chair of the Des Moines School Board, is running for U.S. Senate. Norris hasn’t run for federal or statewide office before, but she’s been active in Iowa politics for almost 30 years. “Red versus blue isn’t fixing anything. Iowa needs a Senator who doesn’t just talk tough but rolls up their sleeves, and […]
Paul Brennan
Posted inCommunity/News
FilmScene begins two-year process to buy their Ped Mall building after Moen foreclosures
In April, GreenState Credit Union surprised Iowa City by foreclosing on some of the city’s best-known buildings, properties owned by real estate developer Marc Moen and business associates. When news broke, one of the questions that immediately lit up social media was, “What will happen to FilmScene?” FilmScene, the state’s oldest and largest year-round nonprofit […]
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‘I just keep thinking about it. Why us?’ Pascual Pedro Pedro thanks supporters in Iowa as protests of his deportation continue
The parking ramp across the street from the federal building in Cedar Rapids provided shade and some relief from the heat, so that’s where people started gathering before noon on Tuesday for the biggest demonstration yet in support of Pascual Pedro Pedro, a 20-year-old West Liberty resident who was suddenly and unexpectedly deported to Guatemala […]
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Gov. Reynolds celebrates ‘a culture of life’ one year into abortion ban; Iowans seek care across state lines as reproductive health clinics close
Gov. Kim Reynolds has been a featured speaker at the Family Leadership Summit every year during her governorship. When she took the stage at Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center in Des Moines for this year’s event on July 11, Reynolds — who announced in April she is not running for reelection — reflected on […]
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‘We can do so much better’: Clint Twedt-Ball, co-founder of Matthew 25, launches a run to defeat Rep. Hinson in IA-02
Clint Twedt-Ball, co-founder of the Cedar Rapids nonprofit Matthew 25, entered the race for Congress in Iowa’s 2nd District this week. Twedt-Ball, a first-time candidate, joins Kathy Dotler, another first-time candidate and the former dean of nursing at Kirkwood Community College, in seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge three-term incumbent Republican Ashley Hinson in next […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
Ozzy Osbourne, British rock god known for an infamous show in Des Moines, dies at 76
Ozzy Osbourne has died. Heavy metal’s “Prince of Darkness,” who later had a second career as an avuncular reality TV star, was 76 years old. “It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning,” the Osborne family said in […]
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AG Bird drops her lawsuit against Winneshiek County over sheriff’s Facebook post
On Friday, Attorney General Brenna Bird dropped her lawsuit over a February Facebook post by Winneshiek County Sheriff Dan Marx. Bird had been seeking to strip Winneshiek County of all state funds, unless Marx publicly disowned his Facebook post and declared his support for ICE enforcement actions, using language provided by the AG’s office. Bird […]
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Poll: Kim Reynolds remains America’s most unpopular governor
Gov. Kim Reynolds remains the most unpopular governor in America, according to the latest poll by Morning Consult. Reynolds is once again the only governor whose disapproval rating is higher than their approval rating in the opinion research firm’s quarterly survey of the approval ratings of governors. Reynolds has ranked the least popular governor in […]
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‘Good Trouble Lives On’ in more than 20 Iowa cities on Thursday for a national day of action (Updated)
On Thursday, July 17, people will gather across the nation at more than 1,600 events for the fifth annual Good Trouble Lives On National Day of Action. The events will protest actions by the Trump administration while celebrating the legacy of John Lewis, a hero of the Civil Rights Movement who went on to serve in Congress […]
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Iowans rally in Davenport to demand action from Miller-Meeks, Grassley and Ernst after 20-year-old is deported with no due process
By the time Pascual Pedro Pedro’s grandfather began speaking about how his grandson had been unexpectedly seized by ICE last week and deported to Guatemala without a hearing, there were almost 200 people gathered on the sidewalk in front of 201 W 2nd St in downtown Davenport. More than a dozen were across the street. […]
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Peak Iowa: When Jumbo the geyser put Belle Plaine on the map
At the corner of 8th Avenue and 8th Street in Belle Plaine, there’s a boulder with a bronze plaque put there in 1954 to commemorate “Jumbo,” a well-turned-geyser that briefly made the Benton County city famous almost 70 years earlier. By the time the well that became Jumbo was dug, the Belle Plaine area already […]
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The Center for Worker Justice announces it is closing permanently
The Center for Worker Justice of Eastern Iowa (CWJ) announced on Wednesday afternoon it is shutting down. “After 13 years of uniting low-wage immigrant workers to promote social and economic justice regarding workers’ rights, housing, and immigration laws, all with the support of allies in faith communities, unions, and community volunteers, we have made the […]
