Phill, the water buffalo, who made national headlines and won the hearts of Iowans last summer when he escaped from the person who bought him to slaughter for meat last summer, has died. Iowa Farm Sanctuary (IFS) posted on social media on Thursday that they had rushed Phill to Iowa State University’s Large Animal Hospital […]
Paul Brennan
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa House Republicans advance bill to extend ban on LGBTQ topics in elementary schools to middle and high schools
The ban on classroom discussions or lessons acknowledging the identity of anyone except straight, cisgendered individuals, imposed by Gov. Reynolds on K-6 Iowa schools in 2023, would be extended to cover all school instruction through the end of high school under a bill advanced by an Iowa House subcommittee on Wednesday. “This bill prohibits school […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Ron Steele is leaving KWWL after more than 50 years on eastern Iowa airwaves
After more than 50 years on the air, Ron Steele is leaving KWWL. The state’s longest-serving news anchor announced his coming departure at the end of the 10 p.m. news broadcast on Tuesday. “I have come to an agreement with, and have accepted an offer from, KWWL, which will end my career here at KWWL […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowans protest bill to give pesticide manufacturers greater protection from cancer lawsuits
Iowans gathered in the State Capitol rotunda on Monday to remember family members who have died from cancer and protest a bill in the Iowa Senate that would create new protections against lawsuits for companies that produce pesticides. “What our legislators should be doing is working on bills that lower the risk for Iowans rather than […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Early voting in the Iowa City Council special election starts on Wednesday
Early voting in the March 4 special election to fill the open seat on the Iowa City Council in District C starts on Wednesday. There will be two candidates on the ballot: Oliver Weilein and Ross Nusser. Weilein won a landslide victory in the Feb. 4 primary, receiving 69 percent of the vote. Nusser finished […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowans report phishing attack that spreads to all email contacts, labeled a ‘Marketing Proposal’
Iowans have reported a new widespread phishing attack in their email inboxes. The subject line for the nefarious email is “Fwd: New Document Assigned ‘Marketing Proposal’” and the sender address it displays appears to make it come from someone the recipient knows. Inside is a link to a pdf titled “Proposal#904-2025,” which should not be […]
Posted inCommunity/News
COGS asks for a 25% raise for UI grad student workers; Board of Regents offers 3%
“The university works because we work,” members of COGS chanted as they rallied outside the Iowa Memorial Union on Thursday. The Campaign to Organize Graduate Students, to use the union’s full name, represents the graduate student workers at the University of Iowa. Members teach most of the general education courses UI offers to undergraduates. On […]
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Reynolds threatens to cut off state funding to Winneshiek County after sheriff says he won’t comply with ‘unconstitutional’ requests from ICE
On Wednesday, Gov. Kim Reynolds threatened Winneshiek County with the possible loss of all state funding after the county’s sheriff publicly restated his “long-time stance on not recognizing detainers” issued by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). In a post on Tuesday on the department’s Facebook page, Winneshiek County Sheriff Dan Marx explained he and his […]
Posted inEastern Iowa
Oliver Weilein wins almost 70% of the vote in Iowa City’s District C primary
Oliver Weilein won a decisive victory in Tuesday’s primary election for the open Iowa City Council seat in District C. According to the results published by the Johnson County Auditor’s Office, Weilein received 641 votes, which represents 69 percent of the votes cast in District C. Weilein will face second-place finisher Ross Nusser in the […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Locals form spontaneous march protesting Trump and Reynolds policies during ‘A Day Without Immigrants’
Businesses closed across the country on Monday as people participated in a Day Without Immigrants to protest the hostile actions and rhetoric from the Trump administration targeting immigrants and their communities. In Iowa, a group of Latino activists organized a Day Without Latinos as a way to support all immigrants on the day of protest. “In […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Peak Iowa: Getting his Phill of freedom
In the summer of 1820, as he led an army expedition across the territory that became Iowa, Capt. Stephen Kearney spotted “a large drove of Buffaloe … probably 5 thousand.” Of course, the animals weren’t buffalo. The big, shaggy beasts were bison. It doesn’t feel quite so pedantic to make that distinction now that Iowans […]
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Caitlin Clark will play on the Carver court again for an Indiana Fever preseason game in May
The Indiana Fever announced on Thursday the team will play a preseason game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Caitlin Clark and her teammates will face the Brazilian National Team in the game schedule for May 4. “We couldn’t be more excited to play at Carver-Hawkeye Arena and we know Iowa fans will deliver an unforgettable homecoming for […]
