When lawmakers in Des Moines are seriously discussing rolling back laws against child labor, it can be hard to believe there’s anything positive about the state of labor in Iowa. But despite years of Republicans raging against unions, union membership in Iowa slightly increased last year. In 2021, 6.5 percent of the state’s workers were […]
Paul Brennan
Posted inCommunity/News
Sharon Malheiro, attorney who helped win marriage equality for Iowans, has died
Sharon Malheiro, an attorney whose career of fighting “for the underdog” spanned decades and who secured some of the most significant civil rights victories in Iowa, died on Sunday night. Her death was announced on social media by One Iowa, the nonprofit advocacy organization for LGBTQ Iowans she co-founded in 2006. “Sharon’s legacy of service, […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Under Bird, the Iowa AG office has stopped covering emergency contraception for sexual assault survivors
April is Sexual Assault and Awareness Month and Iowa’s new attorney general, Brenna Bird, has been advertising her support for survivors of sexual assault in social media posts. “Our office is committed to working with survivors of sexual assault to ensure they receive the support they need,” according to posts on Tuesday on AG Bird’s […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Set to close after 181 years, Iowa Wesleyan University is ‘disappointed in the lack of state support’; Gov. Reynolds rebuffs blame
Iowa Wesleyan University announced on Monday it will permanently close at the end of the current semester. In a statement posted on its website, the 181-year-old private university in Mount Pleasant cited financial problems, including a decline in donor support and Gov. Kim Reynolds’ refusal to provide assistance using American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Iowa City Starbucks files to become first unionized store in the state
Workers at the Starbucks in downtown Iowa City have begun the formal process that will allow them to unionize. Unionization drives at the coffee chain have swept through locations around the country during the last two years, but the workers at the Starbucks at the corner of Burlington and Clinton Streets are the first in […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa governor says ‘it’s not easy for me either’ as she signs laws considered life-threatening by trans care providers
After not making any public comment on the bill to ban prescribed gender-affirming medical care for transgender Iowans under 18 passed by the Republican majorities in the Iowa Legislature, Gov. Kim Reynolds confirmed on Tuesday she will sign the bill. Responding to questions from reporters, the governor compared the medical care to health- and safety-threatening […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Table to Table needs help after catalytic converter theft takes two food rescue vans out of commission
Table to Table (T2T) has become one of the leaders in the fight against hunger in Iowa since its founding in 1996, collecting food that would otherwise be thrown away from restaurants, grocery stores and farms, and then distributing it to organizations that serve people experiencing or on the cusp of food insecurity. With food […]
Posted inLetters
Letter to the editor: Smaller government and protecting children
By Pat Bowen, Iowa City If Iowa Republicans were serious about protecting children, and smaller government, our public schools would be fully funded and they wouldn’t be wanting to rollback long established protections governing child labor. Recently the Senate and House passed (SF 538, HF 623) to ban gender affirming medical care for transgender children. […]
Posted inLetters
Letter to the editor: CommUnity’s food bank needs our help
By Ellen Ballas, Iowa City Eastern Iowans: our local food bank in Iowa City needs monetary or food donations to help keep our neighbors fed. I received their email stating their donations are down and their inventory is scarce. There were “1,640 more visits to the Food Bank in January than the month prior.” Additionally, […]
Posted inCommunity/News
UI Athletics will reimburse state the $2 million to settle football discrimination lawsuit
Three days after the State Appeals Board voted 2-1 to pay $2 million from the state’s general fund to help settle a lawsuit alleging racial discrimination in the University of Iowa’s football program, UI President Barbara Wilson issued a statement saying the university will reimburse the state. “After listening to the concerns of Iowans, and […]
Posted inCommunity/News
UI racial discrimination lawsuit settled for $4.2 million; Auditor Sand demands Gary Barta be held accountable
The University of Iowa and the Iowa Board of Regents have agreed to pay $4.2 million to settle a racial discrimination lawsuit brought by eight Black former Hawkeye football players. Because Iowa law requires lawsuit settlements against state agencies be paid from the state’s general fund, Iowa taxpayers will be providing $2 million to settle […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Despite another failed marijuana reform bill, this political consultant is on a mission to ‘free the weed’ in Iowa
As February was drawing to a close, Democratic leaders from the Iowa House of Representatives held a press conference to introduce their bill to legalize cannabis in the state. “Legalizing marijuana for adult use keeps Iowans safe, stops our tax dollars from going to neighboring states, improves the quality of life for Iowans who are […]
