Dear Kiki, I had a friend repost a story of someone saying that getting a coffee as a first date is low effort. That it is lazy for a person to choose a java hang as the icebreaker. I disagree. It’s affordable and allows you to converse to actually get to know someone. Plus I […]
Community/News
Posted inCommunity/News
‘Today it’s our family. Tomorrow it can be another’: Hundreds rally to demand release of man violently seized by ICE in Iowa City
Hundreds of people crowded around the stage on the Ped Mall late on Friday morning to rally in support of Jorge Elieser González Ochoa, the Iowa City resident violently seized by ICE agents as he was working at the nearby Bread Garden Market on Thursday morning, a little over 24 hours earlier. He requires medical attention, […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Des Moines’ new indie bookstores want to help Latino, LGBTQ readers ‘see themselves on the shelf’
Like a book, an independent bookstore can be a spiritual oasis in a chaotic world. It probably says something about our world, then, that three indie bookstores sprouted up in central Iowa over the past 18 months. From pushing back against book bans and COVID-era malaise to capitalizing on online reading trends, Shelf Love DSM, […]
Posted inCommunity/News
ICE violently seizes an immigrant worker at Bread Garden Market in Iowa City
Shortly before 11 on Thursday morning, two men who eventually identified themselves as “federal agents” violently seized a worker at Bread Garden Market on the Ped Mall in Iowa City. Neither man was wearing a uniform or displaying a badge or identification as they tackled Jorge Elieser González Ochoa, forcing him to the floor. After handcuffing […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Sierra Club report gives Iowa utilities an F for clean energy plans
Iowa utilities, along with the majority of utilities across the country, scored an F grade in a report from the Sierra Club that rates utilities’ plans to transition to clean energy and to meet increased demand rates through 2035. Iowa utility companies said the report “oversimplifies utility planning” and that they are still striving for […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Shannon Lundgren, House floor manager for Iowa’s anti-abortion bills, becomes fourth Republican running in 2nd District
On Tuesday, Shannon Lundgren became the fourth Republican to join the race in Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District. Lundgren currently serves in the Iowa House of Representatives District 65, which covers parts of Dubuque County. She and her husband, Charlie, own the Trackside Bar & Grill in Peosta. “I’m running because I love Iowa and I […]
Posted inCommunity/News
‘We are here, we are going to keep flourishing’: Semana Cultural Latina returns to Iowa City with art galore
After six years, Semana Cultural Latina returns to Iowa City on Thursday. The week-long event celebrating Latino culture and art starts with an evening of family friendly short films from the Mexican Film Institute (Instituto Mexicano de Cinematografía) at FilmScene. The week continues with programs and exhibitions at the Iowa City Public Library, Public Space […]
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Republicans mourn Charlie Kirk, compare his murder to abortion at Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition fundraiser
The death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk — and the national response — was a major talking point Saturday at the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition fall banquet for GOP speakers, who said his shooting was a call to action for Republicans. U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio and […]
Posted inCommunity/News
‘People are hungry — starving — for principled leadership’: Jon Green on his decision not to honor Charlie Kirk in Johnson County
At the beginning of the Johnson County Board of Supervisors work session on Wednesday, Board Chair Jon Green noted that it was Constitution Day, the annual national commemoration of the signing of the U.S. Constitution on Sept. 17, 1789 by the members of the convention that drafted it. The work session was also happening one […]
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Iowa public universities to investigate employee social media posts about Charlie Kirk death
After hours of closed discussion, the Iowa Board of Regents directed state universities Wednesday to investigate social media posts allegedly made by university employees relating to rightwing influencer Charlie Kirk and his death. The board began its first meeting of the fall semester with a closed session, added to the agenda after multiple Iowa State […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Sioux City roofer held in jail by ICE sues over being denied a bond hearing
An Iowa man who claims he is being held in jail while facing deportation, without the opportunity to argue for release on bond, is suing county and federal officials for alleged violations of his due process rights. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa, alleges the actions of federal […]
Posted inEastern Iowa
Photos: Iowans recreate Civil War encampments, battles and the Gettysburg Address at annual Muster on the Maquoketa
Iowa may have been the scene of only one minor skirmish during the Civil War, but historians and live-action roleplayers stage battles in the state annually to highlight Iowa’s larger role in the fight to end slavery and preserve the union. The Jackson County Historical Society gathered historians, schoolkids and dozens of Civil War reenactors […]
