“It’s great to be in Iowa at the Iowa State Fair, because I grew up at the Minnesota State Fair,” Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said after taking the stage at JR’s Southpork Ranch on Monday. “Every single year my parents took me to the Minnesota State Fair.” There was some grumbling from the crowd […]
Community/News
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa Democrats fail to regain first-in-the-nation status; new primary calendar is a ‘middle finger’ to Trump and Republicans, other Dems celebrate
“Iowa is the center of the political universe right now,” Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart said confidently on Saturday. “Energy, excitement and enthusiasm exists all across our state.” It’s the sort of statement almost guaranteed to trigger applause at a meeting of Iowa Democrats, but Hart was speaking at the Democratic National Committee (DNC) […]
Posted inCommunity/News
ACLU sues State of Iowa in federal court on behalf of the Satanic Temple, alleging religious discrimination
On behalf of The Satanic Temple, the ACLU of Iowa filed a federal lawsuit Thursday alleging the state has blocked the temple’s rights to free speech, nondiscrimination and religious exercise. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, stems from the state’s repeated refusal to grant permission for the […]
Posted inElection Coverage
Campaigning for Zach Nunn, Steve Scalise compares Sarah Trone Garriott to winning candidates in New York, Michigan
U.S. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise linked Iowa Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott, the Democrat running for Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District, with candidates affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America — though she is not associated with the organization — as he spoke to Republicans in Iowa Wednesday in support of Rep. Zach Nunn’s reelection. Scalise, […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Four programs helping immigrants, refugees and underserved Iowans grow a farm business
Iowa has farmland in abundance, but astonishingly little of that land is used to grow food for humans — especially not food for Iowans. It’s too bad, because the state is full of folks with the skills and desire to nourish their community, and support their family in the process. Many of these would-be farmers […]
Posted inFood & Drink
How a Des Moines inventor made the modern American hot dog possible
A little over 100 years ago, hot dogs were just cheap sausages stuffed into buns and sold for a few cents on street corners, at fairs and sporting events. By the 1970s, hot dogs, still cheap sausages stuffed into buns, were such an iconically American food that a leading car company invoked them to give its […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Legal challenge to Iowa’s school book ban enters a new phase
Penguin Random House and eight co-plaintiffs have renewed their legal challenge to Iowa’s school book ban. The coalition of the country’s largest publishing houses, the Author’s Guild, two bestselling authors whose works have been pulled from school libraries because of the ban, and an Urbandale High School alum who was still a student when Gov. […]
Posted inFood & Drink
International produce you might find at the farmers market
Incubator farms are a sandbox — if that sandbox was full of fertile soil and eager pollinators. Refugee and immigrant farmers grow many fruits, veggies and flowers beloved by Iowans, including tomatoes, lettuce, cabbage, microgreens, watermelon, peaches, sunflowers, onions, radishes, beets, zucchini, squash, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, sweet peppers and hot peppers. Other crops favored […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Democrats running in Iowa’s competitive 1st and 3rd Districts release first TV ads
Iowa Democrats running in two of the country’s most competitive U.S. House districts have released their first television campaign ads of the 2026 general election cycle. On Thursday, state Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott, a Democrat who is running in Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District, released an ad titled “Quick.” The 30-second spot will begin airing on […]
Posted inCommunity/News
CDC adds Iowa to list of states affected by ‘record-setting outbreak’ of intestinal disease from contaminated lettuce
Iowa has been added to the list of states with confirmed cases of a parasite-caused gastrointestinal disease linked to contaminated iceberg lettuce, the FDA confirmed Wednesday in an update on the ongoing cyclosporiasis outbreak. The New York Times and the Washington Post had already reported on Tuesday that Iowa was one of six states with […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Her parents’ kung pao chicken had Des Moines obsessed. With Heavenly Asian Cuisine, Nhina Chau brought back the recipe — and explored her Vietnamese roots
Nhina Chau, owner of Heavenly Asian Cuisine, will never put freezer-burned veggies in her egg drop soup. She crinkles her nose at the thought of it. “I personally hate the smell of frozen peas and carrots,” Chau said, squirming in her chair. Egg drop soup is a Chinese restaurant classic. The people of West Des […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Despite the health crisis in Iowa and beyond, the EPA has stalled its long-planned nitrate cancer review
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has backed off its reassessment of cancer-causing nitrates despite decades of research suggesting the contaminant is more harmful than previously thought and that nitrate pollution is at crisis levels in U.S. drinking water. The agency would not confirm the assessment was canceled, but the work has been stagnant for more […]
