Two more individuals detained in Iowa jails by immigration officials are suing the federal government, alleging their rights are being violated. In recent months, Iowa State Patrol troopers and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security have worked together in pulling over commercial truck drivers near weigh stations along Interstate 80 as part of what they […]
Community/News
Posted inDear Kiki
Dear Kiki: Too many of my conversations come back to haunt me
It is difficult for me to keep grievances about people who hurt me to myself, and it seems unavoidable that one of these conversations will come back to haunt me. What begins with feeling slighted becomes vilification of others and character assassination, which I often express liberally with confidants and less trusted acquaintances alike. My […]
Posted inCommunity/News
‘Exactly what asylum law is meant to stop’: ICE again seizes Bolivian man ordered released in January, plans to deport him to Africa
Three months after a federal judge ordered ICE to release José Yugar-Cruz from Muscatine County Jail, ICE has detained the 36-year-old asylum seeker from Bolivia again. ICE has not accused Yugar-Cruz, who has no criminal record, of violating the terms of his release or any other infractions. ICE plans to deport him to the Democratic […]
Posted inCommunity/News
In latest move to restrict powers of local governments, Iowa Legislature passes bill aimed at Johnson County ID program (Updated)
Update: As expected, Gov. Kim Reynolds signed HF 2296 into law. It was one of 21 bills the governor approved on Thursday, April 16, according to a news release from the governor’s office. The Iowa Senate gave final approval on Tuesday to a bill banning cities and counties from issuing local IDs to residents. HF […]
Posted inCommunity/News
For over half a century, the Aerohawks have pushed their hobby to new heights — and entertained Iowa City Landfill patrons
If you jump on Melrose Avenue and drive west out of Iowa City, you’ll pass Chatham Oaks, the historic Poor Farm and the National Reserve base. The speed limit is 35 mph, but I’ve never seen anybody go less than 50. You’ll know the dump is coming up when you see huge flocks of birds […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa can now fully enforce its ‘don’t say gay’ and school book ban law, after appeals court vacates injunctions
Iowa can now enforce all parts of SF 496 — commonly known as the “don’t say gay” bill because of its provisions prohibiting references to LGBTQ topics in K-6 schools, requiring written parental permission to use a student’s preferred pronouns or name if it is does not match the gender listed in school records, and […]
Posted inCommunity/News
UI professor and Iowa City local for 25 years sues Trump administration for canceling his, his wife’s citizenship oaths
“Twenty-six years ago, I touched down at Eastern Iowa Airport,” Dr. Sunday Goshit told the people gathered on the Ped Mall Friday morning. Goshit, an adjunct assistant professor of International Studies at the University of Iowa and an instructor of Intercultural Competence at Kirkwood Community College, recalled how he arrived in Iowa “with a suitcase […]
Posted inCommunity/News
En Español: The recent rash of cartel violence in Mexico didn’t come out of nowhere
¿Por qué la violencia en México? El 22 de febrero fue abatido Nemesio Osegera, alias “El Mencho,” líder de un cartel mexicano. La noticia de su muerte fue rápidamente difundida por medios de comunicación de todo el mundo, junto con fuertes imágenes de las represalias por integrantes del cartel. La impresión es de un México […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Iowa is home to a colorful variety of THC beverage and candy brands. They could all disappear come November.
Last year, after the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, Congress finally passed a stopgap funding bill — and ignited a ticking timebomb for the billion-dollar THC beverage industry. A provision slipped into the bill at the last minute changes federal law to effectively ban hemp-derived cannabis (delta-9) products starting Nov. 12, 2026. Even the […]
Posted inEastern Iowa
Where the grass is greener: 10 dispensaries just over the border in Illinois
Since Illinois legalized recreational marijuana in 2020, dozens upon dozens of state-licensed dispensaries have opened or expanded beyond medicinal offerings in the Land of Lincoln. As a result, Iowans willing to hop over the Mississippi for the boutique weed-buying experience have more options than ever. THC products cannot be legally transported across state lines. This […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa Republicans killed another legal marijuana bill this year. After nearly a decade of attempts, 2027 could turn over a new leaf.
Some bills die quietly in the Iowa Legislature. HF 2206 did this year. It attracted minimal attention among lawmakers when it was introduced on Jan. 29, even though the bill had 15 House members as sponsors. It drew even less attention outside the Capitol Building, despite the fact it would have done something polling suggests most Iowans want: legalize the recreational use of marijuana.
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa House passes bill to raise the speed limit on two-lane highways
Two-lane state highways could see speed limits rise from 55 to 60 miles per hour under a bill passed Wednesday by the Iowa House. SF 378, passed 76-16, would increase the default speed limit for all vehicular traffic zones, while keeping in place other limits, like the 25 mph limit in residential and school districts. […]
