By Linda Quinn & Mary Dix, Iowa City Do you have a plant out of place in your lawn? Those out-of-place pops of color in our yards have gotten a bad reputation over the past 40 years. But not to everyone in Iowa City! There’s a lot of folks who allow these plants in places such […]
Letters
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Letter to the editor: Is it worth saving an unsellable building?
By Jacob Simmering, Iowa City I read Thomas Argan’s letter with interest. I agree completely that the Slezak-Holub-Skarda building is an attractive building that survived the era of urban renewal that took away many similarly attractive buildings. The parking lot across the street and next to the building were once the home to more interesting land uses, namely […]
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Letter to the editor: The city’s hesitation to landmark the Slezak-Holub-Skarda building should concern us
By Thomas Agran, Iowa City On April 2, the Iowa City City Council deferred a vote on landmarking the lovingly maintained Slezak-Holub-Skarda building, or more affectionately known as the Pagliai’s building. Good. This gives a little more time for Iowa Citians to imagine a giant hole in the ground, and rehearse their opines for another […]
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Letter to the editor: It’s time for Republican politicians to stop ripping off Iowa taxpayers
By Joe Bolkcom, Iowa City For the past eight years Iowa taxpayers have been victims of a massive Ponzi scheme. One where we have paid our hard-earned taxes for things we never received! Instead of investing our money in priorities to make Iowans stronger and more prosperous, Governor Reynolds and our Republican legislature have hoarded […]
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Letter to the editor: An embarrassing vote from Miller-Meeks
By Don Paulson, Letts What an embarrassment to the people of eastern Iowa. Republican U.S. Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks voted “yes” to impeach the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security on two trumped-up (no pun intended) charges that was done for political theater. Four Republicans sided with every Democrat to defeat the impeachment attempt. But […]
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Op-ed: Conservative politics depend on disremembering
By gregory wickencamp, Iowa City “Separate accommodations are not inherently unequal,” according to a new Iowa bill targeting trans people. Read that again. If those words sound familiar, they should. The same language was used to legally justify Jim Crow era abuses until 1954. That’s when the Supreme Court ruled that separate conditions are inherently […]
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Letter to the editor: SSB 3131 is end game for Iowa libraries
By Sam Helmick, Iowa City Iowans before us understood why the legal liabilities and complex policies inherent to library (First Amendment) services require specific and robust management to successfully steward collections, programs, and spaces which are openly and freely used by the public. Senate Study Bill 3131 transfers oversight, power, and property of public library […]
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Letter to the editor: Hungry and cost-burdened Iowans deserve better from state lawmakers
By Mandi Remington, Iowa City, director of the Corridor Community Action Network January is Poverty Awareness Month, a time to reflect on the persistent struggles faced by so many. Recent reports reveal alarming trends, with U.S. homelessness reaching an all-time high in 2023. The Department of Housing and Urban Development recently reported a 12 percent […]
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Letter from Laura Bergus and V Fixmer-Oraiz: It’s time we talked about authoritarianism in Iowa
The following is co-written by Laura Bergus, Iowa City city councilor, and V Fixmer-Oraiz, Johnson County Supervisor Laura Bergus: In the summer of 2020, after the murder of George Floyd, Iowa City made our rejection of discrimination clear. Our city made national news as peaceful protesters — many who were children and young adults — […]
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Letter to the editor: By rezoning the old Kirkwood campus, Iowa City is turning their backs on Southeast District residents
By Anne Marie Kraus, Iowa City The proposed rezoning of the Kirkwood Community College Campus (on Muscatine Avenue) from P-1 to I-1 (General Industrial) for the benefit of Procter and Gamble is deleterious, opening the door to significant endangerment of the health of Iowa City. As Procter and Gamble completes its purchase of the Kirkwood […]
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Letter to the editor: The governor’s ‘open forum’ on the budget was a sham
By Pat Bowen, Iowa City Governments were originally created to protect people from conflicts and to provide law and order. In most recent years, government responsibilities have extended to the economy and public service. We need a government that meets the needs of the public, not the rich and powerful. Governor Reynolds held a public […]
