By Jenny Schulz, Cedar Rapids; Kids First Law Center executive director My dad was a high school teacher. Once, school kids threw a rock through our living room window. The “Party Crew of 1982” spraypainted our house and car. My dad took it in stride and said, “Kids will be kids.” He understood kids misbehave […]
Letters
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Letter to the editor: Community ID has only helped Johnson County. It is under threat by the state.
By Mazahir Salih, Johnson County As HF 2296 moves to the Iowa Senate, Johnson County residents should understand what is at stake. Johnson County is currently the only county in Iowa operating a Community ID program. This program did not appear overnight. Nearly 13 years ago, the Center for Worker Justice began raising questions about […]
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Letter to the editor: ICCSD, get the books straight before asking for more money
By Joe Younker, Iowa City Public school advocates have argued that a 2 percent increase in state funding isn’t enough. Class sizes are growing. Programs are being cut. Teachers are leaving. The funding formula is broken. That’s what they say, and they’re right. And then there’s the Iowa City Community School District. Last August, district […]
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Letter to the editor: Due process is long overdue for migrant detainees in Iowa
On Feb. 25, 2026, community organizers and detainees learned that a class action lawsuit may preserve due process for migrant detainees in Iowa. The final judgment of Maldonado Bautista vs. DHS clarifies a path for attorneys nationwide to restore due process and prevent indefinite detainment amidst crowded jail cells.
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Letter to the editor: As governor, Rob Sand should reset the Board of Regents
By Alisha Sena, Iowa City Iowa’s education reputation has faded under a partisan attack. As State Auditor Rob Sand continues his 2026 gubernatorial run, he should adopt the Virginia model used by Governor Abigail Spanberger, who demanded university board resignations to prioritize stability over political theater. Current strategy follows a two-pronged assault. First, the voucher […]
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Letter to the editor: Library outreach is neither radical nor reckless. All Iowans have a right to read.
By Cathy Zimmerman and Sam Helmick We write in firm and solemn opposition to HF 2324, now before the Iowa General Assembly. This measure forbids school districts, charter schools and innovation zone schools from entering into partnership with their public libraries, denies students the use of their school-issued identification to obtain books and learning materials, […]
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Letter to the editor: Why I cannot support Flock cameras in Coralville
By Hai Huynh, Coralville City Councilor Last year, the contract to purchase Flock’s automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) was signed as part of the City of Coralville’s budget process — before most people even knew it was happening, and before we had even talked about it as a council. When the police chief later returned […]
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Letter to the editor: Don’t let the Board of Regents close the Department of Gender, Women’s and Sexuality Studies at UI
We, alumni/ae of the University of Iowa, write to you in a moment of profound alarm about what is happening to our beloved university. Public universities exist for a reason: they offer students access to a wide range of established academic disciplines, broad enough to challenge assumptions and rigorous enough to prepare graduates for professional […]
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Letter to the editor: Connect the dots and join the resistance against Flock and the surveillance network
By Bryan Clark, Dawn Clark, Justin K Comer, Fenek Coney, Katie Dennis, Joseph Dutcher, Will Gunnerson, Leah Otting, Tara McGovern, Alannah Swenka, Ryan Swenka, Bailey Welchhance, Maggie Welchhance and Dan Wohlers When Ring advertised their new AI-powered Search Party function during the Super Bowl as a solution for finding lost dogs, people were rightfully concerned. […]
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Letter to the editor: Local libraries — and free thought — are under threat in Iowa
By Sam Helmick, Iowa City; American Library Association president I come to this conversation because, for generations, Iowans of all walks of life have sent up a righteous cry: Free people read freely. That principle is not abstract in our state. Iowa has more libraries per capita than any other state in the nation. Nearly […]
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Letter to the editor: Like millions of migrants, my dad is indispensable
By Anthony Arroyo, Des Moines ICE is a continuation of America’s oldest tradition: state-sanctioned violence against people of color, especially Latinos. It grows out of a history that has always needed someone to be labeled alien, invader, criminal, deportable. Language becomes a weapon. Once a group is reduced to a threat, their humanity becomes optional. For decades, the United […]
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Letter to the editor: Minnesotans are showing us how to defend freedom
By Patricia Bowen, Iowa City Minnesotans across races and origins, faiths and genders, are demonstrating that the brave of us stand with and for each other. And the cowardly MAGA regime has escalated their attacks, assaulting families in the streets, invading homes, kidnapping children, and now killing Alex Pretti and Renee Good as they were looking […]
