The writer of this letter, an Iowa City resident, would prefer to remain anonymous. Little Village has verified their identity. I am a brown person living in Iowa City. I was not born in the U.S. but I have found a home here in Iowa City. I moved here to attend the Writers’ Workshop, where […]
Opinion
Posted inLetters
Letter from local officials: Johnson County deserves a better plan for public safety
By V Fixmer-Oraiz, Johnson County Supervisor; Katie Freeman, Coralville City Councilor; Mandi Remington, Johnson County Supervisor; Mazahir Salih, Iowa City City Councilor The proposed $94.5 million jail and sheriff’s office bond is the wrong plan for Johnson County: it would commit taxpayers to decades of debt before the county has demonstrated that this costly project […]
Posted inLetters
Letter to the editor: A jail adjacent to the Historic Poor Farm is an affront — as is the planning process that made it a possibility
By Emerson Cram, Iowa City The decision by the Johnson County Board of Supervisors to purchase land and site a jail adjacent to the Historic Poor Farm is a profound rupture of trust and an insult to disabled people’s dignity and intrinsic value. For disabled communities, the historic poor farm is hallowed ground. The Board’s […]
Posted inLetters
Letter to the editor: Before moving to close schools, the ICCSD Board owes us due diligence
By Caitlin Owens, Iowa City The Iowa City Community School District is facing a serious financial crisis, and difficult decisions are likely unavoidable. While it is true that we are experiencing record low state and federal support for public schools and a shift of public dollars to fund private education through educational savings accounts, this […]
Posted inLetters
Letter to the editor: Green card holders should have a voice in their communities
By Waterz Yidana, Iowa City; Educator, City High School What does it mean to be part of a community? For me, living in Iowa City as a lawful permanent resident means more than simply having a place to live. This is where I work, contribute, build relationships, and participate in my community. I am affected […]
Posted inLetters
Letter from the publisher: Iowa’s environmental crises demand a split from the status quo
By Jordan Sellergren, Little Village publisher This magazine has not published a campaign endorsement in 25 years, but given our history of reporting on Iowa’s water quality crisis, it should come as no surprise that Little Village is standing squarely behind one candidate in 2026. Chris Jones’ campaign for Secretary of Agriculture has raised the […]
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Letter to the editor: CommUnity helps neighbors help neighbors
By Leslie Fitzpatrick, Iowa City As someone raised in Iowa City, a University of Iowa graduate, a local small business owner and a proud board member of CommUnity Crisis Services, I care deeply about this community and the people who call it home. There is a lot happening in our community and our country, and […]
Posted inLetters
Letter to the editor: We can’t keep pouring money into a bad building. Vote YES on the Johnson County jail bond
By Candida Maurer, Iowa City As I walk through my neighborhood, I notice that many of my liberal-leaning friends have “No New Jail” posters on their lawns. As a confirmed liberal, I see these signs and feel a sense of frustration that these good people aren’t recognizing the important details surrounding the vote for a […]
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Letter to the editor: Rapists are close to drowning us all
By Tim Weitzel, Iowa City Rape. It’s an evocative word. It’s routinely suppressed from daily discussion, but why? Who does society protect by not talking about men who violently attack victims with their penises, the victims conscious or not? Why is a charge of rape so routinely difficult be make, to prosecute? Why does our […]
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Letter to the editor: The jail referendum matters, but what happens after is equally important
By David Leshtz, Iowa City The heated public debate over a new jail in Johnson County has overlooked one player all Iowans should be worried about: the for-profit corporate prison industry. With privatized prisons already located in more than half of the United States, including Illinois and Indiana, the prison industrial complex is eager to […]
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Letter to the editor: Bring Fatou Traore home
By Sara Gilmore, Iowa City As an employee of UIHC (University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics), and on behalf of a great number of community members, we would like to voice our support for our co-worker Fatou Traore, who was unlawfully taken by ICE last Thursday morning on her way to work and is set […]
Posted inLetters
Letter to the editor: Vote No for common sense on the jail referendum
By Tim Weitzel, Iowa City I will be voting no on the upcoming bond referendum to fund a new jail and sheriff’s office, not because I dislike law enforcement or because I think we shouldn’t have a jail but because there has been no dialogue about why this facility has to be built and why […]
