Two months after they filed a federal lawsuit because their naturalization ceremony scheduled for January had been abruptly canceled for no apparent reason, longtime Iowa City residents Sunday and Regina Goshit were finally sworn in as U.S. citizens this week. “It’s 25 years of waiting; 25 years of being in this country,” Sunday Goshit told […]
Top Story
Posted inStatewide
Gov. Reynolds outsources IT services to New Jersey corporation, eliminating 200 state government jobs
Gov. Kim Reynolds announced Tuesday that she is outsourcing all of the state’s executive branch information technology (IT) work to an out-of-state corporation, eliminating the jobs of approximately 200 people who work for the Iowa Division of Information Technology. Cognizant Government Solutions, based in New Jersey, will provide the IT services, and the state’s data will […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
Lawn watering ban enacted in central Iowa due to high nitrate levels, affecting 20% of the state population
Central Iowa Water Works (CIWW) imposed a lawn-watering ban on Monday. This is the second year in a row the water utility has banned watering by its 600,000 customers in the greater Des Moines area and beyond. “The lawn watering ban is not due to a lack of water in our rivers or reservoirs,” according […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Rob Sand chooses his running mate
Less than a week after officially becoming the Democratic nominee for governor, Rob Sand announced Dave Muhlbauer, a farmer and member of the Crawford County Board of Supervisors, as his choice for lieutenant governor. “Dave has a track record of working with everyone to deliver for western Iowa and knows it’s time to rotate the […]
Posted inCommunity/News
The Blazing Saddle is home to leather daddies, lesbians, cowboys, queens and queer elders who can remember a Des Moines before Pride
The Blazing Saddle is open 365 days a year, but a Thursday afternoon at the bar is very different from a Friday or Saturday night. The doors open at 2 p.m., and the bar quickly fills with men, most at retirement age or approaching it. They’ll drink a few beers, or a cup of coffee, […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
A friendship and a folk band, the Awful Purdies celebrates 20 years this summer with a ‘goulash’ of new songs
Awful Purdies are a group of five women who joined forces like an Americana Voltron. For the past 20 years, they have been rocking the region with their beautiful blend of folk, honky tonk, bluegrass and a little bit of soul. This synthesis is achieved through an amalgamation of instruments that range from cello, mandolin […]
Posted inElection Coverage
Feenstra and Lahn spent hundreds of thousands in the final days before the primary
As the June 2 primary drew closer, the two candidates leading the field of five Republicans running for governor spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in less than two weeks, according to the latest campaign finance reports from the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board (IECDB). This latest report covers the 12 days from May […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Comedian Brooks Wheelan on growing up in Iowa, road-tripping with Seth Meyers and the perils of Spider League: ‘This could lead to another suspension’
Brooks Wheelan has seen his share of spiders. That’s not his job, but it’s one of his calling cards. He’s also run circles around the Los Angeles comedy scene. Running is not his job, either. I mean, it kind of was, but not anymore. He’s a comedian. And since he was born in Cedar Rapids, grew up in Manchester and is an alum of the University of Iowa, he’s our comedian.
Posted inCommunity/News
Trump endorses Randy Feenstra for governor; Feenstra attacks Zach Lahn for investing in penis ring technology
Last week it appeared that Randy Feenstra was in danger of losing his status as the likely frontrunner for the Republican nomination for governor. Newly released campaign finance reports showed another candidate, Zach Lahn, had raised more money than the four-term congressman since the start of the year. On Thursday, Feenstra — who Lahn has […]
Posted inCommunity/News
José Yugar-Cruz granted temporary release from ICE custody as Ebola outbreak impedes third-country deportations to Congo
José Yugar-Cruz, an asylum-seeker from Bolivia the Trump administration has been attempting to deport the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) since April, has secured release from ICE custody, Escucha Mi Voz Iowa (EMV) announced on Friday morning. According to the news release from the Iowa City-based nonprofit that assists and advocates for immigrants, Yugar-Cruz was […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Central Iowa Water Works asks its 600,000 customers to ‘use water wisely’ as nitrate levels spike
It has been almost a year since Central Iowa Water Works (CIWW) had to impose an unprecedented outdoor watering ban on the 600,000 residential and business customers it serves in the Greater Des Moines area and beyond because of the high levels of nitrate pollution in the Raccoon and Des Moines rivers. Now, the water […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Brenna Bird meets JD Vance, Stephen Miller and fellow Republican AGs in D.C. for fraud roundtable
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird was in Washington D.C. on Tuesday for a meeting of the White House Fraud Task Force led by Vice President JD Vance. “I’m grateful for the time today with Vice President Vance, Andrew Ferguson, Stephen Miller, and the White House Fraud Task force,” Bird said in a news release issued […]
