Just after 12:30 p.m. on June 2, a group of 13 women and nonbinary folks gathered in a loose circle at the base of a ridgeline at Stone State Park. They were dressed in the standard outfit for prescribed-fire practitioners: flame-resistant Nomex yellow work shirts and green pants, heavy leather boots, yellow helmets and shatter-resistant […]
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Posted inCommunity/News
Iowans rally in Davenport to demand action from Miller-Meeks, Grassley and Ernst after 20-year-old is deported with no due process
By the time Pascual Pedro Pedro’s grandfather began speaking about how his grandson had been unexpectedly seized by ICE last week and deported to Guatemala without a hearing, there were almost 200 people gathered on the sidewalk in front of 201 W 2nd St in downtown Davenport. More than a dozen were across the street. […]
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The Center for Worker Justice announces it is closing permanently
The Center for Worker Justice of Eastern Iowa (CWJ) announced on Wednesday afternoon it is shutting down. “After 13 years of uniting low-wage immigrant workers to promote social and economic justice regarding workers’ rights, housing, and immigration laws, all with the support of allies in faith communities, unions, and community volunteers, we have made the […]
Posted inCommunity/News
With no plan to manage groundwater in Iowa, Big Ag threatens the aquifer supplies most households rely upon
Friday the 13th was a lucky day this June for the southwest Iowa city of Avoca, pop. 1,700. Restaurants along Main Street had their best week since problems with the city’s water supply began. “It was the first time we hit our standard Friday mark in weeks,” Andrea Radd, owner of Raddberry’s Bakery and Cafe, […]
Posted inCommunity/News
‘Bring him back now’: Iowans plan rallies to demand return of young West Liberty resident seized by ICE, deported with no hearing
ICE deported Pascual Pedro Pedro, a 20-year-old resident of West Liberty, on Monday. Pedro came to the United States from Guatemala with his father when he was 13 years old. He lived with his grandparents, who have been in the U.S. for over 30 years, and attended West Liberty High School, where he was a […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Lizzie No knows folk, drawing inspiration from ‘the Lilith Fair girls’ and social justice movements
Lizzie No’s discography is an eclectic mix of everything from country ballads to folksy foot-tappers to alt-rock imbued with righteous anger — the kind of music that perfectly soundtracks a summer drive down a country highway. The expressive voice of No (the stage name of the band’s lead singer, Lizzie Quinlan, but also the band […]
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After a mid-season coaching controversy, the Hawkeye Softball team bonded and thrived. So why are players transferring?
Soo-Jin Berry wrapped up our interview in May with an important closing thought. “Coach Karl is the best,” Hawkeye Softball’s starting shortstop stated with conviction. Karl Gollan stepped in as the team’s acting head coach during the middle of a season completed in early May. He led the University of Iowa to one of its […]
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In surprise move, Trump refiles lawsuit over Iowa Poll in state court as new anti-SLAPP law goes into effect
In a surprise move on Monday, attorneys for President Trump filed a motion in federal district court seeking to drop his lawsuit against pollster J. Ann Selzer, the Des Moines Register and others over the final Iowa Poll of the 2024 election. Trump filed his lawsuit in December against Selzer, her polling firm Selzer & […]
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Sharply divided Iowa Supreme Court dismisses wrongful imprisonment claim
A sharply divided Iowa Supreme Court has affirmed a lower court decision dismissing a former prisoner’s claim for damages due to wrongful imprisonment. In strongly worded dissenting opinions, two of the Iowa justices called the majority’s decision in the case on Friday “frightening” and “profoundly wrong,” warning that it could remove any disincentive for state […]
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Polk County water report pins unhealthy rivers on ag pollution
A long-awaited scientific report commissioned by Polk County says farm pollution threatens the ability to drink clean water and to safely interact with central Iowa streams, Iowa Capital Dispatch reports. The county announced its Central Iowa Source Water Research Assessment in 2023 and heralded it as a first-of-its-kind, unbiased and comprehensive examination of the watersheds […]
Posted inStatewide
Planned Parenthood at risk of closing hundreds of clinics, drastically limiting abortion access nationwide
If the budget reconciliation package before the U.S. Senate becomes law in the coming weeks, reproductive health advocates say the provision that would cut federal funding to Planned Parenthood clinics could serve as a backdoor nationwide abortion ban, eliminating access to one in four abortion providers. The Republican-led bill, which already passed the House by […]
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President Trump’s ‘monumental celebration’ at the Iowa State Fairgrounds is set, but details are scant
America250, the organization coordinating Trump-endorsed activities related to next year’s 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, has released a little more information on President Trump’s planned visit to the Iowa State Fairgrounds. But only a little more. CBS News broke the news of Trump’s plan to come to the fairgrounds early […]
