Iowa has farmland in abundance, but astonishingly little of that land is used to grow food for humans — especially not food for Iowans. It’s too bad, because the state is full of folks with the skills and desire to nourish their community, and support their family in the process. Many of these would-be farmers […]
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Posted inFood & Drink
How a Des Moines inventor made the modern American hot dog possible
A little over 100 years ago, hot dogs were just cheap sausages stuffed into buns and sold for a few cents on street corners, at fairs and sporting events. By the 1970s, hot dogs, still cheap sausages stuffed into buns, were such an iconically American food that a leading car company invoked them to give its […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Legal challenge to Iowa’s school book ban enters a new phase
Penguin Random House and eight co-plaintiffs have renewed their legal challenge to Iowa’s school book ban. The coalition of the country’s largest publishing houses, the Author’s Guild, two bestselling authors whose works have been pulled from school libraries because of the ban, and an Urbandale High School alum who was still a student when Gov. […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Democrats running in Iowa’s competitive 1st and 3rd Districts release first TV ads
Iowa Democrats running in two of the country’s most competitive U.S. House districts have released their first television campaign ads of the 2026 general election cycle. On Thursday, state Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott, a Democrat who is running in Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District, released an ad titled “Quick.” The 30-second spot will begin airing on […]
Posted inCommunity/News
CDC adds Iowa to list of states affected by ‘record-setting outbreak’ of intestinal disease from contaminated lettuce
Iowa has been added to the list of states with confirmed cases of a parasite-caused gastrointestinal disease linked to contaminated iceberg lettuce, the FDA confirmed Wednesday in an update on the ongoing cyclosporiasis outbreak. The New York Times and the Washington Post had already reported on Tuesday that Iowa was one of six states with […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Restaurant owner Alfonso Medina continues to feed a pro-decency movement in Marshalltown, six years after ‘No Love, No Tacos’ went viral
Inside La Carreta Mexican Grill in Marshalltown is a bulletin board with letters from supporters all over the world. A sticker on a server stand reads, “Racism and outside food not allowed.” The restaurant is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day but Sunday, serving everything from huevos rancheros and a vegan al pastor […]
Posted inCommunity/News
After resisting pressure from Zach Nunn and RFK Jr. to drop his bid for Congress, Libertarian Marco Battaglia leaves anyway, citing medical emergency
Libertarian Marco Battaglia is no longer seeking a place on the November ballot as a candidate for the U.S. House in Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District. Battaglia, who was in his fourth run for office, has given up his campaign due to a medical emergency, according to a statement on Monday from the Libertarian Party of […]
Posted inCommunity/News
‘What did we do wrong now?’: Rural Iowa schools weigh costs of expanding ‘school choice’
As Iowa’s Education Savings Account program continues to expand to include all K-12 families, rural public school districts are still trying to determine how the scholarships will affect their classrooms, budgets and enrollment. Supporters argue ESAs give families more educational choices, while critics say the program diverts money away from public schools that remain the […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Elon Musk plans to spend millions to put Ashley Hinson in the Senate
Efforts to elect Ashley Hinson to the U.S. Senate and keep the seat held by the retiring Joni Ernst in Republican hands will get a major boost from billionaire and prominent racist Elon Musk. Axios broke the news that Musk has directed his super PAC to spend heavily to boost the chances of Republican Senate […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
UI alum and icon Ana Mendieta is the focus of a new London art exhibition, joining a Frida Kahlo show with Iowa connections
Right now at London’s Tate Modern, there is a single room in which select works from late University of Iowa alumna Ana Mendieta are displayed on a wall directly opposite the multi-paneled painting, Conservatory (Portrait of Frida Kahlo) (1988), by late University of Iowa alumna Miriam Schapiro. And the Iowa connections don’t end there. Hanging […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Obama endorses Josh Turek for Senate
Former President Barack Obama endorsed Josh Turek on Wednesday. The endorsement came in a Turek campaign video, featuring Obama and the Democratic nominee for Iowa’s open U.S. Senate seat playing basketball in a gym. The former president is famously a basketball enthusiast and plays recreationally. Turek, who represents Council Bluffs in the Iowa House, was […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Rob Sand talks cancer research, nicotine taxes and Zach Lahn’s opposition to mRNA vaccines in Des Moines
Gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand said he would support increasing pediatric cancer research funding, raising taxes on tobacco and nicotine products and ensuring access to cancer-preventing vaccines — but warned advocates Tuesday these actions will require GOP support. Sand, a Democrat who currently serves as Iowa state auditor, met with organizers and volunteers with the American […]
