The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) of Iowa took legal action on Wednesday to overturn a 13-year-old court order that prevents 97 of Iowa’s 99 counties from providing official voting materials in any language other than English, regardless of whether a voter is proficient in English. The civil rights organization filed a petition […]
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UI student sues two former FIJI members she accuses of sexual assault, as well as the fraternity’s UI chapter and its national organization
A University of Iowa student has filed a civil lawsuit against the university’s Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, or FIJI, alleging that two members of fraternity raped her at a party on Sept. 4, 2020. Makéna Solberg filed the lawsuit in Johnson County District Court on Tuesday. It alleges two members of the fraternity “planned and […]
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Judge rejects Deere & Company’s request for an injunction against striking workers in Ankeny
John Deere & Company’s attempt to disrupt picketing at its plant and a warehouse in Ankeny failed on Tuesday, as a Polk County judge rejected its petition for a temporary injunction against striking members of the UAW. “Deere has failed to show that it will suffer substantial injury or damages will result unless an injunction […]
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Iowa City Truth and Reconciliation Commission works on moving forward after the city council’s rejection of their chosen facilitator
Iowa City’s Ad Hoc Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) will take a new approach to fulfilling its task of documenting systemic racism in the community, and collecting the stories of those who have experienced it. Previously, the commission had focused on hiring a facilitator to assist and help guide its work. In fact, hiring a […]
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Riverside Theatre offers peek into their future space, launches new capital campaign
In late summer 2017, a building on the Ped Mall owned by the Swisher Trust, home to Union Bar and Revival, went up for auction. Little Village got access to the top floor of the building, derelict and covered in haunting graffiti: demons, clowns, skeletons, and even a bit of apocalyptic street poetry. “No ghosts […]
Posted inCOVID-19
John Deere strike: Tom Vilsack meets striking workers, judge issues injunction against picketers and Iowa Republicans weigh in
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack visited a United Auto Workers (UAW) picket line outside the John Deere plant in Ankeny on Wednesday. The former Iowa governor showed support for the workers as the strike, which began at midnight on Oct. 14, finished its first week. “For too long in this country, we haven’t paid […]
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Stacey Walker will not run for reelection to the Linn County Board of Supervisors
Stacey Walker announced on Wednesday he has decided not to run for reelection to the Linn County Board of Supervisors. “At this point in my life, it is time for me to make space for new leaders, and to pursue other opportunities,” Walker, who currently serves as chair of the board, said in a written […]
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‘There’s Q shit everywhere!’: ‘The Daily Show’ spotlights Iowa Trump supporters at Des Moines rally
Iowa was again the subject of a Daily Show segment most residents of the state would consider to be embarrassing. But while Iowans are used to being portrayed as folksy and a bit out of touch during caucus season, the piece aired Monday night showed a more cringey and conspiratorial slice of Iowa. The Daily […]
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Eliza, Finn and the art of reinvention
There is this thing that humans — not all of them but, observationally, a sizable majority — do to suffering: They want it to mean something. We want that meaning to make the suffering noble, and we want that noble suffering to reframe that tragedy as beneficial for us. Just watch someone (your humble narrator, […]
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Iowa schools will be able to keep mask mandates, as judge issues preliminary injunction
“It is in the public’s interest to allow local public school districts to exercise their discretion to adopt universal masking policies in an effort to inhibit the spread of COVID-19 and protect the children in their schools,” U.S. District Court Judge Robert Pratt wrote in his decision on Friday. Pratt issued a preliminary injunction against […]
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The ‘War on Meat’ isn’t real, but small Iowa farmers face an uphill battle against Big Ag
By Zoe Pharo and Paul Brennan For most Americans, the 2021 War on Meat was a blink-and-you-miss-it moment in conservative culture-war politics, the kind typically sparked by a red Starbucks cup or the marketing of a slightly more gender-neutral Barbie doll or Mr. Potato Head. By the time Fox News announced on April 23 that […]
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UI settles Title IX lawsuit filed by women swimmers, will pay $400,000 and hire expert to make sure it follows the law
The University of Iowa has agreed to pay $400,000 to settle a lawsuit alleging the university has been violating its obligation under Title IX to provide opportunities for female athletes, the Gazette reported on Wednesday afternoon. As part of the settlement, UI will also hire a sports law expert to monitor the Athletics Department’s compliance […]
