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 […]
Letters
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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Letter to the editor: Ashley Hinson’s attempt to sound like a peacemaker is a farce
By Ed Flaherty, Iowa City Representative Ashley Hinson, candidate for U.S. Senate, on Sept. 16 stated that “I want this war to end — I believe President Trump should immediately bring this war to a successful end….” This is just after she voted “no” on Sept. 15 on a resolution to stop the war. That was the sixth time […]
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Letter to the editor: We can build a new jail while working to reduce the jail population
By Mary Mascher, former state representative and retired educator I support the bond issue for the new jail. As a former elected official, educator, community activist, and long-time volunteer I also support our jail diversion efforts in Johnson County. I am extremely proud of our community and what we have done over many years to […]
