Bayer, the multinational biotech conglomerate that owns Monsanto, which manufactures Roundup, scored a major victory on Thursday over people suing the company for not including a warning about cancer risks on the weedkiller’s label. In a 7-2 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a state court decision from Missouri, and effectively blocked thousands of other […]
Rob Sand
Posted inCommunity/News
Auditor: School choice cost Iowans $258 million, is ‘paying tuition for the wealthiest families’
Nearly 79 percent of students who used Iowa’s funding program for K-12 private schools were “already projected” to attend private schools, according to a report released Wednesday by Iowa Auditor Rob Sand. The Iowa Department of Education called the report a “policy advocacy brief” that critiqued statutory provisions of the Iowa Education Savings Account (ESA) […]
Posted inElection Coverage
Libertarian candidates kicked off the ballot in Iowa after alleged pressure campaign involving RFK Jr.
The State Objections Panel ruled Monday that two Libertarian candidates running for governor and Congress should be taken off the 2026 Iowa general election ballot, sustaining challenges to their qualifications as candidates. A third Libertarian survived a challenge to his campaign paperwork and will remain on the November 2026 ballot. Republicans filed multiple challenges last […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Republican for governor Zach Lahn chooses state Rep. Derek Wulf as his running mate
Republican candidate for governor Zach Lahn announced on Friday morning that he’s chosen state Rep. Derek Wulf as his running mate. Wulf is in his second term in the Iowa House representing parts of Black Hawk, Benton and Tama counties. He was chair of the House Agriculture Committee during the most recent session of the […]
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
Rob Sand warns Iowa is facing ‘a fiscal time bomb,’ calls for four debates with Zach Lahn
Iowa’s state budget deficits are a “fiscal time bomb,” and addressing the problem “before the bomb explodes” will be the top priority if he’s elected governor, Rob Sand told the annual conference of the Iowa Association of Business and Industry (ABI) in Coralville on Thursday. ABI had scheduled a nonpartisan forum for gubernatorial candidates at […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Saeed’s Punk Nite puts on free theme parties with games and nostalgic playlists at Maggie’s Rumble Room
Walking through the yellow-tinted double doors of Maggie’s Rumble Room, you’re likely to see a multi-generational Des Moines clientele purchasing drinks and crowding around pool tables. At the far end of the room hangs a sheet with a shag carpet beneath. Atop the carpet sits a chair, a speaker and a microphone. Before long I […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Lahn beats Trump-backed Feenstra by less than 1% of the vote; Turek scores landslide victory over Wahls
It was almost midnight when the Associated Press finally declared a winner in the Republican race for governor in Tuesday’s primary. By that time, Randy Feenstra, the presumed frontrunner in the race, had conceded to winner Zach Lahn, and the Iowa Democratic Party and Democratic Governors Association had already sent out statements, both of which […]
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 inElection Coverage
Rob Sand sets fundraising record, reports over 10 times more cash-on-hand than GOP candidates combined; Zach Lahn outraises Randy Feenstra
Democratic candidate for governor Rob Sand broke existing campaign fundraising records in Iowa by raising more than $9.6 million in the first five months of this year. According to the campaign finance reports covering Jan. 1 to May 14, which were published this week by the Iowa and Campaign Disclosure Board, Sand outraised all five […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Republican candidates for governor talk cancer, water quality, school vouchers and Rob Sand at Iowa PBS forum
Who wasn’t there was almost as important as who was at the Iowa PBS forum of Republican candidates for governor on Tuesday night. Frontrunner Randy Feenstra skipped it, as he has skipped other forums where his fellow Republicans running for the nomination appear, but he still loomed over the three Republicans who did show up […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Rob Sand wants to legalize marijuana, regulate it like alcohol
Even before he launched his campaign for governor almost a year ago, Rob Sand has spoken out in favor of Iowa legalizing marijuana. On Monday, the Democratic candidate released details of his proposal to legalize and regulate adult use of cannabis in the state. “Establishing an adult-use cannabis industry in Iowa would also create thousands […]
