Students from Iowa City West High School gathered on the Pentacrest Thursday afternoon after walking out of classes to protest the actions of ICE and the Trump administration’s immigration policies. They were joined by students from City High and Southeast Middle School, as well as students from the University of Iowa and other supporters outraged […]
Trump administration
Posted inCommunity/News
Two CBP agents identified in Alex Pretti shooting
This story was originally published by ProPublica. The two federal immigration agents who fired on Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti are identified in government records as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez. The records viewed by ProPublica list Ochoa, 43, and Gutierrez, 35, as the shooters during the deadly encounter […]
Posted inLetters
Thoughts on a terror campaign from an Iowan living in Minneapolis
I am no journalist, no reporter, and also not inclined to repackage the uncomplicated and readily evident facts of the last few weeks from my home here in Minneapolis, pretending there’s some fresh angle or hot take you haven’t been privy to. You can believe your eyes when you see the videos of ICE agents murdering […]
Posted inElection Coverage
A candid guide to the candidates running in Iowa this year
The 2026 election will be unlike any in decades. In addition to an open seat for governor and an open seat for U.S. Senate — a combination that hasn’t happened since 1968 — there are also open seats in two of Iowa’s four congressional districts and no incumbent running for State Auditor. In a state […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Misinformation about fentanyl, gangs and U.S. history flies as Trump, Iowa Republicans justify Venezuela attack
Just hours after the news broke that U.S. forces had invaded Venezuela early Saturday morning to capture the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro, both of Iowa’s senators and all four of its U.S. House members issued statements praising President Trump for ordering the attack. Trump was at his Florida home/members-only country club on Friday night when he […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Your Village: Why is there a truck driving around with a big image of Rep. Miller-Meeks as the Grinch?
Last night I saw a truck with a light-up display of Mariannette Miller-Meeks as a green-faced Grinch. Who did that? –RB, Iowa City The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) did that. The DCCC — pronounced “D triple-C” by political types — announced in an email on Wednesday that it was “launching a new billboard campaign […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Woodbury County inmate facing a year of detention sues Homeland Security
A Woodbury County jail inmate is suing the federal government, alleging she’s being unlawfully detained by ICE and faces a year of confinement while being denied her due process rights. The case is one of hundreds of similar lawsuits filed around that nation against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa and three other states agree to give Homeland Security access to driver’s license records
Four Republican states have agreed to help the Trump administration gain access to state driver’s license data through a nationwide law enforcement computer network as part of the administration’s hunt for alleged noncitizen voters. The Trump administration said as recently as October that federal officials wanted to obtain driver’s license records through the network. The […]
Posted inCommunity/News
New federal student debt rule targets gender-affirming care, ‘aiding and abetting’ immigrants as ‘unlawful’
A new U.S. Department of Education regulation to narrow eligibility for a key student debt relief program for public service workers has drawn strong opposition from advocates who argue the regulation is an attempt to target organizations whose missions do not align with President Donald Trump’s agenda. Under a final rule slated to take effect […]
Posted inCommunity/News
The African American Museum of Iowa is not afraid
When I moved to Iowa City 25 years ago, one of the first things I did to familiarize myself with my new surroundings was visit the African American Museum of Iowa (AAMI) in Cedar Rapids. I only had two pieces of Black Iowa history under my belt: Lametta Wynn was the first Black mayor of […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Forced to cope with paper tariffs, small comic book and game stores in Iowa are getting creative
You might recall the Stamp Act from 5th grade social studies. Passed on March 22, 1765, it was the mechanism used by the British to fund the standing troops lingering in the American colonies after the Seven Years’ War. In practice, the Stamp Act required that colonists pay a tax on all paper products, ranging […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Head Start programs in Iowa face loss of funding as shutdown continues
Two Iowa Head Start child care programs are expected to face funding lapses and could have to reduce services if the federal government shutdown continues into November, advocates say. Saturday, Nov. 1 is a pivotal deadline for several federally funded programs as the federal government shutdown continues. On the top of many people’s minds is […]
