Keya Vakil

More than three in four Iowans oppose politicians banning books in schools and believe it’s un-American to do so, according to a new Courier Newsroom/Data for Progress survey. Seventy-six percent of Iowa voters agree that “state lawmakers banning books at schools is a form of censorship and goes against American values of freedom of speech…

Child care centers in Iowa may soon be able to increase the number of children each worker cares for under a controversial bill passed by the Iowa Senate on Monday. Senate File 2268 would increase child care center staffing ratios, allowing providers to increase the number of children enrolled in their care without hiring additional…

Iowa Republicans are once again setting their sights on abortion access, introducing a new bill on Tuesday that would automatically ban abortion in the state should the US Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade. House Rep. Skyler Wheeler’s proposed “trigger law” would take effect 30 days after such a ruling–which could happen this year, with…

Are you a rural mayor wondering how you can get desperately-needed funding for schools in your community? Do you work in the Iowa Department of Transportation and brainstorm ways to improve public transit in the state? Did you lose your home in the devastating floods in Western Iowa in 2019 and wonder what your state…

Corporations would no longer be able to cut off health insurance for striking workers under a new bill introduced by Rep. Cindy Axne of Iowa. The Striking Workers Healthcare Protection Act would make it illegal for companies to take away or alter workers’ health benefits in order to pressure them to end their strikes. Employers…

Iowa child care providers are speaking out against a new proposal that they say could decrease the quality of care, cause more teachers to quit, and possibly even harm children. House Study Bill 511 would increase the number of children each child care worker could be responsible for. Currently, child care facilities must have one…

Rep. Bobby Kaufmann let his fingers do the talking Tuesday. The 36-year-old Republican from Wilton flipped off those who dare to have different beliefs than him while attending a rally held by the Convention of States in the rotunda of the Iowa Capitol Building in Des Moines. The group–which is funded by billionaire conservative Robert…

Iowa schools will be able to implement universal masking rules where necessary to protect students with disabilities, but a statewide order blocking Iowa Republicans’ ban on school mask mandates is unnecessary, a federal court ruled Tuesday. The US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit found that a lower court’s order blocking Gov. Kim Reynolds’…

Thursday marked the one-year anniversary of President Joe Biden’s inauguration. Biden’s first year in office was a difficult one, as the coronavirus pandemic continued to wreak havoc on the nation. There are real problems facing Americans today–rising prices, a resurgence of COVID this winter, access to affordable housing, and the cost of health and childcare,…