Nikoel Hytrek is Iowa Starting Line’s longest-serving reporter. She covers LGBTQ issues, abortion rights and all topics of interest to Iowans. Her biggest goal is to help connect the dots between policy and people’s real lives. If you have story ideas or tips, send them over to nikoel@new.iowastartingline.com.
Nikoel Hytrek
Latest from Nikoel Hytrek
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Why The Iowa Supreme Court Kept Abortion Legal (For Now)
The Iowa Supreme Court Friday issued its 3-3 decision about whether to lift an injunction on an abortion ban signed into law in 2018. Because of the split, the 2022 ruling from a Polk County District Court judge not to lift the injunction on the law still stands. Abortion is still legal in Iowa up…
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Abortion Still Legal After Iowa Supreme Court Splits 3-3
Abortion is still legal in Iowa up to 20 weeks of pregnancy. The Iowa Supreme Court split 3-3 in deciding whether to uphold or deny Iowan’s abortion rights. That means the 2022 district court judge’s ruling not to lift the injunction holds and the six–week ban will not go into effect. Chief Justice Susan Christensen…
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Iowa High Schooler Wins $500 in International Science Competition
An Iowa high schooler placed fourth in an international science competition in Dallas in May.
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Find Iowa’s Free Children’s Meal Sites for Summer 2023
The state of Iowa has released resources for finding locations serving free meals to children this summer.
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Sioux City Valedictorian Used Speech To Stand Up For LGBTQ Rights
The moment Patrick Baughman had been waiting for all year was here. He knew he would be the valedictorian for Sioux City’s West High School Class of 2023. He knew he would give a speech. He also knew he wanted to say something important. When that moment arrived on May 27, Patrick was ready. “I…
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CORE Wants To Help Uplift Iowa’s Black Students
This year’s legislative session activated young Iowans to speak out on issues ranging from private schools to LGBTQ rights to gun violence. Starting Line connected with members of some of the student groups leading the action and invited them to talk about how their organizations work, what inspired them to get involved, and what the…
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Newsmax Uses Davenport Tragedy To Push Ukraine War Disinformation
A right-wing media outlet capitalized on the tragic partial-building collapse in Davenport by claiming it was a Moscow building struck by drones from Ukraine. Greta Van Susteren, host of the Newsmax show “The Record with Greta Van Susteren,” showed a few shots of the Davenport building and said, “This morning in Moscow, a city of…
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Iowa Students Advance to Finals of National History Day Contest
In June, those 62 students will travel to Maryland to compete in the National History Day Contest, pitting their projects against 3,000 other students from around the world.
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Meet Iowa’s Wander Women, Community for the Outdoors-Curious
If you’re looking to get outdoors now that it’s warmer, but you don’t know where to start (or who to go with), there’s a group for you in Iowa.
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4 Iowa Students Named Presidential Scholars
Eight Iowa students have been chosen as semifinalists for the US Presidential Scholars program, a prestigious honor recognizing some of America’s most talented students.
