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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Iowa child labor protections rolled back further with new rules
Iowa started rolling back protections for child workers in 2023, and new child labor rules were published Wednesday to roll more protections back.
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Legal group urges IA AG to act against puppy mills
A California-based animal welfare group is asking Attorney General Brenna Bird to investigate a puppy mill that’s breaking its previous agreement with the state.
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What Iowans should know about getting abortion pills in the mail
The basics of an increasingly popular way of getting abortion pills.
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IA Senate Democrats to press GOP on child care, water quality, cancer rate in legislative session
Democrats will still be in the minority in next year’s Iowa Legislative Session, but Minority Leader Janice Weiner (D-Iowa City) said that doesn’t make them powerless.
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Big business, right-wing group thank Reynolds for tax cuts benefiting the wealthy
More tax cuts, investments in improving access to health care, and focusing on tackling bird flu in Iowa livestock are three areas the governor will likely focus on in the 2025 Iowa Legislative Session.
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Iowa’s reproductive rights landscape: Get ready for 2025
Your 2025 guide to potential reproductive rights legislation in Iowa
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Gov. Reynolds names IA Sen. Chris Cournoyer as new Lt. Gov
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has announced state Sen. Chris Cournoyer will be her new lieutenant governor.
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Iowans removing fallopian tubes, getting long-term birth control as threats to reproductive freedom loom
From getting long-lasting birth control to removing fallopian tubes, some Iowans are taking drastic measures as Iowa begins a six-week abortion ban and President Donald Trump takes office next month.
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Iowa’s food policies negatively impacting the people who live here
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds last week announced she would again ask for a waiver to not have to administer a federal program that ensures children don’t go hungry in the summer when school is out. The Summer EBT, or SUN Bucks, program gives low-income families with children who already receive free and reduced school meals…
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After USDA rejection, anti-hunger advocates urge Gov. Reynolds to apply for Summer EBT
The Iowa Hunger Coalition and other anti-hunger advocates called on Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds to apply for Summer EBT after the federal government rejected her alternate program.
