Nikoel Hytrek

Minnette Doderer was a trailblazing politician who served in the Iowa Legislature for 15 years, working on laws that ultimately improved Iowa women’s legal status. Born in 1923, Doderer was born in Holland, Iowa, and graduated from East High School in Waterloo. Women’s rights at forefront She was first elected in a 1964 special election,…

An animal rights organization said the need to euthanize nearly 200 puppies and dogs at one Iowa dog breeding site was “highly suspect,” particularly as there was no reported disease outbreak or any information about how the dogs were killed. A total of 199 dogs were euthanized by veterinarian Bill Jordan at the request of…

Despite the odds stacked against them, House Democrats are still fighting for Iowans’ reproductive rights. On Monday, legislators introduced a package of bills to protect reproductive freedom in Iowa by: making birth control available over-the-counter through a pharmacist; adding reproductive freedom to the Iowa Constitution; extending postpartum Medicaid coverage to 12 months (rather than the…

Sure, you probably know about Iowa’s only US President. But did you know his wife was an amazing humanitarian (and cool as hell)? Credited with being the person who started Girl Scout cookie sales nationwide, Iowa native and First Lady Lou Henry Hoover also traveled the world, helped save Americans during World War I, fought…

Gates Park and Byrnes Park in Waterloo are one step closer to construction, thanks to a $1 million grant from the Iowa Economic Development Authority. Gates Park will be able to add a splash pad, an inclusion park (a playground accessible to people with disabilities), an amphitheater and lighted basketball courts with a roller-skating track…

Thousands gathered in front of the Iowa Capitol in Des Moines on Sunday afternoon to push back on the discriminatory, homophobic laws moving through the Iowa Legislature. Speakers spoke out against bills like the gender-affirming care ban, bills forcing schools to out trans or nonbinary students to their parents, bathroom restrictions, and restrictions on what…

Iowa House Republicans introduced a sweeping abortion ban on Tuesday that only allows the medical procedure to be performed under rare circumstances. The 53-page bill does a number of things, including: Defines life at fertilization, and uses the term “unborn child” for all stages Declares zygotes, embryos, and fetuses entitled to equal protection under the…

Last week, Iowa House Republicans teased a bill prohibiting gender-affirming health care for anyone under 18, and on Monday HSB214 was filed and assigned to a judiciary subcommittee. Minors cannot receive gender-affirming care without parental consent, but this would prohibit families from even having that option. The bill would ban puberty blockers and hormone replacement…

For over an hour, two Iowa doctors answered questions and corrected disinformation about gender-affirming health care for transgender children. Iowa House Republicans held a hearing Thursday to get answers about how medical providers treat trans children. House Speaker Pat Grassley (R-New Hartford) confirmed Republicans are considering introducing legislation to ban that health care for people…

Ray Garbers almost died at 19 when an anti-abortion center failed to detect his ectopic pregnancy. After getting a positive pregnancy test, Garbers, who is a transgender man, was directed to Bridgehaven Pregnancy Support Center in Cedar Rapids, and he had an ultrasound during his second appointment. “The person doing the ultrasound told me they…