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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Boil Order Issued For Most Of Warren County
A boil order was issued for most of Warren County on Monday because of a ruptured water line. Affected cities include Milo, Martinsdale, New Virginia, Truro, and Saint Mary’s, according to an Iowa Department of Natural Resources press release. The city of Indianola is not affected. This order impacts approximately 5,900 rural customers. The damage…
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Ashley Hinson Wants You To Think She Backs Birth Control Access. Here’s What She Really Did.
Ashley Hinson knew she was going to take a bad vote. When the Right to Contraception Act came to the floor of the US House of Representatives on Thursday, Iowa Republican Rep. Hinson voted ‘no.’ The bill passed 228-195, with only eight Republicans signing on, none of them from Iowa. Hinson voted against protecting Americans’…
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Grassley, Ernst Noncommittal On Marriage Equality Vote
Since the overturn of Roe v Wade, Americans have spent the summer worried about other civil rights that could be reversed by the US Supreme Court. House Democrats responded Monday with their Respect for Marriage Act, which would codify same-sex and interracial marriage by requiring the federal government to recognize those marriages. It also requires…
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A Day On The River With Iowa’s Waterway Clean-Up Crew
Every year, volunteers from across the state and beyond work together to pull, drag, dig and carry trash out of an Iowa river chosen by the leaders of Iowa Project AWARE (A Watershed Awareness River Expedition). And this year, I joined them for a day on the West Fork of the Des Moines River up…
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Iowa River Clean-Up Project Growing In Popularity, Impact
Heidi Hopper held onto the canoe beside hers to brace it while her paddling partner, Amanda Losee, dragged a rusty hunk of metal toward the canoe. It was curved, almost as long as Losee, and probably came from the hood of an old car or maybe a tractor. Other volunteers discussed what else was on…
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Two Justices Who Reversed Iowa’s Abortion Rights Are On The Ballot This Year
With state supreme courts in a new focus after the overturn of Roe v Wade, elections for those people responsible for interpreting state law are also getting renewed attention. In June, the Iowa Supreme Court reversed their previous 2018 decision that said abortions were protected in the Iowa Constitution. In November, Iowa Supreme Court Justices…
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What Else Can Be Done To Protect Abortion Rights? Iowans Discuss Options.
Following US Supreme Court decisions regarding gun control measures, the environment, and the right to abortion, a lot of people are seeking answers and action—and they’re getting frustrated when they don’t see enough. Rep. Cindy Axne held a roundtable event Wednesday afternoon in downtown Des Moines at the Planned Parenthood offices and gathered abortion advocates…
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Brain-Eating Ameba Fears Close Southwest Iowa Lake, Missourian Infected
The state of Iowa announced the Lake of Three Fires beach in Taylor County is closed because of the confirmed brain infection of a Missouri resident who recently visited the beach. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) are conducting tests at the southern Iowa beach to confirm whether…
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The Additional Consequences Of Banning Abortion In Iowa
Domestic violence, religious freedom, bodily autonomy, and women’s abilities to decide their own future. All of those and more are on the line now that the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v Wade according to abortion access advocates. Rep. Cindy Axne (D-Iowa) hosted a roundtable in Des Moines on Wednesday to hear perspectives from people…
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What You Need To Know About the Urbandale School Board Special Election
Urbandale residents have a chance to elect someone to fill a vacancy on the Urbandale School Board during a special election on July 12. The polls are open from 7 a.m.-8 p.m. on Tuesday, July 12. But residents can vote early from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. until Monday, July 11, at the Polk County Election Office…
