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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Renewed Hope For Outdoor Rec Fund To Actually Be Funded
More than ten years after Iowa voters changed the Iowa Constitution to protect the outdoors, the state trust fund designated for it may finally have money coming in. Sen. Dan Dawson (R-Council Bluffs) introduced the language twice, for the second time in Senate Study Bill 3157, which advocates take as a good sign for the…
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Iowa Senate Passes School Voucher Plan
Wednesday evening the Iowa Senate passed Senate File 2369, an education bill which would create a voucher system funded by public money. It passed the chamber 31-18 with one Republican joining all Democrats in opposition. Early on in the debate, the bill was amended to include a parents’ bill of rights, which would codify policies…
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State Board Of Education Approves Two New Charter Schools In Iowa
Two new charter schools are on the path to opening in Iowa this fall. The Iowa Department of Education approved applications for Choice Charter School and Hamburg Charter School last week. The state still needs to sign off on the contracts and has 30 days to do so. If both are approved, it would bring…
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Dems Warn GOP Unemployment Changes Will Drive Away Workers From Iowa
Wednesday afternoon, Republicans in both chambers of the Iowa Legislature supported an amendment to reduce unemployment benefits from 26 to 16 weeks. GOP senators added a one-week waiting period before those benefits are delivered in their version. The amended bill, House File 2355, passed the Iowa House 58-37. The Senate passed a bill with a…
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Senate Democrats Try Again To Make Recreational Marijuana Legal In Iowa
Once again Senate Democrats tried to legalize recreational marijuana for the state of Iowa, and once again they were struck down without a hearing. Sen. Joe Bolkcom (D-Iowa City) introduced the amendment early today, which would amend the Iowa Constitution and eventually leave the decision up to voters. It would regulate marijuana the way the…
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Axne Tours Community Health Center She Helped Secure Funds For
US Rep. Cindy Axne secured $10 million in funding for a suite of projects across Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District, which covers Des Moines and southwest Iowa. During an event at Primary Health Care Inc. in Des Moines on Tuesday, Axne, Iowa’s lone Democrat at the federal level, shared some updates on those projects. Some examples…
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Iowa Women Spent Decades Before 19th Amendment Fighting For Voting Rights
The movement for women to win the right to vote was long in Iowa and the rest of the Midwest. While progress seemed likely at some points, it was never fully realized until Iowa voted to ratify the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution in 1919. Many obstacles stood in the way—the alcohol industry, misogynists,…
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An Explainer On How Gas Prices Work. Spoiler: The President Doesn’t Set Them
Gas prices have been top-of-mind for many Americans, especially because they’re higher than they’ve been for 14 years. As of Monday, the average price for a regular gallon of gas in Iowa is $3.854. This is the highest a gallon of gas has been here since significant spikes in 2012 and another spike in the…
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Iowa GOP Senators Spew Vaccine Misinformation, Conspiracy Theories During COVID Discussion
In a meeting where conspiracy theories and anti-vaccine rhetoric were shared heavily by elected officials, the Iowa Senate Judiciary Committee passed a bill banning COVID-19 vaccine requirements for enrollment at child care centers, K-12 schools, community colleges, and universities. HF 2298 passed on Wednesday with the five Democratic senators voting “no.” The bill would apply…
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How the American Rescue Plan Has Helped Marshall County
Marshall County was among several in Iowa to receive millions in American Rescue Plan funding. Specifically, the funding went to UnityPoint Health-Marshalltown and Mid-Iowa Community Action (MICA), both based in Marshalltown, to help them meet community needs and recover from difficulties and setbacks they faced because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Vaccine Confidence UnityPoint Health-Marshalltown was…
