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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House Passes Bill That Could Expose Iowa PBS To Litigation Over Copyright Law
The Iowa House passed a bill Monday that would allow anyone to use archived footage from Iowa PBS—regardless of copyright—for independent projects, even though doing so could cost the state a lot of money and raises legal concerns. The bill is the result of former Iowa State wrestling coach Jim Gibbons pushing for footage from…
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Remember When Grassley and Ernst Blocked an Equal Pay Bill?
March 15 marks National Equal Pay Day in America—the date that symbolizes how far into the calendar year women must work in order to earn what men earned in the previous year. While Equal Pay Day arrived earlier than it has in its 26-year history—a sign that progress is being made in pay fairness—the average…
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Des Moines Latinos Call For Change After Fatal Shooting Near East High School
Leaders in the Des Moines Latino community called for more resources, more attention, and more support for the community during a Friday press conference to discuss a shooting that happened outside of East High School Monday afternoon. Six teenagers have been arrested in connection to the shooting that killed 15-year-old Jose David Lopez, and left…
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Why The Just-Passed Bipartisan Postal Service Bill Is A Big Deal
Long overdue improvements to the US Postal Service (USPS) passed the US Senate on Tuesday, bringing the promise of stability and reform to a service that has struggled financially for years. Though the bipartisan vote didn’t receive much local news coverage, the legislation will fix a major source of concern for the country’s mail service…
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Johnston Students, School Board Discuss Turning Point USA Chapter
Whether or not the Johnston School Board should approve a petition to start a Turning Point USA chapter in the district was the biggest talking point during Monday’s meeting, continuing the months-long debate on the matter. The request was brought by Johnston seniors Lucas Gorsh and Gavin Gallagher. Gorsh presented to the school board and…
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Decorah Teen Heartbroken After Being Banned From Girls’ Sports in Iowa
Gavy Smith started playing sports so she could spend time with her friends and learn new things. “I enjoy just spending time with my friends and just like the community of it all, and just being able to play on a team and have those people that you can count on,” she said. The high…
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Iowa Senate GOP Passes Bill to Discriminate Against Trans Girls in Sports
Iowa Senate Republicans passed HF 2416 on Wednesday, a bill that bans transgender girls from playing school-sponsored sports entirely. The measure passed along party lines, 31-17, and will more than likely be signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds. The main argument Republicans used is that they want to protect girls’ sports and Title IX victories. Another…
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Democrats Call Out Reynolds Double-Talk In Rebuttal Speech
Tuesday night, Gov. Kim Reynolds gave the Republican rebuttal to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address. She mostly filled that rebuttal with national GOP talking points, which a lot of Democrats jumped on as they reacted to her speech. Governor Reynolds is not speaking to the American People — she's speaking to her conservative…
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Iowa Senate Passes Bill to Allow Unpaid Volunteer Substitute Teachers
There’s a new potential solution for Iowa’s shortage of substitute teachers: unpaid volunteers. The Iowa Senate passed a bill Monday to allow school districts to accept volunteer substitute teachers to help with the shortage of paid teachers and substitutes in the state. The bill, Senate File 2356, is simple. People with substitute licenses or authorizations…
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Buxton: Iowa’s lost Black utopia was a worker’s paradise
In 1900, something special started to grow in Southeast Iowa—and it developed into a paradise for Black Americans. For 27 years, Buxton, Iowa, served as a racial utopia where segregation was not officially or socially enforced. Black citizens had the same opportunities and standing as white residents, and a true community developed. Black doctors treated…
