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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Polk County Vaccinations Rise, But So Do Cases Ahead Of State Fair
In preparation of the upcoming Iowa State Fair and in light of the dominant Delta variant, Polk County officials want to make sure more people are protected from COVID-19. To do that, they’ve set up a new incentive. Today, if someone gets their first or second dose of the vaccine, they will also get two…
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Iowa Doctor: COVID now “a Young Person’s Disease” as new Delta Wave Spreads
Less than half of Iowa’s population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and health officials across the state are bracing for the consequences as the Delta variant gains steam. Two Iowa health officials said vaccination will be the key to curb the worst of those outcomes. Dr. Daniel Diekema, a clinical professor of internal medicine and…
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State, Local Leaders Call for Iowa Investing in Electric Vehicle Infrastructure
Officials hope electric vehicles can drive an economic and environmental spark in Iowa. State officials gathered Thursday to talk about the ways Iowa can change its infrastructure to combat climate change and its devastating consequences. Electric vehicles were the key to the conversation. Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, State Rep. Marti Anderson, Des Moines City…
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Meet The Volunteers Cleaning Iowa’s Rivers, One Plastic Bottle At A Time
Thousands of miles of water run through Iowa, and every year an outpouring of hundreds of volunteers fan out to take care of them. One of those efforts is Iowa Project AWARE (A Watershed Awareness River Expedition), an annual volunteer effort to remove trash from a section of river. Volunteers of all ages board canoes…
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Reynolds: Wage Increases Not State’s Responsibility
The issue of worker shortages at restaurants has come up again as nine Burger King employees quit en masse over working conditions in Lincoln, Nebraska. The workers’ actions went viral after they put up on the restaurant’s sign “We all quit,” later explaining to local news that they were working 50 to 60 hours a…
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Iowa Transgender Athletes Ban Would Only Add To Mental Health, Isolation Problems
Though it was defeated earlier this year, the ban on transgender girls from participating in school sports still looms in Iowa. In late April, Gov. Kim Reynolds mentioned her interest and support for passing the legislation on Fox News, despite the Iowa legislature never taking it up as a serious topic. The session ended without…
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How Cedar Rapids Plans To Use Its Rescue Plan Funding
Cedar Rapids Mayor Brad Hart announced Thursday how the city will spend its share of the American Rescue Plan funding. According to the National League of Cities, Cedar Rapids is expected to receive about $28 million. The funds are meant to be used for cities and counties to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Hart announced…
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Axne, Families Tout What Coming Child Tax Credit Can Do For Iowans
Four out of five Iowans with children will start seeing more money in their bank accounts as the first payments of a new child tax credit go out July 15. To showcase the benefit, U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne, Iowa state Sen. Zach Wahls and Iowa state Rep. Jennifer Konfrst, along with three Iowa parents, spoke…
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Delta Variant Dominant In Iowa Now, Risks New Wave Of Spread
The highly transmissible Delta variant is now the dominant strain of COVID-19 in Iowa, according to the Iowa Department of Public Health. In the past two weeks, the variant was responsible for more than half of the positive COVID-19 tests that included variants. To measure the presence of variants, the State Hygenics Lab randomly selects…
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Miller-Meeks Votes Against Local Projects She Requested Funds For
A bill to provide billions for infrastructure projects across the country passed the House of Representatives this past week. Iowa Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks voted no. Nonetheless, the projects Miller-Meeks requested money for will still get it. Some of those projects include road work, bridge replacement and trail work in Iowa’s 2nd District. The cost for…
