Ty Rushing is the former Chief Political Correspondent for Iowa Starting Line. He is a trail-blazing veteran Iowa journalist, an Emmy-nominated filmmaker, and co-founder and president of the Iowa Association of Black Journalists.
Ty Rushing
Latest from Ty Rushing
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What Is Turning Point USA And Why Are Iowans Concerned About It?
Turning Point USA, a far-right student organization, is branching out to Iowa middle and high schools. This expansion includes new chapters in Mason City Johnston, and Pleasant Valley. Some parents in the Johnston School District recently spoke out against the group, which held a kickoff attended by school board members Deb Davis and Clint Evans,…
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Biden Is Coming Back To Iowa. Here’s What He’s Done For The State, So Far
President Joe Biden is set to visit Menlo, a Guthrie County town about 45 minutes west of Des Moines, to tout his infrastructure investments in rural Iowa, according to the Des Moines Register. Since entering office, the Biden Administration has placed a large emphasis on helping the country recover from the coronavirus pandemic and rebuilding…
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What Is The WARN Act, And Did Hy-Vee Intentionally Circumvent It?
When Hy-Vee unexpectedly dismissed 121 corporate employees in March, some questioned if the West Des Moines company violated the state and federal WARN Act provisions. The grocer got around this accusation by saying it offered 102 of the mostly headquarters and IT employees retail store positions—some of the laid-off workers who spoke to Starting Line…
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New Des Moines Taco Festival Organized By Different Groups Than Last Year’s
While last year’s disastrous Des Moines Taco & Margarita Festival left people feeling shellacked, the Iowa Cubs hope to leave a better taste in festival-goers’ mouths after announcing their own Taco & Margarita Festival on Friday. The I-Cubs festival is slated for July 9 at Principal Park in Des Moines. A lot of people had…
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Iowa GOP Makes Changes To School Curriculum Approval Bill
A modified version of the Republican-led teacher curriculum-review bill is being debate on the Iowa House floor this evening. The new version of the bill, House File 2577, trimmed the estimated cost of implementing the new “transparency” policies from $27.4 million annually for school districts to $16.4 million annually, according to the nonpartisan Iowa Legislative…
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Here’s Which Politicians Hy-Vee Has Donated To Lately
Hy-Vee has been under closer scrutiny this past week after a wave of layoffs at their corporate headquarters and IT departments, as well as follow-up comments by their CEO demeaning the former staff for not taking retail jobs in their stores. The timing of the layoffs happened to coincide with actions by the Iowa House…
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Former Hy-Vee Staff Share How Layoffs Played Out
On a regular basis via an internal site, Hy-Vee’s 93,000 employees can watch new episodes of “Employee Show: Hy-Lights,” a well-produced in-house program where spokesperson Tina Potthoff interviews CEO Randy Edeker about the latest happenings in the West Des Moines-based company. However, last Friday’s “Hy-Lights” was different, according to one former Hy-Vee employee who was…
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Hy-Vee Confirms Layoffs, Some Clues Point To Impacted Departments
Hy-Vee, the West Des Moines-based grocer, confirmed to Axios and KCCI on Wednesday that it was laying off employees, but the company didn’t specify which departments or how many people lost their jobs. The grocery store chain told Axios the people they laid off were hired for “COVID-related projects” that are no longer needed while…
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Iowa Teacher Bonus Checks Will Be Taxed
Iowa teachers are being taxed on their $1,000 “thank you” bonuses from Gov. Kim Reynolds. “Those are subject to state and federal tax withholding,” confirmed Tim Bloom, Newton Community School District director of business services. Bloom said this was based on guidance from the Iowa Department of Education, which Reynolds delegated to handle distribution of…
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Where Education Bills Stand In The Iowa Legislature
This year’s Iowa Legislative session—which started Jan. 10 and is still going—saw the introduction of more than 50 education bills. These bills covered a wide swath of proposals, everything from jailing teachers and librarians to banning the use of indigenous mascots in public schools. As of Friday, a number of those education bills are dead…
