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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Chuck Grassley Open to Joining Trump’s new Social Media Platform
Chuck Grassley was honest when asked if he would join former President Donald Trump’s new social media platform, Truth Social. “I hope they’ll have me,” Grassley said. “I don’t know if they will or not.” Iowa’s senior US Senator was asked the question during an Audubon town hall Wednesday as part of his annual 99-county…
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Johnston School Board Joins Anti-Voucher Push, but not Without Debate
Add Johnston to the growing list of Iowa school boards that have passed resolutions opposing school vouchers and similar legislation that redirects public funds to private schools. The Johnston Community School District School Board approved its resolution in a 4-2 vote Monday. The opposing votes came from board members Clint Evans and Derek Tidball while…
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Rep. Jeff Shipley Says Trans Iowans Have Mental Illness, Compares Them to Cancer
Rep. Jeff Shipley made at least 10 references to transgender Iowans having a mental illness and he diagnosed them with gender dysmorphia at least 11 times during Monday’s Iowa House floor debate to ban transgender girls and women from playing women’s school sports. Shipley has no well-known professional experience in the mental health field other…
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Rural Iowa Superintendent: Educators Don’t Feel Trusted by Legislators
A rural Iowa school superintendent shared some insight on how educators are feeling about being in the political crosshairs during an Iowa House Education Subcommittee hearing on Thursday. “We’re working like dogs to have additional requirements so that everybody has access to what they already have access to,” said Russ Adams, superintendent of the Orange…
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Rural Iowa School Board asks State for More Funding, Opposes Voucher Bill
The Osage School Board made two requests in a letter it wrote to the Iowa House and Senate education committees: More funding and no school vouchers. State lawmakers agreed to a 2.5% increase to State Supplemental Aid on Monday, although some Iowa Democrats proposed a 5% rate instead. In their letter, signed by all five…
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Iowa House Passes GOP Tax Bill, Says Iowa Won’t be the Next Kansas
Iowa House Democrats tried to add provisions to the House Republicans’ tax plan that would have provided tax credits in a range of areas including child care and emergency service volunteers, but the tax reform bill passed as is after a nearly two-hour floor debate Wednesday. HF 2317 passed mostly along party lines, 60-38, minus…
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Iowa Flat Tax Bill has Supporters, Detractors During Public Hearing
An Iowa union member had a warning to Iowa Republicans pushing for a flat tax rate. “This bill contains glitter—some may see as improvement—but beware, the flax tax benefits the wealthiest of taxpayers by far the most,” said Pete Hird, secretary-treasurer of the Iowa Federation of Labor. Hird gave his warning during Monday’s public hearing…
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Dr. Cunningham, a Waterloo Native, was Iowa’s First Black High School Principal
The Dr. Walter Cunningham School for Excellence is one of 11 public elementary schools in the Waterloo School District and it is named after a barrier-breaking educator. Cunningham was the first Black person to become a high school principal in Iowa when he was named principal of Waterloo’s East High School in 1975. East, which…
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Bible’s Rape, Incest Passages Read at Book Banning Senate Hearing
Passages from a number of books that could be considered “obscene” under an enhanced legal definition of the word were read during a Thursday Iowa Senate subcommittee hearing, including an excerpt from the Bible. Keenan Crow, director of policy and advocacy for One Iowa Action, read the Old Testament story of Lot and his daughters…
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New Bill Would let City Councils Overrule Local Library, Limit Access to Books
Under a new proposal, Iowa public libraries may have to create a secondary adult section to keep certain materials away from minors; however, the bill does not specify if red lights or beaded curtains will be required. Rep. Jon Thorup (R-Knoxville) introduced HF 2321 on Thursday. Thorup’s bill would allow a city council to overturn…
