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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Iowa slated to ban all future basic income programs
Sen. Bill Dotzler, 75, called the last two legislative sessions the “worst attack” on low-income and working-class Iowans he has ever seen. The Democrat from Waterloo—who has served in the legislature for over three decades—made those remarks Tuesday as the Iowa Senate spent a portion of the 100th day of the legislative session debating a…
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What you need to know about Iowa’s bill to arm school staff
Gov. Kim Reynolds is expected to sign a new law that will allow Iowa schools to arm staff and grant them legal and civil immunity in the event of a shooting. The bill—HF 2586—is part of Iowa Republican lawmakers’ direct response to the Jan. 4 school shooting in Perry and has already passed both Iowa…
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As Iowa City and Linn-Mar prepare for drastic cuts, vouchers draw millions from state
The Iowa City and Linn-Mar school districts face a combined $10 million budget shortfall as the state continues to underfund public schools and funnel millions toward private school tuition. According to data from the Iowa Department of Education, 471 students who reside within the boundaries of the Iowa City School District received money from Gov.…
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Iowa Senate passes bill to arm school staff, give legal immunity in shootings
Sen. Molly Donahue, a teacher, has more than a few ideas on how to make schools safer without arming teachers or other school staff. She shared them during Wednesday’s Iowa Senate debate on a bill to bring more guns into schools. “We could be investing far more funding in mental health resources to enhance access…
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Kim Reynolds finally decides to help feed some kids, but there’s a big catch
Gov. Kim Reynolds announced Wednesday that Iowa will start a competitive $900,000 grant program to feed Iowa children over the summer—this comes months after she declined $29 million in federal funds to feed kids via a different summer program. The new Summer Meal Program Expansion Grant will be launched through two existing federal programs and…
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Bayer/Monsanto has poured money into Iowa politics for years
As Bayer, the major pharmaceutical and biotech company, lobbies the Iowa Legislature to enact legislation to protect it from civil suits related to its pesticide products, it is worth noting that Bayer and Monsanto—which Bayer purchased in 2018—have collectively poured over $530,000 into the campaign coffers of Iowa’s state-level politicians since 2002. From 2002-2018, Monsanto…
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Former Trump staffer officially in charge of Iowa’s public schools
A former Trump administration official and advocate for using public funds for private school scholarships officially has Iowa’s top education job. The Iowa Senate confirmed McKenzie Snow’s appointment as director of the Iowa Department of Education in a 34-15 vote on Tuesday. Critics have questioned Snow’s credentials as she has never taught in an American…
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Sioux City Republican activist gets light prison sentence for 52 acts of voter fraud
A Sioux City Republican activist who was convicted of illegally filling in ballots escaped a far harsher punishment on Monday for her 52 acts of voter fraud, which could have carried a five-year prison sentence for each. Instead, Federal Judge Leonard Strand sentenced Kim Phoung Taylor to serve four months in federal prison as part…
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How Iowa Republicans used the AEA bill to play politics
Iowa Republicans are going to say Iowa Democrats don’t support teacher pay, but they won’t mention that it was part of the unpopular AEA bill.
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Gov. Reynolds signs AEA bill ‘that no one really likes’
Story updated after the bill was signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds on Wednesday, March 27.
