Local
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Feeling charitable? Donate to an Iowa nonprofit that’s Iowan-approved.
It had to be the most popular question we’ve ever asked: Which charity helping Iowans should folks donate to this year? Hundreds of worthy causes across the state were mentioned.
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Tell us your favorite bakery in Iowa
From Sioux City to Burlington and everywhere in between, Iowa has some fantastic bakeries. Whether you’re going for cakes or cookies, breads or brownies, we want to know: What’s the best Iowa bakery? Tell us in the form below, and we’ll announce the top choices soon! What's the best bakery in Iowa? Scenic Route Bakery…
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Hawkeye, ISU marching bands among Top 5 in Metallica contest
Grammy-winning, Hall-of-Fame thrash metal rockers Metallica are making marching band competitions cool for a whole new crowd. In April, the band announced a marching band competition, “For Whom the Band Tolls,” offering instruments and equipment music programs at high schools and colleges that play their music the best (the band also provided their extensive sheet…
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Find the perfect Christmas tree at these 24 Iowa farms
Iowa farmers only plant corn and beans, you say? Tell that to the 100+ Christmas tree farms dotted across Iowa’s snowy landscape this time of year, where you can pick out the perfect Scotch pine, white pine, Canaan fir, Douglas fir, Frasier fir, Colorado blue spruce, or other varieties of evergreens to have your living…
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Get in the Christmas spirit with these 10 Iowa light displays
As the holiday season commences, so do the festivities! Light shows are a perfect way to get into the holiday spirit, spend time with your community, and appreciate local attractions. From the largest amusement park in the state to a family farm, here are 10 of the most dazzling holiday light displays in Iowa in…
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Iowa doctors explain dangers of anti-abortion centers
Amy Bingaman knows first-hand how anti-abortion clinics push disinformation and fear in order to prevent people from getting abortions. Now an OB-GYN at Broadlawns Medical Center in Des Moines, Bingaman went to an anti-abortion clinic when she was 16 years old to get a pregnancy test, and she wants people to know about the dangers…
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Shop your values: Get holiday gifts made at these Iowa small businesses
Looking for a special Iowa-made gift? We’re here with inspiration from fellow Iowans, who told us their favorite local places to shop at the holidays. As a bonus, we’ve added the causes those businesses support—so you can see how your gift goes further than anything you can buy on a big box site. Follow the…
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Guest post: My name is mine, not the government’s
In the fall of 1972, I was a shy ninth-grader entering Mt. St. Ursula in the Bronx. My legal name was Mary Bernadette, but I always went by my middle name, Bernadette. The first day of classes, teachers had us standing in the front of their rooms until our names were called to be seated.…
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Nontraditional Thanksgiving dinner ideas from Iowans
Turkey, mashed potatoes, some kind of casserole, stuffing, rolls, pumpkin pie: That’s the equation for a “traditional” Thanksgiving meal. But is it? Does it have to be? We asked the Iowa Starting Line audience—on Facebook and in the newsletter—how they break the traditional equation and bring some creativity and newness to their Thanksgiving tables. Here…
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How to get help for—and support—transgender Iowans
Max Mowitz started the Iowa Trans Mutual Aid Fund in 2021 because they saw a need they knew they could fill. “I was connected with so many mutual aid organizations that were doing incredible work, especially after the protests of 2020,” they said. “And I really saw a profound need for this kind of care…
