Politics

For years, Sen. Chuck Grassley has been an outspoken voice in Congress against pharmaceutical drug pricing and “Big Pharma” while also accepting about $1.4 million in donations from the industry throughout his senate career. However, Grassley had a recent opportunity to cap the cost of insulin at $35 a month—nearly three times lower than the…

Deidre DeJear is ready for the debate stage, she just needs her opponent to show up. During a Tuesday press conference on the Iowa State Capitol grounds, the Democratic nominee for Iowa governor issued a public challenge to Gov. Kim Reynolds. “I have agreed to three debates, thus far,” DeJear said. “I realize at this…

An Iowa town of fewer than 2,000 people is now home to a good-old-fashioned newspaper war and Tyler Anderson is smack-dab in the middle of it. Anderson is the managing editor of the Calhoun County Phoenix, a Lake City-based newspaper that will put out its first physical issue this week.  Anderson is also the former…

(This story contains strong language) The abortion rights protester who was assaulted by Ron Paradine said he could tell the local truck driver was “on some sort of mission” as he approached the demonstrators from across the street while screaming obscenities at them. “Film me all you want, you baby-killing motherfuckers are going to rot…

Another Iowan is accused of resorting to violence to voice his displeasure at abortion rights protests. Ronald Lee Paradine was arrested and charged on Friday for allegedly assaulting a pro-choice protestor during an event at Triangle Park in McGregor, a northeast Iowa community just across the Mississippi River from Wisconsin. During a permitted protest, abortion…

By my count, there are at least six Iowa cities that have the name of a primary or secondary color in their name.  Here’s a little refresher for those of us who can’t remember what we learned in elementary school art class: Red, yellow, and blue are primary colors, and orange, green, and violet (purple)…

Residents of a small Iowa town criticized their library’s LGBTQ staff and their displaying of LGBTQ-related books until most of the staff quit. Now, the town’s library is closed for the foreseeable future. After having the same library director for 32 years, the Vinton Public Library can’t seem to keep the position filled anymore. Since…

During a stop in Cleveland on Wednesday, President Joe Biden delivered remarks on an aspect of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) specifically tailored to protect union pensions. ARPA’s Special Financial Assistance program is a provision that bolsters protections for multiemployer pensions, which are pension plans created by unions and employers in related industries. The…

Anyone who’s stared at a map of Iowa’s 99 counties has probably pondered this question: What’s up with Kossuth County? At 974 square miles, Kossuth is Iowa’s largest county in terms of total land area and sticks out on any state map because of its length. North to south, Kossuth is about 41 miles long…

In the late 1930s, there was a scourge negatively affecting the youth of Dubuque: Swing music. This was according to the Most Rev. Francis Beckman, who served as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Dubuque from 1930-46. Beckman’s stance against swing music made national headlines—which we will get to in a second—but here’s a little background…