It's Fair time in an election year, abortion, and Lisa Bluder visits with IWC writer
...much more, of course
NATIONAL POLITICS / STATE POLITICS / PUBLIC AFFAIRS / AROUND IOWA / IOWA STATE FAIR / WEATHER AND CLIMATE / SPORTS / DINING, FOOD, & ENTERTAINMENT / BOOKS AND ART / HUMOR / POETRY
The Iowa Writers’ Collaborative political analysts have uploaded the third episode of a new podcast, Iowa Down Ballot. It is moderated by Kathie Obradovich, of Iowa Capital Dispatch, and features:
, , ,, , The title of the podcast: None of your Damn Business.
Democracy: Use it
Is your voter registration current? If you live in Iowa, you can check here: Iowa Voter Information. Will you be out of town on election day? Here’s how to request an absentee ballot: Absentee Ballot
National Politics
There's a lot for progressives to like about Tim Walz, but writes that his having been a public school social studies teacher is likely an under-appreciated bonus for the campaign.
(one of Iowa's few Jewish political reporters) was disgusted by how The Cedar Rapids Gazette let the Iowa GOP's state chair frame the Walz pick as "antisemitic"—especially since the Gazette didn't include comments from any Jews about Harris' decision.
From reports: Tim Walz is an unusual choice for VP. Find out how he differs from any candidates nominated by either party for president or vice president over the past half-century.
reminds us in his column “Barry Piatt on Politics: Behind the Curtains” that campaigns used to be - and still can be - fun. He traveled to the American Political Items Collectors national convention meeting in Pennsylvania last week to explore the world of campaign button collecting and how the history saturating the 2024 race will impact the collectibility of this years’s campaign buttons.
offers a simple ‘truth’ about Governor Tim Walz.
reminisces about a time he saw Minnesota Governor Tim Walz in real-time.
on Media tells why Trump’s tall tale about a helicopter ride is an important story.
Donald Trump claims immigrants are taking Black jobs. Roofing. Laying sod. Cutting up hogs. That dog won’t hunt this time, Art Cullen writes from a town full of immigrants. “I love my Black job,” gold medalist Simone Biles said.
reminisces about the Iowa State Fair corn kernel voting setup he had as a promotional effort to bring viewers into the booth of his former employer, WHO-TV. Alas, the sure-fire gimmick has been abandoned by current management. Too bad.
has a guest column written by Jacqui Clary, a former Lake View/Carroll resident who says teacher, coach, and governor Tim Walz reminds her of one of her favorite teachers, Mr. Knott. Also, in The Iowa Mercury, writes about how vice presidential candidate Tim Walz uses rhetoric to paint a "Two Americas" contrast between Iowa and Minnesota.
’s dog, Dudley, has something to say about the reaction to Governor Walz being picked to be the VEEP.
State Politics
From : Some Iowa reproductive rights supporters, appalled by the state Supreme Court's 6-week abortion ban, are borrowing a page from same-sex marriage opponents in 2010. Rekha and other panelists in the Iowa Down Ballot podcast also discussed this.
, at Along the Mississippi, writes that Kamala Harris just taught Kim Reynolds and Brenna Bird a lesson about how to respect the rule of law.
Both the left and right are strangers to civility, writes .
On the latest edition of "KHOI's Capitol Week," and Spencer Dirks discussed news about the Iowans in Congress, Olympic athletes with Iowa ties, a possible Libertarian candidate for U.S. Senate, and more.
Public Affairs
reports: Story of an American teacher imprisoned in Russia for having 1/2 oz. of marijuana prescribed by a physician. Sorta like Brittney Griner. The U.S. got her released in 11 months. Marc Fogel, 63 and ill, has been imprisoned for three years with no sign the U.S. is trying to get him out.
From : The economic argument between American liberalism and conservatism is actually an argument between two versions of liberalism.
Around Iowa
The Orient-Macksburg school district in southwest Iowa began the process of dissolving, but neighboring districts’ objections meant it couldn’t be completed in time for a vote this year. has more about the first proposed dissolution in Iowa in a decade.
Reporting from Quiltropolis, compares completing 100-year-old abandoned quilts and seeing them sold to the joy animal shelter workers feel when an abandoned pet finds its forever home.
“Holding a Piece of Wood” is in his column about Iowa's most famous artists this week. You’ll likely learn a few new things about Grant Wood.
's last two years of writing have heavily focused on believing in herself as a writer and professional. The next step is no longer beginning her sentences with the phrase "I think."
Nicole Baart catches us up on what she’s been doing this summer, and why her 13th novel is about to come to fruition.
Iowa State Fair
Iowa Boy writes about his “Great Cinnamon Roll Challenge of 2024” next Saturday at the Iowa State Fair, where the best roll can win up to $2,000 and $4,500 in prize money! We have a winner!
To be honest, says , I’m not really into the Iowa State Fair. Except this year, I am excited for August 11th.
Weathering and Environment
writes: After a slow start, Walz turned into the climate advocate we need!
likens toxic water discovered in the River Seine to Iowa’s troubled waters.
Sports
chats with Lisa Bluder about her early days in coaching (and only making $2,400 a year) and the last ones, which included a certain pretty well-known player. Part 2 of an interview with the former Iowa women's basketball coach is at The Crossover.
writes about the television ratings for the Olympics in Paris.
Dining, Food, Entertainment, and Travel
says: One of two ferry companies, which shuttle 1.2M visitors to Mackinac Island annually, halts service for safety reasons. Global travelers vacationing in Midwest disrupted. Plan ahead.
The HiFi Brew Lounge is one fun place for a great vibe as well as careful-casual bar-grill food, says .
Hola Iowa features a story about an opera singer, written by .
Books and Arts
Finding Leonard Cohen's thin beam of light through the crack is the theme of Iowa's longest-running indie publisher, Steve Semken, who writes about "normal" and getting past fantasy in his new column "Missing the Point is the New Normal."
This week in 's Emerging Voices column, Karen Downing writes about the AgArts Farm-to-Artist residencies and how they help heal the urban/rural divide.
goes back to look at the book, “The Oxbow Incident.”
Humor
usually tackles tough issues related to agriculture, but this week's column also belongs under the humor category. Check out her Fowl Subject.
Vicki Minor weighs in: Wild Olympics
Letters From Iowans
In Letters from Iowans, Barbara Kalbach brings attention to a proposed rule that will strengthen enforcement of the Packers and Stockyards Act.
Do you have an opinion you’d like to share? Please do by submitting this form: Submit Letter. Also, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to this feature as it helps support the editor in charge of this important feature.
Poetry
shares that two of her poems were included in the EJCA Haiku Spring Haiku contest anthology.
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I haven’t been watching television and I didn’t get to the Fair. Did WHO have their corn kernel vote for President this year?