Ballyhooed State Office Building to be Demolished, as are Countless Programs, & Norms
...But Norwalk might get a Buc-ees, and we have an Iowa connection to Jack Kerouac
Welcome to the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative Sunday Roundup! We have 27 columns to present to you today. Our members are from around the state, working hard to provide commentary and information you can’t find any where else. Be kind to them. They are providing an enormous service out of a sincere desire to help Iowans become better informed about what is going on here.
Due to a poor internet connection where I am located, I do not have the bandwidth to add photos today. My apologies. Julie Gammack, Founder, Iowa Writer's’ Collaborative
Iowa Politics
Laura Belin
Laura Belin and Spencer Dirks covered lots of news from Iowa's campaigns for Congress, Senate, and governor, along with Kim Reynolds' low approval ratings and an important new state law on "KHOI's Capitol Week."
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Robert Leonard
Bob Leonard points out some problems with recent Republican legislation that burdens our public schools in "Iowa Public Schools Must Allow Private School Kids to Participate in Public School Extracurricular Activities: What could possibly go wrong?"
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Douglas Burns
In The Iowa Mercury Douglas Burns writes that Rob Sand’s instinctive answers on favorite pies and his appearance in the new film Pieowa show Sand’s deep connectivity with rural Iowa and a defining "Iowa-ness."
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Julie Gammack
Candidate for U.S. Senate, JD Scholten, joined Julie’s Potluck Podcast. Take a listen. And on Monday, she interviews Julie Stauch, running as gubernatorial candidate in the Democratic Party primary in Iowa. Read more
Ed Tibbetts
Kim Reynolds and Brenna Bird, the chief enforcers of Iowa RightThink, have chosen a new target. But Ed Tibbetts at Along the Mississippi writes it’s not at all clear their victim has done anything wrong.
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Randy Evans
The impending demolition of the Wallace State Office Building, just 47 years old, reflects poorly on state administrators who ignored its issues for decades.
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Letters from Iowans (Gordie Felger)
“Bodily autonomy” refers to more than just access to abortion, writes Gordie Felger in Letters From Iowans.
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National Politics
Barry Piatt
The Smithsonian bowed to Trump’s demands and scrubbed all references to his two impeachments from its exhibit. Piatt recalls another Republican president who handled scandal quite differently.
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Ed Tibbetts
A new law supported by Iowa Republicans rewards the most wasteful SNAP programs and penalizes the most efficient. Ed Tibbetts writes it would be unbelievable—if it weren’t true.
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Arnold Garson
Tom Lehrer remembered: America’s king of musical satire in the 1950s and ‘60s.
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Art Cullen
Art Cullen is getting his due Medicare before the thieves in Congress fritter it away. “We old duffers deserve health care, Lord help us!”
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Dan Henderson
“I hope I’m wrong,” writes Dan Henderson. “We may be heading down a dark chapter in American history.” He compares how Germany reckons with its past to how MAGA leaders rewrite ours.
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Kurtis Meyer
Two national political leaders from the Midwest died within weeks of each other a century ago. Kurt Meyer tells their stories.
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Agriculture
Mary Swander (Emerging Voices)
Denise O'Brien, a well-known farm activist, warns of the use of chemicals on the fields.
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Around Iowa
Chuck Offenburger
Is Rocky the Musical really the final show from History Boy Theatre in Jefferson? Chuck Offenburger hopes not.
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Jeff Morrison
ICYMI: When RAGBRAI came through Aplington and Parkersburg, Jeff Morrison captured what locals offered the riders.
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Business
Rick Jost
Norwalk is rallying to land Iowa’s first Buc-ee’s. Will the beaver mascot and Texas-sized rest stop come to town?
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Mental Health
Michael Judge
An early chapter from Superheroes: A Memoir of Love, Madness, and Family. Growing up with two brothers diagnosed with schizophrenia shattered—and then strengthened—his family.
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Media
Cheryl Tevis
Cheryl Tevis explores the meaning behind names in a changing media landscape.
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Dave Busiek
Undercover and over the line — a sloppy video sparks an Iowa witch hunt.
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Daniel P. Finney
The heroes of my Gen X youth—Ozzie, Hulk, Ryno—keep dying, and I’m not sure what to feel.
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Poetry
Dartanyan L. Brown
A 2003 retrospective on Jack Kerouac kicks off this Sunday. If On The Road is on your bookshelf, you’ll want to tune in.
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Law and Justice
Lynn Hicks
Why don’t domestic abuse victims just leave? Luna did, and she barely survived. Listen to her reclaim her voice.
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Weather and Environment
Chris Gloninger
Fossil fools wrote the new Department of Energy climate report…
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Larry Stone
A prairie reconstruction project near Dysart is bringing native plants and wildlife back, thanks to a donation in honor of a late husband.
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World Affairs
Rick Morain
France (and now the UK and Canada) plan to recognize Palestine.
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My thanks as alway to the Collaborative for some excellent writing!
I wish there were a writers' group like this for South Point, Ohio, where it's difficult to get state and local news, even of village council goings-on. (I'm from Virginia, very near D.C. I do subscribe to several national papers.) The breadth and depth of your coverage for your Iowa readers are substantial and impressive, your writing excellent. Kudos to all of you!