Brenna Bird’s Power Play? Robot Cows, and Buttigieg in Cedar Rapids—The Stories You’ll Be Talking About
...and a riveting report of a heinous crime in Michigan, by Phoebe Wall Howard
This Sunday, we honor Memorial Day with powerful reflections from Cheryl Tevis, Michael Judge, and Darcy Maulsby on sacrifice, remembrance, and Iowa’s enduring legacy of service. In politics, Brenna Bird takes center stage as she angles for Trump’s nod while Iowa’s next big gubernatorial race begins to take shape—don’t miss deep dives from Laura Belin, Douglas Burns, and Dave Price. Plus, meet a soybean farmer betting big on robots, find out what Eurovision has to do with diplomacy, and discover why a penny’s obituary might just be the funniest piece you read all week.
Invitation for our Paid Subscribers: Come to Winterset and meet many of our members, including Art Cullen. See last item below.
Memorial Day
Michael Judge
This Memorial Day, Judge recalls Dr. Charles H. Read, WWII flight surgeon who saved countless lives.
🔗 Read it here
Cheryl Tevis
Tevis honors the legacy of WWII veterans, focusing on her late uncle’s service and sacrifice.
🔗 Read it here
Darcy Maulsby
Faces from the past in Auburn remind us what Memorial Day is all about.
🔗 Read it here
Iowa Politics
Laura Belin
Belin reported on the ways Brenna Bird is still auditioning for Donald Trump's endorsement as she considers whether to run for governor or for a second term as attorney general.
🔗 Read it here
Laura Belin
Belin and Spencer Dirks covered more candidate trial balloons, the end of the Iowa legislature's 2025 session, and a federal court ruling on the state's "don't say gay/trans" law on "KHOI's Capitol Week."
🔗 Read it here
Douglas Burns
In The Iowa Mercury, Burns pens an early and deeply reported take on the developing gubernatorial race: "Iowans feel echoes of Harkin energy in early days of Sand's campaign."
🔗 Read it here
Dave Price
Iowa's governor works on child care her own way after lawmakers wouldn’t go along with her. And why is Randy Feenstra talking about Donald Trump so much in his new ad? The Iowa Down Ballot podcast contributors have some thoughts.
🔗 Read it here
Dave Price
If nothing good happens after midnight, why are we paying elected officials to vote on major money and policy matters in the middle of the night?
🔗 Read it here
Robert Leonard
Bob Leonard shared info about Democrat Nathan Sage’s campaign to unseat Joni Ernst in “New Polling shows Democratic Challenger Nathan Sage leads Incumbent Republican Senator Joni Ernst 47%-45%.”
🔗 Read it here
Zachary Oren Smith
In this episode of Cornhole Champions, Zach, Amy, and Avery break down a federal judge's block on Iowa's "Don't Say Gay" law, Capitol surveillance scandal, a North Iowa hate crime case, and the Clark-Reese rivalry.
🔗 Read it here
National Politics
Rekha Basu
Basu reports that D.C. women leaders oppose a House budget bill they say will cost lives, and call for intersectional resistance.
🔗 Read it here
Letters from Iowans
Julie Flapan writes that everything she needed to know about democratic values she learned growing up in Iowa, even though she now lives in California.
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Do you have something to say? Please submit an essay through the Letters from Iowans column.
Ed Tibbetts
Tibbetts says embedded in the Republicans’ proposed Medicaid cuts is yet another attempt to kill the Affordable Care Act.
🔗 Read it here
Barry Piatt
Piatt writes from D.C. about the “fundamental dishonesty” of Iowa’s U.S. House delegation and imagines their campaign speeches if they'd told the truth.
🔗 Read it here
Rick Morain
The U.S. Air Force has accepted a large Boeing jet gift from Qatar for Trump to use as Air Force One. Is it a legal gift? What happens after his presidency?
🔗 Read it here
Art Cullen
Pete Buttigieg came to Cedar Rapids where a big crowd turned out, Cullen says. If you can win Iowa, you can win anywhere.
🔗 Read it here
Dan Henderson
Politics is cynical by design. Henderson investigates a Christian Supremacist Oligarchy, “Ziklag,” and their manipulation of democracy.
🔗 Read it here
Law and Justice
Phoebe Wall Howard
Accomplished Mackinac sailor expelled by Bayview Yacht Club after sexual assault conviction, corporate sponsors and U.S. Sailing respond.
Read it here
Around Iowa
Chuck Offenburger
Greene County IA High School students of today help Iowa Boy Chuck Offenburger tell the story of local schoolboy soldiers serving — and dying — in the Civil War. Now, 160 years later, it’s high time for a memorial marker that recognizes their valor.
🔗 Read it here
Entertainment & Travel
Daniel P. Finney
Finney on new 'Mission: Impossible' movie: 'Dear God, this is boring.'
🔗 Read it here
Humor
Daniel P. Finney
Finney imagines the sad task of a reporter dispatched to cover the penny's demise.
🔗 Read it here
Strictly Personal
Arnold Garson
In his heartfelt essay, Arnold Garson reflects on the joys and challenges of his 60-year interfaith marriage, offering a timeless testament to love's power to bridge divides and inspire hope.
Daniel P. Finney
George Wendt heads to the real place where everybody knows your name.
🔗 Read it here
Music
Chip Albright
KFMG’s mission since the 1960s: turn people on to good music. How the station has survived against all odds.
🔗 Read it here
Dartanyan L. Brown
Dartanyan marks his 110th Substack post.
🔗 Read it here
Lea Donovan
Lea takes us on a wild, witty ride through the glitter-soaked spectacle of the Eurovision Song Contest—equal parts pop circus, cultural phenomenon, and campy diplomatic dance-off.
Mental Health
Kali White VanBaale
Kali writes about the emotional toll on kids with a mentally ill parent, framed by “Some Thoughts on Britney Spears.”
🔗 Read it here
Weather and Environment
Chris Gloninger
From Des Moines to “Don’t Look Up” — comedy’s role in shaping the climate conversation.
🔗 Read it here
Larry Stone
Larry celebrates the birth of baby bluebirds.
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Business
Rick Jost
In this rich portrait of Iowa farmer Mark Wilcox, meet a “sophisticate in bib overalls” navigating his 50th planting season, robotic milking tech, family legacy, and the ever-unpredictable dance between soybeans, tariffs, and tradition.
Suzanna de Baca
Leadership lessons from women who raised her, shared in a Memorial Day reflection.
🔗 Read it here
Kurtis Meyer
A small town near Pittsburgh had a massive steel plant in the 1800s. Kurt Meyer tells us what it meant for Iowa workers.
🔗 Read it here
Ken Chester
Can automakers truly bring factories and jobs back to America? Chester investigates.
🔗 Read it here
Media
Dave Busiek
Busiek critiques Caitlin Clark’s hometown paper for missing the moment.
🔗 Read it here
Public Affairs
Randy Evans
The Iowa Supreme Court ruled in favor of transparency in a case involving video access to school board meetings.
🔗 Read it here
Iowa at Large
Arnold Garson
One reason Okoboji has become such a popular tourism attraction: The 3-hour drive from Des Moines used to be a two-day trip. The top travel speed was 5 mph when Okoboji first emerged as a summer destination.
🔗 Read it here
Spiritual
Debra Engle
A reflection on friendship, nature, illness, and the mysterious, miraculous ways we are made whole.
🔗 Read it here
Watch a movie and meet the STAR
On Saturday, July 26, 2025, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m., the Iowa Theater in Winterset will host a private screening of the award-winning documentary Storm Lake. This event is a special thank-you for paid subscribers of the Iowa Writers' Collaborative and is free for IWC writers and all paid subscribers. The film offers an intimate look at the Cullen family's fight to keep local journalism alive through their newspaper, The Storm Lake Times, amidst the challenges facing small-town newsrooms.
will be joining us, and answering questions about the film following the showing. And, there will be a mix and mingle with our readers at a nearby venue.The Iowa Theater, a historic venue located at 121 North John Wayne Drive in Winterset, is known for its community-focused programming and restored charm. This screening promises to be a meaningful gathering for those passionate about storytelling, journalism, and the resilience of local communities.
If you’re a paid subscriber to the Iowa Writers' Collaborative, mark your calendar for this exclusive event. For others interested in the film, Storm Lake is available for streaming on PBS Documentaries via Amazon Prime Video.
We need a head count. If you are a paid subscriber and would like to attend, please use this form to let us know how many bags of popcorn to have on hand. Please let our organizer,
, know if you can join us:Who’s Who in The Iowa Writers’ Collaborative
Meet our writers
Newcomers: Here is a link to the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative Sunday Roundup, where you can get a compilation of our members’ work published the previous week.