Grassley's Candid Comment about Hegseth, Is Democracy Unraveling? Bagels, Baby Goats, the Pope and more
Welcome to our new subscribers. The Iowa Writers’ Collaborative publishes two editions. This is the Sunday Roundup of columns, featuring news, politics, and policy commentary. The Flipside edition covers more leisure time activities. Love them both, please. Do you appreciate this independent, local, journalism? Tell a friend!
National politics
Laura Belin — Grassley’s rare candid moment about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
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Cheryl Tevis — How personal resilience can insulate against political turbulence.
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Barry Piatt — Senator Chuck Grassley: dropping the ball when it matters most.
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Joan Zwagerman — Why the current White House approach to boosting the birth rate is downright creepy.
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Ed Tibbetts — GOP lawmakers, including Joni Ernst, are trying to gut the IRS—and it’ll cost you unless you’re rich.
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Robert Leonard — Guest post: Mutual Aid Rally in Des Moines on April 19, 2025.
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Rekha Basu — Democracy is unraveling—but so is resistance.
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Dave Busiek — From prison to podium: Iowa GOP welcomes a Capitol rioter as a guest speaker.
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Dennis Goldford — A fresh look at the timeless relevance of the Declaration of Independence.
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Todd Dorman — When the government can make you disappear, none of us is safe.
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Phoebe Wall Howard — A discovery inside the Canadian Embassy shows surprising U.S.-Canada relations during tariff tensions.
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Iowa politics
Laura Belin — On KHOI’s Capitol Week, Laura Belin and Spencer Dirks cover Iowa’s 2026 campaigns and legislative news.
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Dave Price — Behind the scenes of GOP lawmakers calling out leadership and the punishment of a mother-daughter team at the Iowa Capitol.
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Art Cullen — Iowa's colleges are economic engines—so why are legislators hassling hardworking Beavers from Buena Vista?
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Zachary Oren Smith — Cornhole Champions discuss Reynolds’ exit, Iowa’s 2026 race, and federal cuts hurting rural Iowa.
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Weather and Environment
Chris Gloninger — We mourn the death of Pope Francis and highlight an Indianola couple’s hands-on environmental stewardship.
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Agriculture
Beth Hoffman — Need a break from the news and stress of daily life? Spend a few minutes with Beth Hoffman and her mob of baby goats! It is guaranteed to put a smile on your face.
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Darcy Maulsby — It's exciting to see how drones can pay off in more ways than one in modern agriculture—like protecting the environment with reduced chemical applications.
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Business
Rick Jost — Flying high on a private jet: The writer recalls a memorable day experiencing firsthand why executives covet their corporate jet perks.
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Diana Wright — Meet the startups to support and remember Jay Byers, a remarkable believer in people, in this Startup Iowa Hot List.
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Public Affairs
Nicole Baart — A personal story of welcome and facts about immigration in America.
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Randy Evans — Two years after Davenport's building collapse: Frustration builds over a still-sealed state report.
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Car Culture
Ken Chester — Does this mark the end of vehicle affordability?
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Phoebe Wall Howard — A young couple pools $3K to create a five-star bagel shop inside a car dealership’s repair bay — a story of resilience and hustle.
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Education
Michael Judge — Tired of artificial intelligence? Author Scott Samuelson reflects on great Baroque paintings to remind us of the beauty of natural intelligence.
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Entertainment & Travel
Maxwell Schaefer — Broadcaster Mike Pace joins Iowa CoffeeCast to talk about starring in the independent film Outro and chasing new dreams later in life.
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Human Interest
Robert Leonard — Bob Leonard addresses death and remembrance in "Across the Universe Divide, for my friend Bruce Huckell."
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Around Iowa
Chuck Offenburger — Iowa Boy Chuck Offenburger got deep into church music—both classical and traditional—during Easter season, and he's now proposing self-guided tours of "Iowa-rooted" hymns, as he calls them.
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Christie Vilsack — In Common Ground: Resilience, Christie Vilsack reflects on a lifetime of connection to Iowa’s historic Hotel Manning, weaving together personal memories, small-town revitalization, and the enduring spirit of writers determined to adapt and thrive. This heartfelt piece explores how resilience shapes both places and people, offering a hopeful glimpse at the future of storytelling and community. A must-read for anyone who believes in the power of preservation, creativity, and new beginnings.
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Humor
Tory Brecht — Holidays give me anxiety—not for the usual reasons, but because of my shameful secret: I’m terrible at picking gifts.
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Iowa at Large
Pat Kinney — Honoring Iowa Vietnam veterans and a young Marine who saved a child before he was killed, at the Iowa Veterans Home event in Marshalltown.
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Mental Health
Kali White VanBaale — Kali White VanBaale writes about caregivers' struggles to separate the person from the mental illness.
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Personal Growth & Professional Development
Steve Semken — Crazy Little Thing Called Hate: collision and reflection on growing through chaos.
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Poetry
Suzanna de Baca — A poem for the papal funeral, "The Seat Being Vacant."
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Spiritual
Debra Engle — Pacifism is strength when rooted in clarity—an important reminder in turbulent times.
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Strictly Personal
Julie Gammack—After years of asking each other a key question, Richard and I made a bold life change: we stitched together lives between Iowa and the Chesapeake.
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Connie Taylor— "We, and the Flowers, Should Bloom Where We're Planted!" — a personal reflection on blooming where you are.
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