Perry school shooting secrecy, Iowa congressional races, Iowa climate explained, and a bunch of laughs
....so much great content this week!
National Politics….Iowa Congressional Races…Around Iowa…. Food, Travel & Entertainment….Books & Arts….Sports….Humor….Poetry
What an array of content is being served today through this Iowa Writers’ Collaborative Roundup. Although the first columns listed are about national politics, congressional races, and other political stories, readers will be a lot smarter about the climate in Iowa, bullying and suicide in the town of Bondurant, and an extraordinary tale about commonality in an uncommon setting by
.National Politics
No, it is not your imagination. More women are wearing pearl necklaces as a form of political activism in an era of unprecedented division and anger. Here's why, according to
.Is there a double standard of presidential qualifications -- one for Democrats, another for Republicans? Compare the most incomprehensible statements this year from both sides. From
, in his column, Second Thoughts.Vice President Kamala Harris clearly won last week’s debate over Donald Trump, but as
at Along the Mississippi writes that post-debate news coverage will play a huge role in shaping its overall impact.From
: Like so many other exploiters, Trump tried to make undocumented immigrants do his heavy lifting in the debate. It's a reminder of how he separated immigrant parents from children, banned Muslims, and tried to strip citizenship from even foreign-born U.S. citizens -- and would do it again as president.In her column, Dream the Impossible Dream,
suggests football and politics have more in common than you might imagine. Tevis weaves solid reporting on a variety of issues into a relatable thread.Why vote? It may not be satisfying to choose among imperfect candidates, but it's the only way to influence public policy. Check out voting patterns in Iowa with
, in Let’s Talk Politics. and Spencer Dirks discussed Lieutenant Governor Adam Gregg's sudden resignation, Iowa Congressional campaign news, a Rob Sand town hall meeting, and more on "KHOI's Capitol Week." Later today, Belin will analyze what needs to happen for Democratic challenger Lanon Baccam to defeat GOP incumbent Zach Nunn in Iowa's third Congressional district. Subscribe to Belin for posts when they happen. says Trump would be a disaster for Iowa. examines Republican allegations against the USDA and its disaster response in Iowa and discovers what's really behind the allegations. writes from Washington, DC, that while Vice President Harris beat former President Trump in the debate, it was Trump himself who landed the knockout punch that cost him the debate. Piatt also examines what Americans who watched the debate learned about both candidates.What was the most telling aspect of the debate?
on Media wonders why Trump wouldn’t look at Kamala Harris once.Iowa 2024 Congressional Races
This week,
tells us about two members of the U.S. House of Representatives and their ongoing display of character and wisdom. hosted congressional candidate Sarah Corkery on her podcast and writes that this woman is running a surprising race. She’s running like nobody’s watching.Around Iowa
The Iowa DCI's findings and conclusions about the fatal school shooting in Perry must be made public. Continuing to keep the people of Perry in the dark is not helping public safety. It’s their kids. It’s their school. They are the ones who are still grieving,
writes.In "One to Ten in Swahili,"
witnesses an exchange between Kenyan customers and an Amish family at their vegetable stand.Dazed and confused:
, Daniel Finney writes: Overheard in classrooms and hallways in the first weeks of school."Razzle Dazzle" debuted at the Sioux City Art Center over ArtSplash and is bursting with vibrant colors and dynamic artwork.
has more on the visual 3-D display that will leave you in awe. has another installment about his 2015 circumnavigation of Iowa, from Carter Lake to Lamoni.For Suicide Prevention Month,
's newest 988: Mental Healthcare in Iowa column discusses her hurting community right now and the increasing problem of youth bullying and suicides. This powerful story about a girl next door is a must-read to glimpse what many young people today endure.Iowa Boy
tells you about the "Bean Boyz" coffee group he's part of in Jefferson. He wants to hear from all of you about Iowa’s best, unique, and longest-meeting coffee groups, both male and female., Reporting from Quiltropolis (Winterset 50273), shares the history of the historic building on the south side of the town square that houses the Iowa Quilt Museum (IQM) and informs readers about "the other IQM" (International Quilt Museum) in Lincoln, NE.Books & Arts
From
and Steve Semken: Tin Prayers: Flipping Sense. 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." featured Anthony Arroyo’s fascinating photography project on taco trucks in Des Moines. writes about a new documentary by @Nik Heftman about the Iowa Spoken Word artist, Caleb Rainey, The Negro Poet.Food, Travel & Entertainment
lamented a not-so-great dining experience in town and asked her readers: Do they want to know about it?Johnnie Bolin was a world-class drummer, a rock 'n' roller with a heart. He died last week at age 70.
remembers Bolin in My Life, In Color. discovered vegan delights. Unfortunately, she had to leave Iowa to do so.Climate and Weather
It was the hottest summer on record...but not in Iowa. The reasons why climate change aren't as apparent here. Find out why with
.Chris Jones has a touch of indigestion in this column about group think and water quality.
Sports
Jane Burns felt a bit sheepish asking a bartender about tuning in to a women's basketball game on football Sunday. But when the server said she'd put the game on whatever TV Jane and her friends wanted, it became another "What the heck?" moment in this surge of women's sports.
: In college sports, losing to hated rivals is the worst. When it happens because of self-inflicted, out-of-character failures and mistakes, it makes the gut punch even worse. That's why last Saturday's last-second, preposterous upset to a scrappy Iowa State Cyclones team has so many Hawkeye fans fuming this week. But Iowa can't afford to sulk - there's still a lot to play for.Media
writes about "Donuts, dogged journalists and dear friends" in his new View from the Cedar Valley column in tribute to his friends at the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier and beleaguered local newspapers.Humor
gives readers many laughs in his understated column: Inquiry: Tree Service. ‘They’re eating the dogs! They’re eating the cats!’ Famous pets react to Trump’s debate lies in
’s column.Are you ready for some football? asks
’s Vicki Minor.Poetry
shares two recently featured poems in the Monterey Poetry Review Fall 2024 issue. The poems "Am Canning Pickles as I Write" and "Cabbage is a Form of Communication" were part of the issue's food-related theme.How are we doing with this Iowa Writers’ Collaborative experiment?
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Nicole Baart: This Stays Here, Sioux Center
Rekha Basu: Shouts and Whispers, Des Moines
Ray Young Bear: From Red Earth Drive, Meskwaki Settlement
Laura Belin: Iowa Politics with Laura Belin, Windsor Heights
Tory Brecht: Brecht’s Beat, Quad Cities
Dartanyan L. Brown: My Integrated Life, Des Moines
Douglas Burns: The Iowa Mercury, Carroll
Jane Burns: The Crossover, Des Moines
Dave Busiek: Dave Busiek on Media, Des Moines
Rachelle Chase: Reading with Rachelle, Ottumwa
Iowa Writers Collaborative: Roundup
Steph C: It Was Never a Dress, Johnston
Art Cullen: Art Cullen’s Notebook, Storm Lake
Suzanna de Baca: Dispatches from the Heartland, Huxley
Taylor Decker: Taylor’s Millennial Mindset, Sioux City
Debra Engle: A Whole New World, Madison County
Randy Evans: Stray Thoughts, Des Moines via Bloomfield
Daniel P. Finney: Paragraph Stacker, Des Moines
Marianne Fons: Reporting From Quiltropolis, Winterset
Julie Gammack: Julie Gammack’s Iowa Potluck, Des Moines and Okoboji
Arnold Garson: Second Thoughts, Okoboji and Sioux Falls
Chris Gloninger: Weathering Climate Change, US
Dennis Goldford: Let’s Talk Politics, Clive
Avery Gregurich: The Five and Dime, Marengo
Fern Kupfer and Joe Geha: Fern and Joe, Ames
Rob Gray's Area: Rob Gray’s Area, Ankeny
Nik Heftman: The Seven Times, Iowa
Beth Hoffman: In the Dirt, Lovilia
Phoebe Wall Howard: Shifting Gears, Detroit
Iowa Capital Dispatch, an alliance with IWC
Iowa Podcasters' Collaborative
Iowa Writers Collaborative Roundup Sunday Roundup
Black Iowa News: Dana James, Iowa
Chris Jones: The Swine Republic, Iowa City
Pat Kinney: View from Cedar Valley, Waterloo
Robert Leonard: Deep Midwest: Politics and Culture, Bussey
Letters From Iowans
Darcy Maulsby: Keepin’ It Rural, Calhoun County
Hola Iowa: Iowa
Alison McGaughey: The Inquisitive Quad Citizen, Quad Cities
Kurtis Meyer: Showing Up, St. Ansgar
Vicki Minor: Relatively Minor, Winterset
Wini Moranville: Wini’s Food Stories, Des Moines
Jeff Morrison: Between Two Rivers, Cedar Rapids
Kyle Munson: Kyle Munson’s Main Street, Des Moines
Jane Nguyen: The Asian Iowan, West Des Moines
John Naughton: My Life in Color, Des Moines
Chuck Offenburger: Iowa Boy Chuck Offenburger, Jefferson and Des Moines
Barry Piatt: Piatt on Politics Behind the Curtain, Washington, D.C.
Dave Price: Dave Price’s Perspective, Des Moines
Ty Rushing: Ty’s Take, Iowa City
Steve Semken: Ice Cube Press, LLC, North Liberty
Macey Shofroth: The Midwest Creative, Norwalk
Larry Stone: Listening to the Land, Elkader
Mary Swander: Mary Swander’s Buggy Land, Kalona
Mary Swander's Emerging Voices: Emerging Voices, Kalona
Cheryl Tevis: Unfinished Business, Boone County
Bill Tubbs: Impressions, Eldridge
Ed Tibbetts: Along the Mississippi, Davenport
Jason Walsmith: The Racontourist, Earlham
Kali White VanBaale: 988: Mental Healthcare in Iowa, Bondurant
Teresa Zilk: Talking Good, Des Moines
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As usual, Phoebe Wall Howard's reporting is right on! I was just in Algona, Iowa a few days ago, which is located in a very red county (Kossuth). My host has been wearing pearls regularly and mentions Harris whenever she is complimented on them. She gave me a necklace as well!