Shock, Awe, Shucks, Hypocrisy, and Boy Scout Troubles
...be in-the-know, plus you'll find a bit of hope, and laughter today
Still no Farm Bill, but who’s counting?
, that’s who. and are roaming around Iowa listening to the impact national policies are having locally. And a surprise mayoral race in NYC has some folks stunned, but says it should be a wake-up call for the Democratic Party. steps out of her comfort zone in a Strictly Personal piece, and says an Iowa CEO was named one of the top in the country, according to a national business publication.Our changing climate doesn’t get a lot of media attention elsewhere, but the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative members produced five must-read columns just this past week. Be better informed, thanks to them. Check out
, , , , and . heads to his hometown, always a fun read, and each and every member of the Collaborative listed below, from poets, business, sports, and strictly personal essays, has worked hard to bring you today’s offerings—and it shows. gives new insights into braking technology, and so much more. And entrepreneurs are solving problems, and has the stories.If you like what you read, please share it with a friend. That’s how we grow.
National politics
Rekha Basu: Zohran Mamdani's surprise win in New York's mayoral primary defied all expectations and disproves conventional thinking about where real power is derived from. It's not the money, name recognition or party backing. It's the people! And Iowa Dems could learn something. Learn more
New York, New York skyline
Barry Piatt: As the missed deadline for enacting a new Farm Bill fades into ancient history, with no new action on the horizon, Barry Piatt writes from Washington, DC that Iowa farmers should face the hard reality — Congress and the Iowa congressional delegation are far more enamored with chasing right wing ideologies than doing their actual job for farmers. Read more in “Barry Piatt on Politics: Behind the Curtains.” Learn more
Ed Tibbetts: Members of Iowa’s congressional delegation claim they’re against wasteful spending, but Ed Tibbetts at Along the Mississippi writes they’re ignoring an attack on one of the most powerful fraud-fighting forces in Washington, D.C. Learn more
Randy Evans: Our nation’s Founders are cheering the public displays from Maine to Hawaii and from Florida to Alaska of citizen opposition to the federal government’s actions. It is not unpatriotic to protest, whether you lean left or lean right or straddle the fence. Learn more
Dan Henderson:
"Political and ideologically driven violence (left and right) has been on the rise for a long time but seems to be picking up in frequency and intensity with every passing day. The United States may not have a Mason-Dixon Line drawn in blood, nor states openly seceding, but to suggest that we are not already engaged in a civil war is to cling to a 19th-century definition of conflict. The evidence is mounting that America is tearing itself apart. We are already in a civil war. We just aren’t calling it that yet.
Well, let’s call it what it is… we are in a “civil war.”" Learn moreMatt Russell: Russell and Robert Leonard team up to evaluate Trump 47's impact on rural America so far. It's not good. Learn more
Dennis Goldford: Politics is certainly about economics, but above all it is about respect. Many voters, certainly aided by Republican efforts, have come to believe that the Democratic Party does not respect them as Americans. Learn more
Iowa politics
Laura Belin: On the latest "KHOI's Capitol Week," Laura Belin and Spencer Dirks covered Iowa reaction to the Iran strikes, news about Congressional campaigns and the budget reconciliation bill in the Senate, and Iowa angles on immigration policy news and Pride Month. Learn more
Laura Belin: Laura Belin stepped outside of her comfort zone to write a personal essay marking the 45th anniversary of her mother's passing. Learn more
Todd Dorman: Cedar Rapids names the "Arc of Justice" bridge, then drops the name for fear of losing federal funding from the Trump administration. Learn more
Letters from Iowans: In Letters From Iowans, Gordie Felger can't understand the Iowa Legislature wanting schools to be "hardened" against shooters while also lowering the age to own a handgun. Learn more
Law and Justice
Kurtis Meyer: Almost from its beginning, the Boy Scout has been plagued by incidents of assault & abuse. Columnist Kurt Meyer writes about more recent bankruptcy & lawsuits now plaguing the organization. First in a series. Learn more
Media
Dave Price: A long-awaited return to Mizzou has Dave Price thinking about how the haters turned against journalists and what should be done about it. Learn more
Dartanyan L. Brown: Dartanyan pens an Open Letter to his audience (and beyond) from last weekend's show at Mills Seed Company Washington Iowa. Original Music included. Learn more
Dave Busiek: Trump’s “tell”: Insults fly when the facts hit home, according to Dave Busiek on Media. Learn more
Kali White VanBaale: Kali White VanBaale writes about an anonymous letter to a local independent news publication in a new Minding the Gaps column, and the often tough, underpaid job of news writers. Learn more
Agriculture
Matt Russell: Russell takes a trip down memory lane on the farm and argues we're on the verge of losing our democracy in the ditch. Learn more
Around Iowa
Chuck Offenburger: Realizing he's now been out of high school for 60 years (!), Iowa Boy Chuck Offenburger takes us back to his roots in Shenandoah. He introduces us to three of his "successors" — the catchers of the current SHS ball teams and the sports editor of the local newspaper. Offenburger says there's magic in those positions, in that place. Learn more
Julie Gammack: Podcast guest Kali White VanBaale is a ‘True Crime’ author, Memoir Coach, and popular Iowa Writers’ Collaborative columnist who examines Iowa’s mental health system. Learn more
Business
Rick Jost: Agroterrorism Remains a Threat:: U.S. farms and the food industry have long been seen as ripe for the picking by terrorists. Security has improved, but is agriculture still America's "soft underbelly"? Learn more
Diana Wright: This roundup explores how entrepreneurs solve real problems — from prize competitions and fintech innovation to filmmaking, hiring, and Iowa’s tech legacy — all with a call to shift from reacting to creating. Learn more
Suzanna de Baca: In her "Leading Outside the Box" column, Suzanna de Baca asks: What if we've "unlearned" creativity? Drawing inspiration from the dazzling Des Moines Metro Opera, she urges us to rediscover that innate spark and bring bold, imaginative thinking back into the heart of our work. Learn more
Phoebe Wall Howard: Shoe choice won't affect braking now. Latest tech changes how car brakes work, eliminating concern about interference. Learn more
Mental Health
Steve Semken: Is it ever too late to celebrate Mother’s Day? Learn more
Strictly Personal
Laura Belin: Laura Belin stepped outside of her comfort zone to write a personal essay marking the 45th anniversary of her mother's passing. Learn more
Arnold Garson: Losing a parent at a young age is a loss like no other. Learn more
Poetry
Suzanna de Baca: Suzanna de Baca couldn’t look away from the Bezos-Sánchez wedding spectacle in Venice — and neither could the world. Inspired by the glamour and our obsession with power and influence, she penned this news response poem: “The Glamosphere (Reimagined).” Learn more
Teresa Zilk: That Time We Were in Crisis. Learn more
Sports
Craig Devrieze: Read the exciting final chapters of the magical history of the John Deere Classic as it readies to take the tee again this week for the 54th time. Learn more
Phoebe Wall Howard: World champion sailor reveals mistakes to avoid — on the water and in life. Learn more
Phoebe Wall Howard: Why one skipper decided to sponsor the world’s longest continuously run long distance freshwater race: A story about love, loss, military loyalty, the relentless pursuit of victory and payback and Mackinac Island. Learn more
Weather and Environment
Cheryl Tevis: Cheryl Tevis is predicting stormy weather if our elected leaders continue to politicize climate change. Supercells are just as vital to our national security as sleeper cells. Learn more
Ken Chester: Heat Wave Rising: Why "Wet Bulb Temperature" Matters Learn more
Art Cullen: Another scientific assessment says climate change will cook crop production but mainly we just talk about the weather, Art Cullen reports. Learn more
Chris Gloninger:
"Three Degrees Podcast: A Billion Butterflies and the Future We Inherit
From monsoons and migration to modeling and misinformation — Professor Jagadish Shukla joins us to talk climate chaos, political attacks on science, and the world his granddaughters will grow up in." Learn moreDavid Thoreson:
"Here we go again. America’s Public Lands and Waters Are Threatened by the GOP
Protection is the key to retaining biodiversity, water quality and climate security." Learn more
Photo by David Thoreson Humor
Daniel P. Finney: The Paragraph Stacker is 50 now and, of course, is scheduling his midlife crisis: Buy a hot rod or grow a mustache? Daniel Finney has the details. Learn more
Party, Meet Our Community of Writers
We are throwing a shindig in Winterset on July 26, and our paid subscribers (to any member of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative or this roundup) are invited. For details, click on this RSVP form:
Saturday, July 26
3 to 5 pm: private screening of "Storm Lake" documentary film at the Iowa Theater, free to IWC writers and all PAID subscribers, followed by Q&A with guest of honor Art Cullen, moderated by Julie Gammack. Free popcorn, paid concessions. (Non-paid subscribers and public members can attend for $20.)
5:30 to 7 pm: Robust appetizers with a cash bar will be served at The Winterset Livery (an event space once a horse livery, just off the square), which is open free to paid subscribers. Non-paid subscribers who paid to attend the movie are also welcome to attend the after-party.
Come! We have a terrific community and want you all to meet one another!
