Sports, Myth-Busting, Ernst as Leader, and a lot more from around Iowa
...your Sunday Roundup of commentary
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Iowa Sports
Macey Shofroth contributes lovely essays on creativity, both her own and the people she highlights through her feature pieces. This week, she writes about the phenomenon of Iowa Women’s Basketball from a new perspective—how the game is infused with creativity and artistry.
At The Crossover, Jane Burns looks at the success of Iowa women’s basketball teams NOT called the Hawkeyes as teams await today’s reveal of NCAA tournament bids.
John Naughton It's Women's History Month, and John Naughton compiled a list of 10 Iowans who made sports history, from Shawn Johnson to Lolo Jones and, of course, Caitlin Clark.
Tory Brecht Another March flameout for Fran McCaffery's Iowa men's basketball team has made the task of building back fan support more difficult. Brecht's Beat looks at the season just completed and if there is hope on the horizon.
Rob Gray: Iowa State’s Audi Crooks calmly executed the telltale narrative of proving doubters wrong as soon as she set foot on campus in Ames.
Politics
The curious case of Mike Pence is the topic of the Iowa Mercury column by Doug Burns.
Senator Joni Ernst is running for the #3 Senate Republican leadership post. Columnist Barry Piatt writes that they deserve her.
Cheryl Tevis has something to say to the Iowa Legislature: We see you, we hear you…turning back the clock on women’s rights.
Art Cullen asks: What’s the matter with me? while taking to task myths about rural voters.
Jeff Morrison looks with dismay at how 32 years of presidential elections have been dominated by people who were in high school or college when JFK was president, and the Baby Boomers’ larger hold on electoral politics.
Bob Leonard was at the legislature on Tuesday to watch supporters of immigrants derail a toxic Republican bill, providing an example for us all to follow. He also congratulates Iowa CCI for exposing one legislator's ethical lapses (corruption?). He writes at Deep Midwest: Politics and Culture.
Earlier in the week, Laura Belin and Dennis Hart covered a trio of rare events in the legislature. In her column today, Laura writes that the Iowa House and Senate Republicans are not on the same page.
Dave Busiek on Media writes about why journalists should avoid Opposite Day at the Iowa legislature.
Mary Swander’s Buggy Land suggests we need more visits from Irish poets to see us through the presidential election.
Ed Tibbetts reports on two stories from Davenport, Along the Mississippi. First, a ruling in the Pleasant Valley school board case; next, Senator Joni Ernst’s fibbing on Biden’s record.
Beth Hoffman, In the Dirt: As a response to the shootings in Perry, Iowa, a bill in the legislature is headed to the Senate to allow teachers to carry guns into classrooms. More guns are not the answer.
Beth’s husband, John Hogeland, is a man who grew up hunting and owning guns—he has a thing or two to say about gun ownership in the United States. It felt like a good time to “reprint” his blog post from 2022, just after the Uvalde, Texas shootings. The more time passes, the more things stay the same.
Julie Gammack and Bob Leonard, Deep Midwest: Politics and Culture will talk to author Austin Frerick about his new book, Barons, Money, Power, and the Corruption of America’s Food Industry, on Monday, March 18, at noon central time via Zoom. Join the conversation.
Life Around Iowa
Daniel Finney’s column this week is a remembrance of his mom, who died in November, and the time he and his dad have spent together since.
Arnold Garson writes about his family's ‘cottage’ on Lake Okoboji. How two unrelated violent deaths shaped the Okoboji futures of two families.
Jane Burns takes time for St. Patrick’s Day to ponder why despite Irish being the smallest part of her ancestry, that’s the part her family celebrates most.
What’s it like to be a food critic? Iowa Writers’ Collaborative colleague, Wini Moranville, joins Julie Gammack for a podcast discussion with readers.
Alison McGaughey writes a love note to the song "Hungry Eyes" upon the passing of Eric Carmen, and shares a wish-list item for a wannabe rockstar.
Kurt Meyer: Author Hamlin Garland (1860 - 1940) will be inducted soon into the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame. Kurt Meyer outlines Garland’s Chicago years, which began a dozen years after he left Iowa in 1881.
According to the sub-headline, Chris Jones's column title is about ‘French Kissing’ Mother Nature. However, it really includes stories about tapping syrup. It’s a fun and funny read—as usual.
Pat Kinney: A terminally ill Marine and his wife have raised tens of thousands of dollars for charity. Meet them in Pat Kinney’s new “View from the Cedar Valley” column.
Step aside, skeptics. Julie Gammack had a demonstration of Apple’s Vision Pro, and she has a thing or two to say about what this can mean for the future.
Dining
Wini Moranville asked chef Dom Iannarelli some tough questions about his upcoming high-end steakhouse restaurant. His candor was refreshing!
Humor
Vicki Minor asks: What happened to order #38?
Poetry
Suzanna de Baca: Six tiny poems: Was it lilacs?
Theresa Zilk Teresa Zilk continues to write about family legacies and what is left behind.
Iowa Writers’ Collaborative
Did you know we have three columnists from the Quad Cities? Each one contributes a different perspective to their community. Check out Ed Tibbetts, Alison
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