Swifties, No Farm Bill, Weather, plus food and entertainment news you can use
....welcome to your Sunday Roundup by Iowa Writers' Collaborative members
National Politics….State Politics….Around Iowa…..Weather and Environment…Cars….Sports….Food and Entertainment….Books and Culture….Humor….Poetry
The Iowa Writers’ Collaborative Roundup is packed with stories, opinions, and features beyond politics you will not want to miss. Taylor Deckert is a Swiftie. Larry Stone gets a head start on the fall season by heading north. Phoebe Wall Howard has a piece about an auto accessory for breast cancer survivors. Kali White VanBaale has a heart-wrenching piece about how a punctuation mark has become an unwelcome symbol. Jane Burns's sports stories are constantly engaging, and John Naughton is on the Caitlin Clark effect. And, of course, much more.
National Politics
After Nov. 5, we have to find a way to center,
writes. How can we talk to each other anymore?One of the Biggest Iowa Issues You Don’t Know Enough About:
In his column headlined, “The Dog Ate the Farm Bill,” Barry Piatt writes from Washington, DC, that the federal Farm Bill - last updated in 2018 and expired on September 30, 2023 - remains unfinished. He writes that Iowa’s congressional delegation needs to feel some heat over that failure.
Iowa Writers’ Collaborative’s political analysts offer a weekly podcast through November 6. This week’s Iowa Down Ballot episode features
as moderator, with , , , , and .After Nov. 5, we have to find a way to center,
writes. How can we talk to each other anymore? on Media reports, Vance won on style points while Walz rallied late in their debate.Iowa Politics
In her column this week, Signs of our Times,
focuses on one campaign sign posted along the beaten path of her travels: "Iowans Want Public Dollars for Public Schools." She hopes the message resonates with voters.Too many government officials and boards in Iowa show they are uncomfortable with the taxpayers watching over their shoulders.
points to two recent news nuggets that illustrate in different ways this uncomfortable fact of life.Kim Reynolds was recognized last week for what Iowans already know: She's an immensely successful politician. As
at Along the Mississippi explains, that's good for her but not for us. Also: The most succinct summation of the vice-presidential debate. invites State Auditor Rob Sand to join reader participants in a Zoom call/podcast. His job is to audit how taxpayer dollars are spent. This has become harder under one-party rule in Iowa.In the Iowa Mercury,
continues coverage of pioneering Iowa legislator Josh Turek of Council Bluffs, a gold-medal-winning Paralympic athlete and the state's first permanently and visibly disabled member of the Iowa House. Burns also interviewed former U.S. Senator Tom Harkin, who made a dire prediction: 'I'm afraid if Trump wins. And I'm afraid if Trump loses."’s deep dive showed how Mariannette Miller-Meeks used taxpayer funds to boost her campaign:Laura Belin and Spencer Dirks discussed Iowa Congressional races, Representative Randy Feenstra's vote against government funding, approval ratings for Iowa's top statewide officials, and more on "KHOI's Capitol Week."
Are political sign wars escalating?
tells of one Des Moines family’s challenge to keep their candidate preference signs in place.Weather and Environment
From
: A wake-up call on the damage Big Ag is doing to Iowans' health and environment can be found in Rekha’s Shouts and Whispers column.Climate Change injected Helene with 50% more moisture. This is our new normal, writes
. wanders north to Minnesota and Wisconsin to get a jump on the delights of October.Around Iowa
In this edition of The Five and Dime,
tries to write an essay called "Harvest Variations. attended funeral services for a distant uncle who served in World War II. He was one of 20 other veterans, and five veteran spouses interred in a moving ceremony at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery near Adel. Hundreds from all over the state participated or attended. Read more about "The Final Salute" in Pat's column. looks back on the life of Roger Corbin of Traer, a World War II veteran who died at age 103 and loved writing poems. writes about the meaning of the semicolon in the mental health community. "The Power of Punctuation: Project Semicolon." , Reporting from Quiltropolis, invites everyone to Madison County next weekend for the annual Covered Bridge Festival—food trucks, food stands, demonstrations, tours, entertainment, and quilts. highlights the work Iowa CCI has been doing on saving our public schools, immigration reform, book bans and improving our water quality in Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, building people power, and shares some of his thoughts on the Okoboji Writers’ and Songwriters’ Retreat in Dear Julie Gammack, thank you.Cars (not really)
A woman with breast cancer helped Ford create a seatbelt accessory to relieve pain for cancer patients. The automaker offers devices to fit any vehicle and charges $0 for orders.
has the story in her column, Shifting Gears.Sports
sets the competitive and kind of crazy scene at day-long Saturday high school volleyball tournaments, where players compete all day in an environment far from the bright lights of a football Friday night.Caitlin Clark and Company elevated women's basketball in terms of viewership, interest, merchandise and controversy this season. John Naughton, who has followed Clark since high school, shares his views.
Books and Arts
You’ll want to add this to your TBR pile:
wrote a gripping, visceral review of a memoir by a Minnesota-based writer.Are you a writer? Are you ready to take the next step on your writing journey? Author Nicole Baart has 25 years of teaching experience and another 18 in the publishing industry, and she’s sharing her expertise in an 8-part writing intensive called Alchemy. She is offering readers a writing class called Alchemy - where Write Craft and Magic Meet. Read about it in her Iowa Writers’ Collaborative column, This Stays Here.
provides a link to the trailer and video of her latest play "Squatters on Red Earth," starring Rip Russell. She also links to her latest "Buggy Land" podcast. Episode #60: Around Freemartin Town.Food and Entertainment
What's with all the fees added to restaurant bills—and why don't restaurateurs bury these costs in the menu prices?
has a theory. gives us a taste of the blues.What’s Runza? Find out from
Travel
Iowa Boy
reports that the RicheBurgers -- he and his wife Mary Riche -- loved being in the bright lights on Times Square in New York City this past week. He also links us to Mary's review of three of the most popular shows on Broadway.Saturday was NFL star Travis Kelce’s 35th Birthday.
has turned into an avid Kansas City Chiefs fan and Siouxland has turned into a swiftie celebrating the most favorite girlfriend in the NFL. (Taylor’s Version).Humor
Port strike reveals America's deepest fear: Running out of toilet paper
has the story coming Sunday afternoon.Poetry
Suzanna de Baca shares a new news response poem called “Evacuation Orders, “ that she wrote after reading a NY Times article called “When the North Carolina Mountains Become Hurricane Alley.” It brought to mind tragic comments and commentary she’d seen following local tornados, derechos, blizzards or other severe weather disasters.
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