The Only Roundup Where Caitlin Clark, Bernie Saggau, and Shoeless Joe All Show Up
Rob Sand might be Iowa’s next governor, but first: let’s talk Bernie Saggau, haunted dugouts, old cinema reels—and Caitlin Clark’s media circus.
What do a legendary high school sports icon (Letters from Iowans), a forgotten film pioneer (
) haunted baseball diamonds () and a potential governor have in common ( )? They all make headlines in this week’s can't-miss roundup.
In his latest column,
And be sure to catch
’s poem about eminent domain displacement.Heck, read each and everyone of these posts. It’s an amazing collection of content.
NATIONAL POLITICS
Phoebe Wall Howard
A city manager in Michigan said "51st state" comments continue to damage the border economy. His slogan: "Sorry we suck. Please shop American." Canadian anger is real—and so is the fallout. The latest idea: Canadian Appreciation Day.
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Barry Piatt
Barry Piatt writes from Washington, DC that Senator Chuck Grassley doesn’t seem to do his homework any more and isn’t “who he used to be. If he ever was,” Read more in this week’s column, “Barry Piatt on Politics: Behind the Curtains.”
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Dennis Goldford
Constitutionally, Congress is first among equal branches—not an institution subordinate to any president. I wish someone up there would remember that.
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Ed Tibbetts
Mariannette Miller-Meeks is trying to convince people she’s supporting Medicaid cuts to help the most vulnerable. But Ed Tibbetts at Along the Mississippi exposes the ‘big, beautiful lie’ Republicans are telling.
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Rekha Basu
As Trump deports Afghan refugees and tries to purge foreign students, he welcomes in Afrikaners, who created Apartheid, claiming they're the victims of racism by Black South African government.
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Rick Morain
Iowa's Congressional delegation urges the renewal of the Trump tax cuts for the benefit of individual Iowans and their small businesses. Good idea. Let's do it – just for them, not for the wealthy.
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Robert Leonard
Bob Leonard joined the Guthrie County Democrats last week and came back with "Fighting Authoritarianism at the Busiest Street Corner in Panora, Iowa, and other rebellious efforts..."
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Weather and Climate
Chris Gloninger
A lesson for Iowa politicians – you can run on climate and… WIN!
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Iowa Politics
Art Cullen
Iowa’s heritage of civil liberties and tolerance needs all the defenders it can get, so we stand our ground, Art Cullen writes.
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Cheryl Tevis
This week Cheryl Tevis tackles the origin of the unexpected eminent domain bill passed this week, and reflects on what it means for Iowans.
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Dave Busiek
Despite the Iowa legislature’s abysmal record, Dave Busiek on Media says several bills will help news consumers.
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Dave Price
Does the Iowa 2026 governor's race already have its final two candidates: Rob Sand vs. Randy Feenstra? Dave Price explores the possibility.
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Dave Price
The all-night session and the email that led to a verbal fight on the Iowa senate floor. Dave Price and Kathie Obradovich share what happened behind the scenes during the final hours of the Iowa legislative session. The Iowa Writers’ Collaborative Down Ballot Podcast is here:
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Laura Belin
Laura Belin interviewed both candidates and wrote a deep dive on the Democratic primary between State Senator Sarah Trone Garriott and State Representative Jennifer Konfrst in Iowa's third Congressional district.
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Laura Belin
On "KHOI's Capitol Week," Laura Belin and Spencer Dirks covered lots of news from the 2026 campaign trail, plus Iowa's "fiscal time bomb," summer food pilot program, and a new leader for Iowa House Democrats.
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Letters from Iowans
A mural in Des Moines featuring civil rights leader John Lewis was recently painted over. Claudine Cheatem, whose nephew painted the mural, was so saddened by this that she knew the only way to deal with it was to write through it.
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Matt Russell
Rural Iowa can embrace immigration or continue to decline. That choice is grounded in our identity as a rural, agricultural state.
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Randy Evans
The Iowa Legislature focused on getting rid of DEI initiatives in the state universities and basing decisions on merit. But lawmakers imposed a requirement to make admissions to the medical and dental schools LESS merit-based.
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Todd Dorman
Rob Sand is running. But is he the candidate who can make Democrats relevant again? MDEA, if you want to put on a hat
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Around Iowa
Michael Judge
The Birth of Film in the Heart of Iowa: An award-winning documentary tells the magical story of Frank Brinton and the oldest operating cinema in the world.
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Chuck Offenburger
Iowa Boy Chuck Offenburger has a requiem for an Iowa hero, Bernie Saggau, who directed the Iowa High School Athletic Association for nearly 40 years.
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Letters from Iowans
Alan Mores remembers the life and legacy of Bernie Saggau, a longtime fixture in Iowa high school sports.
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Business
Diana Wright
Entrepreneurship through the lens of Iowa writers. Understand Iowa’s new rate of entrepreneurs in this edition.
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Rick Jost
A mug of milk with a dairyman: Mark Wilcox has spent a lifetime getting his hands dirty in Iowa soil. Next year is a big one — 150 years — for his farm. But first, a stiff challenge awaits the milking parlor.
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Bits and Pieces from Rick Jost
Farewell to Jax, Screwworm Panic, and Fashion Made of Napkins: This Week’s Bits & Pieces Has It All
From the closing of a beloved Ames outfitter to a screwworm outbreak that's halting livestock imports, this week's dispatch covers the wild, the weird, and the wistful. Vermeer unveils a hay mower as wide as a first down, United Airlines upgrades its elite flyers to caviar and pajamas (with a side of picket signs), and Mountain Dew fans are literally getting inked for soda. Oh—and Arby’s is now making clothing. From napkins. Seriously. If you only read one column with cross-country ski boots, barista strikes, and parasitic flies, make it this one. Learn more
Suzanna de Baca
In her new Leadership Outside the Box column, Suzanna de Baca shares a piece called Leading from a place of well-being: A personal reflection on mental health in leadership. She asserts that as demands on leaders intensify, prioritizing their mental health and resilience is paramount—and invites us to rethink how we support and destigmatize leadership wellness.
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Law and Justice
Lynn Hicks
A bill can save consumers from the 'scourge' of cryptocurrency scams: Crypto corruption is everywhere, including the White House. In Iowa, however, lawmakers passed legislation addressing one type of fraud.
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Media
Ken Chester
Secret American Radio Stations!
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The Iowa Angle
Jeff Morrison
The day after Major League Baseball announced that "Shoeless Joe" Jackson, other members of the Black Sox, and Pete Rose were now eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame, Jeff Morrison went to the Field of Dreams to see what visitors had to say.
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Political Comedy
Tory Brecht
It's a pretty well-known fact by most that Trump ruins everything. That includes my writing skills.
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Strictly Personal
Daniel P. Finney
Some times you have to ask for help. So I am, writes Daniel Finney.
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Julie Gammack
Solitaire. Learn more
Poetry
Suzanna de Baca
In her poetry column, Dispatches from the Heartland, Suzanna de Baca shares a news response poem called "What They Don't Teach," inspired by this week's Supreme Court case on birthright.
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Teresa Zilk
Displacement is always personal and political.
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Iowa Writers’ Collaborative Roster
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