Randy Evans is executive director of the Iowa Freedom of Information Council, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that promotes openness and transparency in Iowa’s state and local governments. He can be reached at DMRevans2810@gmail.com. This essay first appeared on his Substack newsletter, Stray Thoughts. 

January ended with a notable week for federal courts because of the voices of its judges.

Judges in Minnesota and Texas spoke with clarity in these troubled times. In between them, a longtime Iowa federal judge’s voice fell silent after a quarter century of delivering justice, along with lessons in compassion, fairness and our shared history.

Robert W. Pratt was 78 when he died. The Emmetsburg native was a U.S. district judge in the Southern District of Iowa from 1997 to 2023.

Pratt began his legal career working for Iowa Legal Aid, a nonprofit law firm that champions society’s underdogs and gives a voice to those who rarely are heard in our society.

Dan Hunter is an award-winning playwright, songwriter, teacher and founding partner of Hunter Higgs, LLC, an advocacy and communications firm. A Des Moines native, he has written several books and performed a solo show of topical humor in song in Iowa for seventeen years. He has a weekly Substack column called Learning and Teaching Creativity, a weekly examination of ordinary people who exhibit unexpected creativity. This essay was first published by the Arrowsmith Press.

People outside of Iowa believe that Des Moines is a desert of homogeneity. But the Des Moines Public Schools is a district of 30,000 students speaking 100 different languages from 90 separate countries. About 21 percent of the district’s students are Black and almost 33 percent are Hispanic.

During the 2022-23 school year, the school board conducted a closed, nationwide search for a new superintendent. They sought a leader who could increase reading and math skills, particularly among Black boys.

Ian Roberts was introduced as the new superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools on May 16, 2023. He was an animating spirit for growth and inspiration in Des Moines. Roberts wore bright pastel suits, flowered shirts, and track shoes. He took off running.

Bruce Lear lives in Sioux City and has been connected to Iowa’s public schools for 38 years. He taught for eleven years and represented educators as an Iowa State Education Association regional director for 27 years until retiring. He can be reached at BruceLear2419@gmail.com 

Some mysteries are difficult to solve. For example, in this classic story problem: “Train A leaves from Chicago for Toledo at 70 miles an hour. Simultaneously Train B leaves Toledo for Chicago at 60 miles per hour. The distance between the cities is 260 miles when do they meet?”

Sure, there’s a mathematical formula to figure it out, but as a distracted 7^th grader I never conquered it.  There were just too many other important questions needing answers. Why is the Chicago train faster? Is there a headwind between Toledo and Chicago or are trains just built slower in Ohio? Who are the people traveling? Why do we want those trains to meet? Are they on the same track? If so, isn’t that the real story and the real problem?

After reading about the recent Iowa Republican gubernatorial primary debate, there’s no mystery about why Iowa’s public schools are at risk. Four of the five contenders are sticking to an old formula that’s put Iowa public schools in jeopardy and caused teachers and future teachers to look for an exit.

Al Charlson is a North Central Iowa farm kid, lifelong Iowan, and retired bank trust officer. This commentary was first published in the Waverly Democrat.

Soybeans and I go back a long way. In the late 1950s, my dad began experimenting with soybeans as an alternative cash crop. He planted a small field in the corner of the farm, as far from the road as possible. That was a good idea—weed control in soybeans involved a learning curve. From the beginning it involved “walking beans” (hand weeding), so I literally got to know soybeans “from the ground up.”

At that time the landscape of North Central Iowa was very different from the dominant corn-soybean rotation we see today. Our 160 acres grew a rotation of corn, oats, and an alfalfa-grass mix. The mix was used for both hay and pasture for the dairy herd which was Dad’s primary livestock enterprise. He also raised hogs and maintained a flock of laying hens.

Kali White VanBaale is an Iowa-based novelist, creative writing professor, and mental health care advocate. Find more of her work at kwhitevanbaale.substack.com (where this essay first appeared) and www.kaliwhite.com.

It’s legislative season again, and last month I was back at the state capitol in Des Moines to offer testimony at a House subcommittee meeting on proposed mental health care legislation advocates have been requesting for over a decade: increasing the number of inpatient psychiatric beds at each state mental health institute.

The Iowa House approved similar legislation a few years ago before the bill stalled in the Senate. Advocates are hopeful about the renewed interest in and support for it in the 2026 session.

State Representatives Heather Matson, Tracy Ehlert, Eric Gjerde, Monica Kurth, Elinor A. Levin, and Mary Madison co-authored this column.

Two months. Twelve stops. All four corners of Iowa on a statewide education listening tour. 

That’s how we, as members of the House Education Committee, spent the fall as we focused our attention on how to make Iowa number 1 in education again. 

We set out to Mason City, Waterloo, Ankeny, Ottumwa, Indianola, Creston, Council Bluffs, Storm Lake, Emmetsburg, Bettendorf, Mount Vernon, and Dubuque. At each stop we heard from current and retired teachers, paraeducators, principals, superintendents, school board members, community college and higher education professors and leaders, AEA educators, school librarians, nurses, counselors, and mental health professionals, parents, and community advocates. 

We flipped the script of traditional town halls—this wasn’t about us talking—it was about listening before legislating. What did we hear? A lot! Here are some of the highlights. 

Robin Opsahl covers the state legislature and politics for Iowa Capital Dispatch, where this article first appeared.

Iowa Democrats were approved on January 31 to present their case to national Democrats on why the state’s Democratic caucuses should go in the early presidential nominating window in 2028.

At the Democratic National Committee Rules and Bylaws Committee meeting in San Juan, Puerto Rico, members reviewed the applications from twelve states that submitted waivers to hold their presidential nominating contests ahead of Super Tuesday.

All twelve state parties that submitted requests for early contest waivers to the DNC — Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia — were approved to present at later RBC meetings.

“Coordination between Grassley and the F.B.I.’s office of congressional affairs was unusually close throughout the year,” Emily Bazelon and Rachel Poser reported for the New York Times Magazine on January 22.

U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley was not the main focus of “A Year Inside Kash Patel’s F.B.I.,” a must-read investigation of changes that are “undermining the agency and making America less safe,” according to knowledgeable insiders. But as Bazelon and Poser interviewed dozens of current and former FBI employees, Iowa’s senior senator came up repeatedly.

Grassley’s oversight work as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee led to career agents or supervisors being forced out, in some cases with no investigation supporting their alleged wrongdoing.

The New York Times Magazine article has so far received little attention from the Iowa media. Local journalists with access to Grassley’s weekly conference calls and recorded interviews with hand-picked reporters should ask the senator about some of the troubling details Bazelon and Poser uncovered. (His staff rarely reply to my emails and do not allow me to participate in any of his media availabilities.)

Linda Schreiber writes commentary on selected legislative issues.

Bob Dylan’s 1964 lyric, “The times they are a-changin’,” captured a moment of upheaval. The same could be said today—especially when it comes to how Iowa funds its communities.

A decade ago, when lawmakers reduced state funding for schools and local governments, cities and counties could adjust their budgets and, if needed, raise property taxes to maintain services residents wanted. Today, that flexibility is disappearing. And therein lies the paradox.

Throughout the first year of the 91st Iowa General Assembly, lawmakers debated cutting property taxes. With Republicans holding a trifecta, this is the year those cuts may pass. Two GOP proposals emphasize a strict 2 percent cap on local property tax revenue growth, promoted as relief for taxpayers. If state-level cuts reduce local revenue, will the result be fewer services Iowans rely on?

Randy Evans is executive director of the Iowa Freedom of Information Council, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that promotes openness and transparency in Iowa’s state and local governments. He can be reached at DMRevans2810@gmail.com. This essay first appeared on his Substack newsletter, Stray Thoughts. 

The 2025 college football season is in the history books.

The season ended with a national championship victory by Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza and his Indiana University Hoosiers over the University of Miami.

The season began back on August 23 in Dublin, Ireland, matching Iowa State University against Kansas State University in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic.

A lot has happened since the Cyclones’ 24-21 victory.

Iowa State President Wendy Wintersteen retired. The Iowa Board of Regents screened a bunch of candidates and hired North Dakota State University President David Cook to replace her.

Cyclone coach Matt Campbell resigned after Penn State University lured him away to take over its football program. That same day, Iowa State announced he would be replaced by Jimmy Rogers from Washington State University.

Yet, in the five months since the football season started, Iowa State still has not provided me with financial records I requested on September 4 concerning the Ireland trip and the Aer Lingus game.

Rick Morain is the former publisher and owner of the Jefferson Herald, for which he writes a regular column. This essay first appeared on Substack.

A recent email from the Iowa Attorney General’s (AG’s) office to Greene County Assistant Attorney Laura Snider is of great concern to Greene County Attorney Thomas Laehn. That’s because it displays a quandary created by the state’s 2023 government reorganization act.

Much of Snider’s work in the county attorney’s office deals with Child in Need of Assistance (CINA) cases. Iowa law puts county attorneys in charge of such cases, particularly when it comes to deciding whether to recommend that a court remove a child from a parent’s custody.

The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services also plays a role in those decisions. The email from the attorney general’s office included a proposed agreement for Snider to sign, which would establish new procedures for how a CINA case would be handled if the Greene County attorney’s office and HHS disagree in a particular case.

A poll in the field this week is testing dozens of messages about the two Democrats running for governor, State Auditor Rob Sand and Julie Stauch, who has worked for many Democratic campaigns and nonprofit organizations.

The survey appears designed to identify Sand’s weaknesses and the strongest arguments a competitor could make before the June 2 Democratic primary. Several questions highlight how Sand has distanced himself from his party or failed to take a stand on issues that matter to many Democratic voters.

A spokesperson for Sand’s campaign confirmed they did not commission the poll but declined further comment. Stauch declined to comment for the record.

Some other entity may have paid for the survey—perhaps a Democratic-aligned group or large donor considering spending to support Sand or Stauch for governor. It’s also possible a Republican-aligned group is thinking about meddling in the Democratic primary to weaken the likely nominee. (The Downballot reported on January 29 that “a prominent GOP consulting firm is financing an obscure group that’s run digital ads and sent out mailers” in support of a Democratic candidate for an upcoming special election in Michigan.)

Sand is the overwhelming favorite to win the nomination, with higher name ID, statewide election victories in 2018 and 2022, and more than $13.2 million cash on hand as of December 31, compared to around $12,000 in Stauch’s campaign account. Even so, a strong primary challenge could weaken the front-runner, by forcing his campaign to spend more before the general election period, or by exposing how he has alienated part of the base he would need to win in November.

Bruce Lear lives in Sioux City and has been connected to Iowa’s public schools for 38 years. He taught for eleven years and represented educators as an Iowa State Education Association regional director for 27 years until retiring. He can be reached at BruceLear2419@gmail.com 

Governor Kim Reynolds laid out her last legislative agenda in her Condition of the State address on January 13. It took a while for me to remember that much avoidance in a speech. I remember now.

After the teachers in a building were fed up with lack of leadership, and aggravation reached critical mass, there were often explosions. I always knew the “Enough is enough” stage had been reached when the phone calls began from teachers I’d never met. They were the silent majority, but now they were ready to shout.

Former Des Moines Register assistant sports editor Ira Lacher writes about the games and business of sports for various newspapers and magazines.

“Dad, two of the greatest football players in the country hang out in a speakeasy downtown.”

“Are you suggesting that I, the president of Huxley College, go into a speakeasy without even giving me the address?”

“It’s at forty-two Elm Street, but you can’t go there. It’s unethical. It isn’t right for a college to buy football players.”

“It isn’t, eh? Well, I’ll nip that in the bud. How about coming along and having a nip yourself? Or better still, you wait here.”

— Groucho and Zeppo Marx, “Horsefeathers,” 1932

Did everyone in sports-land toast January 16? That was the day when the season’s transfer portal officially closed, which means you can be pretty sure who’ll be on your favorite college basketball and football teams for the 2026–27 season. 

Unless a court agrees that the University of Washington is restraining Demond Williams Jr.’s right to make a living by denying him access to the transfer portal and holding him to the name, image, and likeness (NIL) contract he signed with the school. Or if another court says Darian Mensah’s access to the portal supersedes the binding NIL contract he signed with Duke University. 

This isn’t the Wild West, as some critics characterize big-time football and basketball. It’s Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.

“I am not interested in pretending this is just a private medical matter. It is a public policy failure playing out in my body,” State Senator Catelin Drey said in an extraordinary Senate floor speech on January 26.

The Democrat from Sioux City revealed that she has been diagnosed with stage 1 uterine cancer, and explained why she plans to be transparent about her cancer journey.

The Iowa Senate Democrats made their recording of Drey’s remarks available to Bleeding Heartland.

Julie Stauch is a fifth-generation Iowan and lifelong problem-solver running to be Iowa’s next governor. Learn more about her campaign at www.juliestauchforalliowans.com.

Gubernatorial candidate Julie Stauch issues a letter to all Iowans:

This is not a typical press release. But this is not a typical time. On Saturday evening I stood outside on my front porch at exactly 7 o’clock. Around the entire nation, and perhaps the entire world, thousands stood outside on their porches, with candles and flashlights, to acknowledge the inhumane horror that took place on the streets of Minneapolis that morning. My Minnesota neighbor was murdered by our own federal government.

I have rarely felt such anger as I have this past week, nor as much shame and sadness. To my fellow Iowans and our neighbors across the country who are also sitting with the memories of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, I am here for you. And to my neighbors who were not aware of the atrocity committed by ICE agents or are choosing to look away, I am here for you, too.

I invite you to join me at this moment. This is the last straw. Alex Pretti was a nurse with the Department of Veterans Affairs. He was a federal worker exercising his First Amendment right to freedom of speech.

A poll in the field this week previews attack lines Republicans may use against State Senator Sarah Trone Garriott, if she becomes the Democratic nominee in Iowa’s third Congressional district. The same poll tests positive messages about the incumbent, U.S. Representative Zach Nunn.

It’s not clear who commissioned the survey, but the question wording points to either Nunn’s campaign or some GOP-aligned group that plans to support Nunn’s re-election through independent expenditures.

The questions enclosed below are taken verbatim from a text version of the poll. I don’t know whether some voters in the third district are being surveyed by phone; some political polls are conducted entirely by text, while others use multiple methods to reach respondents. UPDATE: A source confirms there is a telephone version of this poll.

I fact-checked the claims about each candidate. According to the respondent who provided copies of the questions to me, this poll did not test any messages about two other Democrats seeking the nomination in IA-03: State Representative Jennifer Konfrst and Xavier Carrigan. That suggests whoever commissioned the poll expects Trone Garriott, who has led the Democratic field in fundraising, to win the June primary. UPDATE: Konfrst ended her campaign and endorsed Trone Garriott on January 26.

A quick reminder: although you may feel angry when you see or hear inaccurate or biased claims about Democratic candidates, it’s better not to click away or hang up. Take screenshots or detailed notes, or record the phone call, and share the questionnaire with me. (I won’t publish your name.)

Justin Clark is an entrepreneur and husband in Dallas County. Chris Farber is a businessman, husband, and father in Waukee.

For most of our adult lives, we’ve tried to vote for the person, not the party. Neither of us has ever been interested in politics as a sport. We care about who seems steady, who understands everyday life, and who we trust to make decent decisions for Iowa.

Justin voted for U.S. Representative Zach Nunn—even recently—because at the time, he thought Nunn understood families like his and the realities most Iowans deal with.

Chris was a Republican for his entire adult life until 2016. That wasn’t casual. It was rooted in how he was raised and what he believed about responsibility, work, and keeping government practical.

This isn’t a story about flipping sides overnight. It’s about paying attention.

Wally Taylor is the Legal Chair of the Sierra Club Iowa chapter.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has drafted the 2025 update of Iowa’s Wildlife Action Plan. The plan shapes how we protect wildlife, restore habitat, and ensure healthy ecosystems for the next decade in Iowa. This post explains why that’s important, and how to encourage the state to follow its plan.

What’s a Wildlife Action Plan?

In order to receive federal funding for wildlife programs, each state is required to prepare a wildlife action plan, outlining the steps needed to conserve wildlife and habitat before they become too rare and costly to restore.

Herb Strentz was dean of the Drake School of Journalism from 1975 to 1988 and professor there until retirement in 2004. He was executive secretary of the Iowa Freedom of Information Council from its founding in 1976 to 2000.

Our system of government has long been recognized and valued for what makes it worthwhile and workable—the checks and balances the U.S. Constitution provides among and between the executive, judicial, and legislative branches of federal and state governments,

End of civics lesson.

That’s because the system is being abandoned, essentially junked, at democracy’s peril. Thanks to Donald Trump’s endless provocations and abuse of power, a politicized version of Whack-A-Mole is replacing our checks and balances.