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Cedar Falls

Early Twentieth Century Iowa Teacher Becomes African Rancher

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How did a small town Iowa woman earn the title “African Sheep Queen” in the early 1900s? By becoming owner of a 6,000-acre sheep ranch in Norvalspont, South Africa. Iowa History, a weekly column, appears at IowaWatch on Saturdays. Cheryl Mullenbach is the author of non-fiction books for young people. Her work has been recognized by International Literacy Association, American Library Association, National Council for Social Studies, and FDR Presidential Library and Museum.

A.G. Sessions: Nationwide Court Injunctions Impede Will Of People

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The Trump Administration’s ability to enact the voters’ will is impeded by a continual stream of nationwide court injunctions, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions told a group of federal and state judges, lawyers and other legal experts in Des Moines today. It’s a theme Sessions has pressed for much of this year, saying government “needs to run the table” to enact policies that one judge can delay. “We’re defending the Constitutional structure against nationwide injunctions,” Sessions said in a speech in which he praised U.S. Department of Justice lawyers for working hard and judges who provide good justice, are honest and able and who provide consistency with legal values culled from British traditions dating to when this country consisted of colonies. The nationwide injunctions to which he referred were issued by federal judges in one district but carried weight nationally. Think travel ban injunctions.

freedom of information

IowaWatch Co-Founder Returning To Iowa To Headline Sept. 27 Celebrating A Free Press And Open Government Banquet

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Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author Stephen J. Berry, whose push for journalists to work thoroughly and ethically led him to co-found the Iowa Center for Public Affairs Journalism-IowaWatch, will be the annual Celebrating a Free Press and Open Government Banquet’s guest speaker in Des Moines on Thursday, September 27, 2018.

opinion

Why Journalists, Including Those With Nonprofits, Are Not Enemies Of The State

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Today, the Institute for Nonprofit News joins journalists across the country in asking you, the public, to stand up for your rights to free speech and an open government. This started as a campaign by the Boston Globe to ask the President of the United States to knock off attacking the news media.

immigration policy

Evans: We Need Some Common Sense On Immigration

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Once again, our government has demonstrated that common sense really isn’t so common. I understand that Americans are not of one mind on the issue of immigration. I understand that people who break the law ought to face punishment. Randy Evans
STRAY THOUGHTS
Randy Evans is the executive director of the Iowa Freedom of Information Council. He is a former editorial page editor and assistant managing editor of The Des Moines Register.

trade war

Trade Disputes Explode Under Trump Tariff War

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As President Donald Trump continues to wage a multi-front trade war with some of the United States’ biggest economic partners, farmers have borne some of the heaviest financial burden. More than a third of the country’s trade disputes relate to agriculture, an analysis of disputes submitted to the World Trade Organization showed.

Barnum & Bailey circus

1930’s Mason City Writer Never Forgets Her Roots

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“a little, short, plump, cute, snuppy-uppy puppy who was white and soft and just the size to cuddle…” What toddler could resist a story about this adorable little pup, who went by the name Pinky Pup? In 1928 Pinky Pup and the Empty Elephant was a popular children’s book by Mason City native Dixie Willson. Iowa History, a weekly column, appears at IowaWatch on Saturdays. Cheryl Mullenbach is the author of non-fiction books for young people. Her work has been recognized by International Literacy Association, American Library Association, National Council for Social Studies, and FDR Presidential Library and Museum.

Admiral Richard E. Byrd

Iowans Aid in 1934 Polar Expedition

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“Iowa Girl to Take Dictation from Polar Explorer, 3,200 Miles Away,” the Waterloo Courier newspaper headline must have caught the attention of readers, who were hungry for distractions from the typical dreary news stories of the day. Deep in the midst of the Great Depression the adventures of a working girl and a daring explorer helped Iowans forget their economic woes for a time. Iowa History, a weekly column, appears at IowaWatch on Saturdays. Cheryl Mullenbach is the author of non-fiction books for young people. Her work has been recognized by International Literacy Association, American Library Association, National Council for Social Studies, and FDR Presidential Library and Museum.