Drake University President Dr. Marty Martin issued strong message of support for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts in March 3 email to faculty and students.

A great strength of Drake University is the ever-increasing diversity of the individuals who make up this wonderful place. That diversity is essential to our mission promise to prepare our students for meaningful personal lives, professional accomplishment, and responsible global citizenship. It creates opportunities for life-changing relationships. It makes our campus more interesting and vibrant. It broadens perspectives and enriches the learning experience. It ultimately makes our University stronger and more resilient.

Moving through life with our fellow human beings must not, thankfully, be a homogenous experience. When we open ourselves up to the wide array of individuals and communities around us, our lives become more grounded, joyful, and fulfilling. We learn that our differences are not weaknesses, they are strengths. We discover that exploring those differences with open minds and hearts, with empathy and love, is one of the most meaningful experiences we can have in life.

Drake University exists to help individuals find their purpose and realize their fullest potential. A Drake education prepares our students to thrive in this interconnected world, and thus, live their best lives for themselves and those they love and serve. It is our responsibility to ensure that the Drake experience is shared with anyone who can turn the opportunity offered here into their reality. It is unimaginable that we would turn away from this obligation.

On Friday, Governor Reynolds signed a bill ending eighteen years of civil rights protection for transgender and nonbinary Iowans. This action is one among many current state and federal efforts that seek to turn our differences into division. Instead of working to find a shared path grounded in respect for the basic human dignity possessed by every person, too many public officials are seeking to marginalize and isolate our colleagues, neighbors, friends, and loved ones. This is a moral failure against which we stand in opposition. It is our duty to respect, support, and affirm anyone in our community targeted by these actions.

"As Putin continues bombing Ukraine and murdering innocent civilians, there is no reason we should be supporting any sector of Russia's economy."

Comments from Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley of March 4, 2025 after the Trump/Zalenskyy blow-up in the Oval Office.

Dear Constituent:

Thank you for taking the time to contact me with your support for Ukraine against Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s full scale invasion. I share your support.

At the onset, I would like to take this opportunity to state emphatically that I feel for everyone fighting for their independence and way of life in the face of brutal Russian aggression. I certainly want to see an end to the war, and I support calls for the United States to stand firm in its unwavering support for Ukraine to push Russia back into its borders. I met with President Zelenskyy on February 28 as part of a senatorial delegation, and reaffirmed my long-held position that Putin is a dictator who is not interested in giving up his imperial ambitions.

by Clark Kauffman, Iowa Capital Dispatch
February 21, 2025

State, city and county inspectors have cited Iowa restaurants and stores for hundreds of food-safety violations during the past six weeks, including moldy bread, long-expired food, rodent droppings and filthy kitchens.

The findings are reported by the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing, which handles food-establishment inspections at the state level. Listed below are some of the more serious findings that stem from inspections at Iowa restaurants, stores, schools, hospitals and other businesses.

The state inspections department reminds the public that their reports are a “snapshot” in time, and violations are often corrected on the spot before the inspector leaves the establishment.

by Cami Koons, Iowa Capital Dispatch
February 19, 2025

A bill that would shield pesticide companies from label-related lawsuits, provided the company adhered to federal label regulations, advanced from the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday.

Senate Study Bill 1051 passed 11-7, with opposing senators arguing the bill protects companies rather than Iowans. 

Sen. Mike Bousselot, who chaired the bill’s subcommittee, said the bill was a “common sense” piece of legislation.

“It is the simple premise that someone should not be allowed to sue someone else … for failing any duty to warn, when that manufacturer followed every federal rule and regulation required to warn,” Bousselot said. 

Lee Enterprises, Inc. – owner of the Quad City Times and Dispatch/Argus – hopes increasing digital advertising and subscription revenues will eventually offset the steady decline in the media company's print ad and subscription revenue.

But the latest quarterly report shows the difficulty in jumping from print to online revenue streams.

The company lost $16.9 million for the first quarter as print ad revenues plunged more than 19 percent compared to the same period a year ago. A year ago, the company lost $1.6 million during the first quarter.

by Ashley Murray, Iowa Capital Dispatch
January 21, 2025

WASHINGTON — Barring a few exceptions, Senate Republicans on Tuesday largely deflected or altogether avoided questions about President Donald Trump’s broad clemency for over 1,500 defendants who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 — including many who beat police officers, smashed windows and trashed offices as lawmakers hid in designated safe areas.

Just hours into his second term Monday, Trump commuted the sentences of 14 felons, including leaders of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers.

The president granted a “full, complete and unconditional pardon to all other individuals convicted of offenses related to events that occurred at or near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021.” He also dismissed any pending indictments.

The pardons did not come as a surprise. As Senate Republicans were cheering for Trump on his march to electoral victory, the former and now current president exalted the “hostages” and “patriots” who injured more than 140 law enforcement officers and caused north of $2.8 million in damage to the Capitol, according to the Department of Justice.

by Cami Koons, Iowa Capital Dispatch
January 13, 2025

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency affirmed its November decision to add seven additional segments to Iowa’s list of impaired waters, following a public comment period. 

EPA announced in November it had partially approved the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ assessment of surface water quality in the state and called for the inclusion of additional segments on the Cedar, Des Moines, Iowa and South Skunk rivers, based on measured levels of nitrate.

Per EPA documentation, a vast majority of the public comments submitted were in favor of the EPA decision. DNR, which monitors and compiles the impaired waters list every two years, per the Clean Water Act, called EPA’s assessment “illegal” since nitrate is not officially listed as a “toxic pollutant” under the Clean Water Act.