Good morning from Iowa Capital Dispatch.
“The America that I’m in in 2026 is drastically different than the one I imagined when I was younger. But at the end of the day, for myself, that flag means so much to me — the red, white and blue.” — Hector Salamanca Arroyo, a Mexican-born Iowan who became a naturalized American citizen while serving in the U.S. Army and now serves his community on the Waterloo City Council.
Rick Miller, a Pride Center board member and in-house archivist, shows off display of LGBTQIA+ artifacts, including various books, activist memorabilia and posters from past AIDS benefits at the Pride Center in Des Moines on June 29, 2026. (Photo by Kadin Luhmann/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
As Americans celebrate U.S.’s 250th anniversary, Iowa museums, archives and community organizations are working to ensure that the stories of historically underrepresented communities are being remembered.
The Pride Center in Des Moines, the Meskwaki Nation in Tama and the African American Museum of Iowa in Cedar Rapids are among organizations highlighting their communities’ contributions to history in Iowa and the country.
A summer cookout this holiday weekend is 4% more expensive than it was last year, according to a report from the American Farm Bureau Federation. (Photo by Brooklyn Draisey/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
At a 4% increase from last summer, the cost of backyard barbecue has grown in price at about the same pace as inflation, according to the annual American Farm Bureau Federation survey.
The survey estimates a 10-person feast of cheeseburgers, chicken breasts, pork chops, potato chips, pork and beans, fresh strawberries, homemade potato salad, fresh-squeezed lemonade, chocolate chip cookies and ice cream will cost $73.82 – a little more than $7 a plate.
Iowans are celebrating the Independence Day holiday this weekend with fireworks, festivals and carnivals as communities mark the U.S.’s 250th anniversary.
Law enforcement officials have seized 32 dogs from an Iowa breeder already facing civil charges related to inspections of her facility in Farmington.
A federal waiver allowing Iowa to restrict the types of food that can be purchased with federal nutrition assistance has been vacated, according to the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services.
Plenty of U.S. district judges – including in Iowa -- are questioning the Trump administration’s policy requiring detention without bond for anyone who crossed a border illegally, Stateline reports.
GOP lawmakers are trying to find a way to keep the nationwide prohibition on Medicaid payments for abortion providers in place, though they won’t be able to accomplish that before it expires July 4.
Job growth slowed in June to an increase of 57,000 after three straight months of gaining more than 100,000, according to a new report released Thursday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Stateline reports.
COMMENTARY
"Hector Salamanca Arroyo became an American citizen in Africa while serving America as a soldier." He continues to serve as a civilian today, guest columnist Patrick Kinney writes via Iowa Writers' Collaborative.
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