Little Village Mag

09/10/2026

A biofuel company fined for air pollution in Shell Rock doesn't like the "implication" made in a recent Nate Willems campaign ad, and is threatening to sue.

“The ad is accurate; every fact in it is true,” Willems said at a news conference Wednesday.

Democratic candidate for Iowa attorney general Nate Willems said Wednesday that “bullying does not work” on him and he won’t be pulling ads targeting current Attorney General Brenna Bird in relation to an Iowa pollution case.  Willems’ campaign has been threatened with a lawsuit from biofue...

09/10/2026

"[B]eneath those modern layers lie classic Bungalow and Craftsman-style structures," writes David Woodruff, Friends of Historic Preservation president. "Demolishing them would drastically and irreversibly alter the character of this block and the broader historic district."

By David Woodruff, Iowa City; President, Friends of Historic Preservation Right now on the Northside of Iowa City, two houses in the heart of the Jefferson Street Historic District are proposed for demolition. I want to urge the Historic Preservation Commission to oppose this permit and safeguard th...

09/09/2026

“Republicans don’t have anything to run on,” Jones said at Captain Roy's on Sunday. “They certainly can’t run on clean water. Naig has been in there almost 10 years now...”

The Democrat has detailed proposals for "off-ramps" to make it viable for farmers to spurn the corn/soy/CAFO model and grow crops that feed Iowans.

“Back in November, I signed up to be a sacrificial lamb,” Chris Jones, the Democratic candidate for Secretary of Agriculture, told the overflow crowd at Captain Roy’s bar and restaurant in Des Moines on Sunday evening. “And then something happened — I don’t really even know what — and ...

09/09/2026

LV reader Jim Walters wrote about a recent encounter with a fellow Ingmar Bergman fan at New Pi, which stirred memories of the bygone Iowa Theatre (now DC's Sports Bar).

By Jim Walters, Iowa City Today, leaving New Pioneer, I saw a young man with “Ingmar Bergman” emblazoned on a T-shirt. Backing up, I said, OK, what’s your favorite Bergman film? With only a moment’s hesitation, he said, Persona (1966). Good choice, I replied. Persona contains what is arguabl...

09/08/2026

Even Steven Soderbergh thought his screenplay for 'S*x, Lies, and Videotape' (playing tonight at The Varsity Cinema) was Hollywood repellant. The indie market made it possible — but that market is disappearing.

Nearly 40 years after its release, S*x, Lies, and Videotape will play at Varsity Cinema in Des Moines as part of the theater’s “Declarations of Independence series: Celebrating America’s 250th Anniversary with early films from independent filmmakers.” The film follows a sexless married coupl...

09/08/2026

"Working Iowans currently pay their share," writes Pat Dolan of Iowa City, "this amendment would make sure the wealthy individuals and corporations don’t have to."

By Pat Bowen, Iowa City On Election Day, we will be asked to amend the state constitution. It is called: Amendment 1. It may sound good on the surface but it isn’t. It does not mean fewer or decreased taxes for the average Iowan. Amendment 1 is backed by big corporations and their lobbyists who wa...

09/08/2026

"The book has a feel of something like a horror movie; we watch people we have come to care about being relentlessly stalked by a violence they sense is coming but can’t precisely predict, let alone stop."

Brian Goldstone will speak at Drake University's Harkin Cener tonight at 7:30.

For many, the cost of housing is rising faster than income, as are the costs of other necessities. It’s no surprise then that homelessness is rising both in Iowa and nationally. The Pulitzer Prize-winning author Brian Goldstone will speak on these issues at a free event hosted by Drake University....

09/04/2026

Derek Wulf, running mate of Republican candidate for governor Zach Lahn, is under investigation by the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office, The Des Moines Register reports. An extensive article this morning outlined Wulf's history of alleged fraud, deflections of blame and lawsuits over unpaid bills and wages.

On Tuesday, a judge ordered Wulf's farm be placed into receivership over unpaid loans. https://littlevillagemag.com/derek-wulf-under-investigation-fraud-allegations-register-reports/

09/04/2026

“Your typical farmer doesn’t have lawsuits against him,” said Eldora farmer Dena Zoske, to whom Wulf owed $60,000 in unpaid bills, as reported by the Register.

When he learned Zach Lahn had chosen Wulf as his lieutenant governor, Chad Zoske's reaction was, "Him of all people?"

Derek Wulf, running mate of Republican candidate for governor Zach Lahn, is under investigation by the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office, the Des Moines Register reported on Friday. The sheriff’s office “declined to comment on the nature of its investigation into Wulf,” the Register’s Tyl...

09/04/2026

"The question before us is not simply whether we need to do something about our jail. We clearly do," writes the Johnson County supervisor. "The question is *what* we should do ... We are talking about a $124.5 million commitment."

By Mandi Re*****on, Johnson County Supervisor Johnson County cannot afford to ignore the serious problems with our current jail. People who are incarcerated deserve safe and humane conditions. The people who work in our detention facilities deserve safe working conditions. And our community deserves...