Iowa First Media

Journalism That Puts Iowans First.
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JOHNSTON, Iowa – Johnston’s school board just voted down a free, important gift that other Iowa districts had no problem taking.

On September 28, the Johnston Community School District board rejected pocket U.S. Constitutions for every 8th grader. The vote was 5-1-1. Jennifer Chamberland, Soneeta Mangra-Dutcher, Jason Arnold, Lya Williams, and Kaycee Schippers voted to refuse the donation. Rex Davidson voted to accept it. Justin Smith abstained. Mangra-Dutcher made the motion, and Williams seconded it.

About 35 to 45 people showed up in support. 8 residents signed up to speak. 6 backed the Constitutions, and 2 did not. The booklets would’ve cost the district nothing. They were offered for Constitution Day and classroom use. Nearby districts gladly accepted the same kind of donation. Johnston 8th graders will not get one.

Board talk and public comment focused on branding tied to the 917 Society, a right-wing organization, instead of the words in the Constitution. Fathers for Faith & Freedom called it a rejection of civic education, and of the parents in the room. Founder Steven Hibbs said school board elections exist for nights like this.

The 917 Society exists to put a small Constitution in 8th graders’ hands at no charge. While other Iowa districts did not treat that as a crisis, Johnston’s board did. Davidson was the only member willing to take the gift. Fathers for Faith & Freedom thanked him and told residents to remember the roll call.

If Johnston will not put the U.S. Constitution in an American 8th grader’s backpack for free, voters should probably put new names on the board.

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Photo: 917 Society

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IOWA CITY, Iowa – Tom Brands released the 2026-27 Iowa men’s wrestling schedule on Tuesday, and it looks like a year where Iowa will finally rebound and be dominant again.

Iowa finished 4th in the Big Ten and 4th at the NCAA Championships last season after a 12-6 dual year. They had 7 All-Americans, the most since 2020-21, so the future is looking bright for Tom and Terry Brands’ crew.

The Hawkeyes open on November 13 at home against Bellarmine, then host Iowa State on November 22 in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. They then go to Pittsburgh on December 4, and to Cedar Falls on December 11 for the Dual in the Dome, the first Iowa-UNI dual since 2011.

The Soldier Salute is January 2-3 at Xtream Arena in Coralville. Then, the Big Ten schedule begins. Michigan State, Northwestern, Ohio State, and Nebraska at home, and Illinois, Wisconsin, Penn State, and Rutgers on the road. Oklahoma State comes to Iowa City on February 21. Big Ten Championships are March 6-7 in Columbus, and the NCAA Championships are March 18-20 in St. Louis.

They will have 7 total duals in Carver. The times and TV channels have yet to be confirmed. Iowa has led the nation in attendance every year Brands has been here, and it’s looking like the building will be full again.

Health will decide the ceiling, and the schedule gives them every kind of dual they need before St. Louis. Carver-Hawkeye is still the loudest room in the sport. The Hawkeyes are done explaining last year. Now, they’re looking ahead for what’s to come.

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Photo: @iowahawkeyewrestling via Instagram

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🚨WATCH: Zach Lahn’s new campaign advertisement, “WATCHDOG,” exposes the $3.3 million given to the Sand family’s Essentia Protein Solutions for promised jobs that never materialized, while Sand refused to investigate them as State Auditor.

📸SOURCE: Zach Lahn for Governor via YouTube

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WATCH: Joni Ernst, for her last time in the Oval Office, enthusiastically applauds the Trump Administration for putting our nation’s own resources back to work in our own country.

“We are looking for ways for America to refine, to mine, to grow, and to manufacture, and all of that is happening right there in Southeast Iowa.”

SOURCE: PBS NewsHour via YouTube

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IOWA CITY, Iowa – Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to speak at the University of Iowa on November 2 at 7 PM.

The Center for Intellectual Freedom and Iowa Young America’s Foundation are bringing him in as part of his Saving the West tour. The room is still to be announced, but the Iowa Memorial Union is the obvious bet, since that is where big campus speakers usually land. The event will be open to the public.

Johnson has been working this circuit all year with YAF, including a packed “Saving the West” night at Florida State with more than 1,100 students, and earlier stops at Cornell and Wisconsin. The pitch is the same everywhere, in that the West is worth defending, that America and Britain still have a special relationship, and that students should hear it from someone who actually sat in one of the most powerful seats in the world.

Iowa’s Center for Intellectual Freedom was created by the Legislature in 2025 to teach the American constitutional order and put real debate back on campus. They have held many speaker events since their creation, but this one will be, by far, the biggest.

Johnson led the Brexit movement, ran the U.K. government, served as foreign secretary, and spent 3 years as prime minister. On this tour, he has talked about NATO, Ukraine, Iran, China, and why Western countries should know their friends from their enemies.

Putting a former right-wing prime minister on a stage the night before the Midterm Election Day could very well increase voter turnout in the region for both sides. The West does not save itself, and it takes someone to make that case. On November 2, that someone is Boris Johnson, and on November 3, you will be choosing who to vote for.

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Photo: Ben Shread via Wikimedia Commons

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Iowa’s female Republicans stood in the Oval Office on Monday while President Trump officially announced the largest steel plant in American history.

Governor Kim Reynolds, Attorney General Brenna Bird, Senator Joni Ernst, Representative Ashley Hinson, and Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks were there with Mesabi Metallics, as the company pledged more than $15 billion for a mill in southeast Iowa’s Lee County.

Trump said American steel is roaring back. Reynolds said it changes the economic trajectory of the region. Ernst called it one of the greatest American muscle flexes in a long time. Hinson called it a game changer. Miller-Meeks cited about 6,000 construction jobs, 1,750 permanent jobs, and pay that can top $100,000. Bird thanked Trump for American jobs and Reynolds for landing the project.

The mill will take ore from Mesabi’s new Minnesota mine, use the Mississippi River, and start making steel around 2030 at 7.5 million tons a year, with room to grow. The White House puts the decade-long economic hit at about $95 billion.

Reynolds does not want to wait. She called the Iowa Legislature into a special session on Friday, October 2, at 8:30 AM to amend the state’s MEGA economic development program so the partnership can move forward. Iowa and Mesabi already have a memorandum of understanding. She also plans to launch Source Iowa so in-state companies can bid into the work.

Trump said he will now begin campaigning in Iowa for Hinson, Miller-Meeks, Bird, and Lahn. Lee County has been losing people by the year, so a mill this size, with river, rail, and gas attached, is the kind of project they needed to go to the White House for. Friday is when Iowa votes to keep it.

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Photo: @TheWhiteHouse via X (Twitter)

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WATCH: Mariannette Miller-Meeks, who’s own district will soon be home to the new Iowa Steel Mill, discusses the loss of big companies in Southeast Iowa, and praises President Trump for paving a new way forward.

“We’re going to mine it in America, we’re going to mill it in America, and we’re going to make it in America.”

SOURCE: PBS NewsHour via YouTube

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WATCH: Kim Reynolds Speaks at the Oval Office, Praising President Trump for his role in bringing the largest steel investment in U.S. history to the state of Iowa.

“These are tremendous high-paying jobs with incredible benefits, increased salaries, and opportunities for local businesses and community development.”

SOURCE: PBS NewsHour via YouTube

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AMES, Iowa – Star point guard Tamin Lipsey is back on Iowa State’s roster after a judge told the NCAA it could not cut the 2022 high school class out of a 5th year.

The NCAA spent the summer selling a new “5-for-5” clock, which is 5 seasons in 5 years, starting at high school graduation or age 19. Then, it left the kids who already used 4 years on the old rules outside that window. Lipsey and about 90 other athletes sued in Monroe County Circuit Court in Indiana in the Daley case.

In the meantime, Lipsey went undrafted, played 2 Pacers Summer League games, tore up his knee, and never executed the Exhibit 10 deal. On September 23, Judge Kara Krothe issued a preliminary injunction and a temporary restraining order. The order blocked the NCAA from using the new clock or any professionalism rule to keep those players off the floor in 2026-27, as long as they drop leftover pro contracts and repay what they took.

Iowa State announced his return Monday, and #3 is hanging in the locker room again. Lipsey is a 3-time All-Big 12 pick, 3-time All-Defensive selection, and a 2024 AP honorable mention All-American. He is Iowa State’s career steals leader with 314, 4th in assists with 602, and last season, he averaged 13.5 points, 5.1 assists, and 2.3 steals on a Sweet 16 team.

He is the first player in Big 12 history to hit 1,500 points, 600 assists, 500 rebounds, and 300 steals. Killyan Toure is out with a shoulder until January, so the spot is now filled by a kid who is arguably more well-rounded and impactful. 4 years was never going to be enough for a hometown kid this good.

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Photo: Jar-Lar via Wikimedia Commons

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WEST DES MOINES, Iowa – The Iowa GOP packed the Rewind Hotel in West Des Moines for its annual Reagan Dinner, and made it a send-off worthy event for Senator Joni Ernst.

Party chair Jeff Kaufmann opened by dedicating the night to Ernst herself. Chuck Grassley called her a friend and a partner after 12 years of working together, and said she used to call him her mentor. Ernst closed the night talking about the Iowa National Guard, and her family.

She also made some important points that still matter today in politics. Grassley still needs a Republican next to him in Washington, and she intends to campaign for the GOP ticket before November. Ashley Hinson, running to succeed her against Democrat Josh Turek, told the room you cannot bend, break, or back down.

House Speaker Pat Grassley told Republicans they outnumber Democrats on the voter rolls, and need to work like it. District 2 candidate Joe Mitchell and Senate Majority Leader Mark Klimesh were also featured speakers with the rest of the statewide bench. About a hundred people were in attendance. Ernst’s last day will be January 3, so the night was a thank-you and a passing of the torch at the same time.

Kaufmann emphasized that there is still a lot of work left to do before Election Day. Iowa Republicans have an open Senate seat, an open governor’s race, and a calendar that ends on November 3. They are now pointing at the people who have to win next.

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Photo: @natsfert via X (Twitter)

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MISSISSIPPI RIVER, Iowa – President Trump just announced that the largest steel plant in American history will be coming to Iowa, and it marks a return to the kind of large-scale American manufacturing that Trump promised to deliver.

The project will be initiated by Mesabi Metallics, which has caused much controversy for being based in India, and not the United States. The Indian company that just opened the first new U.S. iron ore mine in 50 years in Minnesota, will now put a $15 billion mill in eastern Iowa near the Mississippi River. The official location will be named this afternoon.

The Oval Office event is set for 2 PM on Monday with company executives, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and Senator Joni Ernst. The first phase targets 7.5 million tons a year and can grow to about 10 million. The White House calls it the biggest steel plant ever built here, and the first mega-mill since the 1960s.

The permanent jobs it will create will be close to 1,750, and will require around 5,000 to 6,000 construction workers. They aim to start opening the plant and steelmaking around 2030. The ore comes from Mesabi’s $2.5 billion Minnesota mine, so the whole chain stays on this side of the ocean. The White House says the first phase of the mine and mill together is nearly $18 billion in investment, and could generate about $95 billion in economic activity through construction and the first decade of operation.

This is what tariffs, and a president who actually wants to bring back manufacturing, are supposed to produce. Trump’s 50% steel tariffs made a project this size pan out. A new plant being built that can put out 10% of last year’s entire U.S. steel output is the biggest win this country has seen in a long time. They couldn’t have chosen a better state that lives on making things and moving them.

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Photo: Nickknack00 via Wikimedia Commons

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WEST DES MOINES, Iowa – Chuck Grassley told Iowa Republicans the quiet part out loud at the Reagan Dinner in The Rewind Hotel.

The 93-year-old senator said he does not plan on dying in office. Then he explained how one of the reasons he is worried about who wins governor is that if something happened, he would not want a Democrat picking his successor, obviously referring to Rob Sand.

See the Full Clip Here:

Under Iowa law, the governor names a temporary replacement for a Senate vacancy until voters fill the seat, which would be 2028. Grassley has carried Iowa for more than 4 decades, and he is trying to tell voters what the seat is worth, and why handing the appointment to Rob Sand is a risk he does not want them to take.

Sand already told Iowa what he would do. In September, he told reporters he would be open to appointing an “independent” if Grassley’s seat opened up. That is the opposite of how this usually works. Governors of both parties have treated Senate appointments as same-party holds so the voters who sent the senator to Washington are not wiped out by one executive signature.

Sand used to register as an independent, and now runs as a Democrat. It is apparent to almost everyone that an independent named by Sand would still be a fairly Left-Wing pick. Grassley is asking Republicans to elect a governor who will not give away the seat he has held since 1981. He is asking you to vote for Zach Lahn.

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Photo: Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ https://t.co/s2WLkh0WYS

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Sen. @ChuckGrassley (R-IA): "One of the reasons that I'm worried about who's going to be elected governor, I don't plan on dying in office but if I did, I don't want a Democrat governor choosing my successor."

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DAVIDSON, North Carolina – Drake finally looked like the team that fans hyped them up to be on Saturday, and ran Davidson out of its own stadium, 51-32.

The Bulldogs now have an overall record of 1-3, and are 1-0 in the Pioneer League. First-year coach Matt Walker finally got his first win as a Bulldog. Riley Warzynski threw for 371 yards and 3 touchdowns on 31/48 with no interceptions. Willis Nofsinger caught 9 balls for 127 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Drake piled up 621 total yards, with 392 passing and 229 rushing. They answered Davidson’s opening 31-yard touchdown with 28 straight points. Cody Blicharz and Kavaughn Clark punched in short runs. Adrien Robbins broke a 62-yarder in the 3rd quarter that made it 45-20. Chase Spellman then ran 45 yards to make it 51-26.

Davidson, now 2-3 and 0-1 in the Pioneer League, came in a little too confident. Casey Bullock threw for 345 yards and 5 touchdowns. Jacary Lightsey had 10 catches for 170 yards. However, none of it mattered because the Wildcats only rushed for 36 yards on 17 carries. Drake ended up converting 5/5 4th downs.

The Wildcats watched in shock as a Des Moines team that had been blown out twice in a row and lost to a D2 school put up 51 on their field and left town 1-0 in conference. It’s either extremely humiliating, or the Drake Bulldogs are finally finding their rhythm.

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Photo: @drakebulldogsfb via Instagram

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IOWA CITY, Iowa – ESPN’s College GameDay broadcast is coming back to Iowa City for the first time in 20 years, and it took a last-second punch to Michigan’s face to get them here.

ESPN announced Sunday that Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee, Nick Saban, and the rest of the crew will set up on campus Saturday morning from 8 to 11 AM CT before #17 Iowa hosts #7 Ohio State at a sold-out Kinnick Stadium. Kickoff will be at 2:30 PM CT on CBS. The last time College GameDay rolled into town was September 30, 2006, also against Ohio State, and the Buckeyes won 38-17.

This time, the Hawkeyes are 4-0 and 1-0 in the Big Ten after Hank Brown hit Reece Vander Zee for a 16-yard touchdown as time expired in Ann Arbor, a 20-19 walk-off and Iowa’s first road win over a ranked opponent since 2015. The last walk-off touchdown was Ricky Stanzi to Marvin McNutt in 2009. GameDay’s official account said they could not miss it. The location of where they will set up shop has not yet been announced.

Ohio State walks into this game as the ranked visitor that already dropped one game on the road to Texas, and now has to play an undefeated Iowa team that just stole a game at The Big House. Now, the national broadcast skips 4 straight SEC campuses to stand in Iowa City for a Black and Gold Spirit Game and Kinnick’s 32nd straight sellout.

No overnight camping, show up early, and wear the color on your ticket. This is a huge deal for this state of Iowa, and it is exactly what both of these programs deserve.

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Photo: @hawkeyefootball via Instagram

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CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – UNI just knocked off #3 Illinois State 28-21 inside the UNI-Dome, and ended the Redbirds’ 11-game road winning streak in one night.

The Panthers (2-2, 1-0 MVFC) never trailed after Jaxon Dailey put them ahead for a good 49 seconds into the 2nd quarter. Dailey went 13/17 for 217 yards with no interceptions, threw touchdowns of 6 yards to Ayden Price and 7 yards to Kai Black, and kept a zone-read himself for a 28-yard touchdown that made it 14-7.

Running back Xavier Terrell added 80 yards on 8 carries and a 43-yard touchdown that pushed the lead to 28-14. Illinois State came in 4-0 and ranked 3rd in the FCS out of 128 teams. Their last road loss was 35-3 at Oklahoma on Aug. 30, 2025. Saturday they left Cedar Falls 4-1 and 0-1 in the Valley. This is UNI’s first top-5 win since 2021, and first win over Illinois State since 2023. Family Weekend got exactly what it needed.

Redbirds quarterback Gage Roy threw for 193 yards and 2 touchdowns, Dylan Lord caught 12 balls for 88 yards, and Victor Dawson punched in a 9-yard run after a 16-play, 92-yard drive to start the 2nd half. None of it was enough. Illinois State went scoreless in the 2nd quarter while UNI piled up 14. John Powers led the Panther defense with 12 tackles.

A ranked visitor that had not lost on the road in more than a year got outplayed in someone else’s dome, and now has a conference loss hanging on the schedule that might affect their playoff spot. Jaxon Dailey was the one who made the difference, and Illinois State was the team that learned that on Saturday night.

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Photo: @UNIFootball via X (Twitter)

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ANN ARBOR, Michigan – #17 Iowa just walked into the Big House and stole a 20-19 win on the last play of the night, and it was the most fitting ending that a college football villain like Michigan could have gotten.

Hank Brown, who finished 21/35 for 227 yards and two touchdowns, drove the Hawkeyes 91 yards in 11 plays after they took over at their own 9-yard line with 1:46 left. An unnecessary roughness flag on Michigan’s Zeke Berry kept it alive. Addison Ostrenga hauled in a 29-yarder with 2 seconds on the clock. Then, Brown dropped a 16-yard ball into the left corner for Reece Vander Zee, who already had a 4th quarter touchdown, and the officials confirmed he was in bounds.

Iowa is now 4-0 and 1-0 in the Big Ten. This is their first win in Ann Arbor since 2010, and their first road win over a ranked Big Ten team since 2015. Braeden Jackson’s 99-yard kickoff return in the 1st quarter was the only first-half score Iowa needed until Brown and Vander Zee took the game over. Michigan outgained them 429-285 and still lost.

Many are saying how Michigan deserved this one. 3 weeks earlier, the Wolverines beat Western Michigan 13-12 after officials put a second back on the clock and let Bryce Underwood throw a Hail Mary to JJ Buchanan that legally never should have been allowed. The NCAA later said the replay protocols were not followed, and the result “would have been different” if they had been.

On Saturday, it was the same two players for Michigan. Bryce Underwood hit J.J. Buchanan for a 49-yard score and a 19-14 lead after a missed 2-point try, until Iowa gave them a taste of their own medicine. Michigan is now 3-1 and 0-1 in the Big Ten. Iowa’s defense held them to 1 touchdown in 4 red-zone trips.

Next Saturday, Iowa will be playing #7 Ohio State at Kinnick Stadium, with an ESPN College Gameday appearance right around the corner. Michigan travels to Minneapolis to play unranked Minnesota. Payback does not usually arrive this clean, but this time, Michigan never got their extra second.

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Photo: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

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WATCH: Michael Bridgford, independent candidate for District 1, explains how not having a handler like GOP or Democrat candidates would work to his advantage in Congress.

“If you step out of line with what the party boss wants, then they’re going to come after you in the primary, spend tens of millions of dollars against you, and you’re not going to stand a chance.”

SOURCE: The Iowa Podcast with Justin Brady

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DES MOINES, Iowa – Bernie Sanders, unexpectedly, decided to throw his name behind Democrat Chris Jones for Iowa secretary of agriculture, and it is hard to invent a worse pairing for a state that lives on long, laborious days in the field.

Sanders, the Vermont socialist who has spent years lecturing the working class from his multiple million-dollar mansions, lined up with Jones through the same progressive network that wants constitutional water rights, new mandates on farmers, and a “strategic retreat” from ethanol.

Jones is the Iowa City scientist and author running against incumbent Republican Mike Naig. A recent Cygnal poll of likely voters put Naig ahead 43–36%, with a chunk still undecided.

Jones has spent his campaign calling Naig a “secretary of agribusiness,” and promising to regulate the corn-soy-CAFO system. What he cannot talk his way out of is the 2021 clip in which he said grain farming “isn’t that hard,” farmers are “only working a few weeks out of the year,” and that a lot of them are “wealthy, older white guys” making 3 times what the average Iowan makes. Iowa GOP chair Jeff Kaufmann, whose family has farmed here since 1836, called it insulting the people whose votes Jones now wants.⁠

Many are saying the endorsement does Naig more good than Jones. Sanders remains one of the most polarizing figures in national politics. Naig grew up on a northwest Iowa farm, has held the office since 2018, pushed the bipartisan Iowa Farm Act, expanded Choose Iowa local-food markets, and talks about trade, profitability, and a farm-to-faucet approach, instead of blaming every farmer in the state.

Jones wants fewer acres in ethanol, more regulation, and a wholesale redesign of how Iowa farms. The Farm Bureau already endorsed Naig. Farmers who actually put in the hours know the difference between a research scientist who thinks the work is easy, and a secretary who has spent 8 years trying to keep the industry standing. Sanders attaching his name to Jones only makes that contrast sharper.

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Photo: Shelly Prevost from San Francisco, CA

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WATCH: Rob Sand states that he will be vetoing bills that ban books containing homosexuality and transgenderism targeting children.

“If they try to do any more book bans, I’m going to veto them. My pledge is that I’m going to veto culture war bills.”

SOURCE: Kailee Coleman Books via TikTok