Iowa
A monument to Caitlin Clark and Lisa Bluder? How an Iowa lawmaker wants to make it happen
Hear from former Iowa women’s basketball star Caitlin Clark before jersey retirement
Hear from former Iowa women’s basketball star Caitlin Clark before jersey retirement
A monument honoring key figures of the Iowa women’s basketball program could be built on the grounds of the Iowa Capitol.
Iowa State Rep. Carter Nordman, R-Dallas Center, introduced House File 203 on Monday, which proposes the creation of a monument for former Iowa basketball star Caitlin Clark and her head coach, Lisa Bluder, which would be paid for by tax credits.
“These two women have brought great pride and attention to our state and women’s sports,” Nordman said in a post on X. “They deserve a place at their Capitol for Iowans to honor their incredible accomplishments.”
Lisa Bluder had 40-year career across three Iowa universities
Bluder, who coached women’s college basketball for 40 seasons, including the last 24 at Iowa, announced her retirement following the 2023-24 season. She finished her coaching career with 884 wins and is the winningest coach in Big Ten history. She also coached at Drake University in Des Moines and St. Ambrose University in Davenport.
In her final four years of coaching, she mentored Clark, who became the all-time NCAA Division I scoring leader and led the Hawkeyes to consecutive NCAA Tournament championship game appearances and three consecutive Big Ten Tournament titles.
How would Iowa pay for a monument to Caitlin Clark, Lisa Bluder?
Nordman’s bill hopes to raise funds by offering Iowans credits on their state taxes for making donations. It would establish a tax credit equal to 25% of a person or business’s donation to the monuments. The bill would authorize a total of $1 million in tax credits and limit individuals to a total of $50,000 in tax credit.
How have Iowa lawmakers previously honored Caitlin Clark?
Last year, Iowa lawmakers unanimously passed House Resolution 110, which dedicated February 22, 2024, as Caitlin Clark Day in the state.
The resolution cited the multiple Big Ten championships won by the Iowa women’s basketball team during Clark’s tenure, as well as their 2023 national championship runner-up status.
Cooper Worth is a service/trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at cworth@gannett.com or follow him on X @CooperAWorth.
DES Moines, Iowa — Gov. Kim Reynolds has ordered all flags in Iowa to be lowered to half-staff Saturday in honor of state Sen. Julian Garrett, who died June 8 at the age of 85.
Flags will be flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset June 20, the day of Garrett’s funeral, on the Iowa Capitol Building and across the Capitol Complex. The order also applies to all public buildings, grounds and facilities throughout the state.
Garrett served 16 years in the Iowa Legislature, first representing House District 55 from 2011 to 2013 before serving in the Iowa Senate through the 2026 legislative session.
In addition to his legislative service, Garrett was a farmer, attorney and former employee of the Iowa Attorney General’s Office.
“Sen. Garrett was a friend who served our state with integrity — whether as a cattle producer, a Little League coach, an attorney in the executive branch, or a legislator,” Reynolds said in a statement. “For 15 years, we worked together to unleash opportunities for the Iowans we served, and his impact will be felt for generations to come.”
Reynolds is encouraging individuals, businesses, schools, municipalities, counties and other government entities to lower their flags to half-staff during the same time period as a sign of respect.
Garrett represented southwest Iowa in the Legislature and was known for his work on judiciary and agriculture-related issues during his tenure at the Statehouse.
An Iowa man was injured Thursday afternoon after three vehicles traveling northbound on Interstate 35 collided near Albert Lea.
Thomas Gene Anderson, 34, of Winnebago, Iowa, was taken by Mayo Ambulance to Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea for non-life threatening injuries, according to the Minnesota State Patrol.
Anderson was listed as the driver of a 2019 Chevrolet Blazer.
The report states the Blazer and a 2020 Nissan Rogue, driven by Brenda Sue Bangs, 52, of Glenville, and a 2021 Chevrolet Blazer, driven by Lisa Ann Bettin, 64, of Altoona, Iowa, were all northbound on I-35 near milepost 10 when the vehicles collided at 3:49 p.m.
As we work through the month of June, things are starting to heat up on the diamond around Iowa high school baseball.
With the start of postseason play just around the corner in July, teams are working to get prepared for the stretch run.
High School On SI Iowa has a Top 25 state power ranking while the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association releases weekly class-by-class rankings.
Here are leaders as of June 17, 2026 for several major hitting and pitching categories. Stats are from those uploaded to the Bound website.
Iowa High School Baseball Leaders
Home Runs
- Tru McBride, Fort Dodge, 9
- Colton Roemmich, West Des Moines Valley, 9
- Brandon Bea, Davenport North, 8
- Kamden Jorgensen, Saydel, 8
- Gabe Blanshan, Urbandale, 7
Running Batted In
- Callan Koch, Sioux City East, 38
- West Cole, Mason City Newman Catholic, 37
- Tru McBride, Fort Dodge, 36
- Chance Georgius, Roland-Story, 34
- Ty Heydon, Coon Rapids-Bayard, 34
Stolen Bases
- Aiden Ferry, Roland-Story, 38
- Tate Garman, Algona, 33
- Titan Foster, Nodaway Valley, 32
- Tate Moulton, Grand View Christian, 30
- Cael Wishman, Baxter, 29
Runs Scored
- Cal Jepsen, Sioux City East, 45
- Aiden Frey, Roland-Story, 43
- Cal Heydon, Coon Rapids-Bayard, 41
- Kolton Schiltz, Fort Dodge, 40
- Colton Wight, Martensdale-St. Marys, 39
Hits
- Colton Wight, Martensdale-St. Marys, 39
- Cal Jepsen, Sioux City East, 38
- Callan Koch, Sioux City East, 36
- Ty Heydon, Coon Rapids-Bayard, 35
- Lucas Kelley, Des Moines Roosevelt, 34
Doubles
- Joe Nilles, Sioux City North, 13
- Colton Wight, Martensdale-St. Marys, 13
- Lucas Kelley, Des Moines Roosevelt, 12
- Brett Harris, Western Dubuque, 12
- Brooks Bond, Lewis Central, 11
Triples
- Callan Koch, Sioux City East, 7
- Will Nesler, Ankeny Centennial, 5
- Jacob Pierro, Dubuque Wahlert Catholic, 5
- Lucas Kelley, Des Moines Roosevelt, 5
- Cal Jepsen, Sioux City East, 4
Total Bases
- Colton Wight, Martensdale-St. Marys, 68
- Tru McBride, Fort Dodge, 68
- Bryce Pauly, Davenport North, 67
- Cal Jepsen, Sioux City East, 65
- Ty Heydon, Coon Rapids-Bayard, 62
Pitching Wins
- Tyler Etten, Urbandale, 9
- Chase White, Dyersville Beckman Catholic, 7
- Colton Moffit, Baxter, 7
- Connor Mullenbach, Saint Ansgar, 6
- Aidan Nielsen, Don Bosco, 6
Earned Run Average (min. 18 innings pitched)
- Connor Mullenbach, Saint Ansgar, 0.00
- Luke Vestal, Pleasantville, 0.00
- Ryan Stedman, West Des Moines Valley, 0.24
- Will Litton, Iowa City Regina Catholic, 0.25
- Judd Jirovsky, Grundy Center, 0.26
Strikeouts
- Colton Moffit, Baxter, 85
- Brody Wangsness, North Butler, 75
- Lincoln Roethler, Denver, 71
- Owen Klocksiem, Louisa-Muscatine, 67
- Cooper Chizek, Emmetsburg, 65
Opponents Batting Average Against (min. 18 innings pitched)
- Macklin Loftus, Logan-Magnolia, .017
- Jack Wedemeier, Waverly-Shell Rock, .065
- Teagan Brunk, Shenandoah, .069
- Ryan Stedman, West Des Moines Valley, .072
- Bronx Siebersma, MVAOCOU, .075
Saves
- Beckham Simon, West Liberty, 4
- Deacon Kucera, Cedar Rapids Kennedy, 4
- Graham Rima, Pleasant Valley, 4
- Gavin de Jesus, Waukee, 4
- Easton Goodwin, Waterloo Columbus Catholic, 3
Innings Pitched
- Colton Moffit, Baxter, 43
- Tyler Etten, Urbandale, 38.2
- Owen Galvin, Denison-Schleswig, 38
- Tallon Crandall, Carroll, 37.1
- Austin Remster, Melcher-Dallas, 37.1
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