Iowa

Black man says Iowa trucking company fired him over dreadlocks

Published

6 days ago

October 1, 2024

Black man says Iowa trucking company fired him over dreadlocks

A Black man alleges in a lawsuit that an Iowa trucking company fired him as a driver because he wouldn’t cut off his dreadlocks, the latest in a series of incidents across the country over an issue activists have dubbed hair discrimination.

Drew Harvey, 26, of Crete, Illinois, accused Des Moines-based TMC Transportation of racism in the lawsuit filed last week in state court against the company and two of its employees. The company didn’t immediately respond Monday to phone and email messages from The Associated Press seeking comment.

Similar issues have arisen in places like Texas, where a Black high school student was suspended because of his dreadlocks. And in Kansas, the American Civil Liberties Union raised concerns over a grade school forcing an 8-year-old Native American boy to cut off his hair after he grew it out for cultural reasons.

In Iowa, Harvey was hired as a flatbed truck driver in June. But one day after beginning orientation, his instructor told him to report to human resources, where he was told his hair was creating a “safety issue” and that he needed to cut his deadlocks or be fired, the lawsuit said.

According to the lawsuit, Harvey said his hair was “important to his culture and spirituality” and he offered to address the concerns by trimming his hair, styling it differently, wearing it in a hair wrap or purchasing a different hard hat.

But the lawsuit said the company told him the proposals weren’t acceptable. Fired, he was sent home on a bus in tears, the lawsuit said.

The suit said the policy was inconsistently enforced and a violation of the Iowa Civil Rights Act. Harvey said that during his short time with the company, he observed several non-Black male and female workers who had long hair. The suit said he was even more upset when he learned online that TMC previously fired another Black man for the same reason.

Harvey is seeking unspecified damages for lost wages and emotional distress.

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Iowa

Dry weather forecasted to stick around in Iowa – KIWA Radio

Published

5 hours ago

October 7, 2024

Press Room

Dry weather forecasted to stick around in Iowa – KIWA Radio

IARN – While the temperatures have been enjoyable lately, the lack of rainfall has been anything but. After experiencing the driest September on record, drought and fire dangers have increased. Justin Glisan, state climatologist for Iowa, said that the drought monitor has been repopulated with zones of abnormally dry conditions.

Read more at Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network.

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Iowa

Iowa Tied for Sixth at Fighting Irish Classic

Published

12 hours ago

October 7, 2024

Press Room

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The University of Iowa men’s golf team finished two rounds of play at the Fighting Irish Classic on Sunday. The Hawkeyes currently sit in sixth place out of 15 teams.

Sophomore Noah Kent and junior Gage Messingham are both leading the Hawkeyes, tied for 8th place overall. Kent shot 1-over (71) in the first round and 1-under (69) in the second round, finishing with a total score of 140. Messingham join Kent as the only other Hawkeye to go under-par today in a round.

Sophomore Max Tjoa is tied for 37th place, shooting rounds of 74 and 72, with a total score of 146. Senior Chance Rinkol posted scores of 71 and 77 in the first and second rounds, respectively, and sits tied for 51st place with a score of 148. Senior Josh Lundmark recorded rounds of 79 and 71, finishing tied for 64th place with a total score of 150.

HAWKEYE SCORECARD

6/15	Team	+5	+3	148
T8	Gage Messingham	-1	+1	140
T8	Noah Kent	+1	-1	140
T37	Max Tjoa	+4	+2	146
T51	Chance Rinkol	+1	+7	148
T64	Josh Lundmark	+9	+1	150

HEAR FROM HEAD COACH TYLER STITH
“Today was a very strong team performance with Noah and Gage leading the way. We showed a lot of grit all day but especially down the stretch. We’re in a great position heading into the final round.”

UP NEXT
The final round of the Fighting Irish Classic is set to tee off on Monday morning.

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Iowa

Nebraska Volleyball Dominates Iowa in Sweep

Published

20 hours ago

October 6, 2024

Press Room

Nebraska Volleyball Dominates Iowa in Sweep

Nebraska volleyball entered October a perfect 38-0 against Iowa all-time. That number is now 39-0.

The No. 2 Huskers (14-1, 4-0 Big Ten) swept the Hawkeyes (8-8, 2-2 Big Ten), 25-17, 25-11, 25-13. This is the eighth-straight sweep for Nebraska over Iowa and 11th-straight win since falling at SMU.

Nebraska’s offense hit a blistering .404, led by 10 kills on .400 hitting from Merritt Beason.

The story of the day was the middles, though. With Andi Jackson out again, Leyla Blackwell earned the start alongside Rebekah Allick. The pair notched nine kills each, with Blackwell hitting .692 and Allick hitting .583. They also combined for five blocks.

Bergen Reilly dished out 35 assists.

Iowa managed to hit just .155, but did have the player with a match-high for kills: Michel Urquahart at 11.

Nebraska is back in action Friday, hosting No. 10 Purdue.

MORE: Andi Jackson Out, Taylor Landfair to Start Again for Nebraska Volleyball

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MORE: Nebraska’s James Williams Shares Emotional Journey After Standout Game Against Rutgers

MORE: Ball-Busting Blackshirts and Buschini Bombs in the Blistering Heat are Homecoming Heroes for the Huskers

MORE: Big Ten Football Week 6 Capsules

Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.

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