Iowa
New All-State team showcases Iowa high school journalists | Opinion
Educators see the value in teaching interviewing, research, discernment, fact-checking, writing, photography, graphic arts, editing and story presentation skills.
In this partisan moment, open debate helps us find common ground
In this partisan moment, open debate helps us find common ground
Lydia Gerety said something recently that makes the heart of a longtime journalist melt.
“I was planning my grad party, making like grad invites,” the Ankeny High School senior started, “and I was, like, ‘What do I even put on the back?’ And I put the biggest accomplishment was: being editor-in-chief of the paper.”
Gerety, 18, was referring to The Talon, her school’s award-winning student newspaper. “I had cared so much about it,” she said. “And this year, especially, I was able to have just so much pride in my staff because they were understanding the passion and everything I was working for. It’s, like, it’s fun.”
I write this as a longtime member of the Iowa High School Press Association (IHSPA) board of directors, so I have a bias about youth like Gerety because high school students like her are impressive. They help produce a newspaper, yearbook, website, social media, video and audio to reflect their school community while also engaging in extracurricular activities, achieving high academic standards and, hopefully, having some fun with a social life.
That is why the IHSPA created, for the first time this year, an All-State team for scholastic journalism. Members of this team exhibit the best qualities that a student can put into action as a journalist, putting their work out there for all to see, absorb and embrace, but also to criticize — because what would our world be without critics?
Joining Gerety — whose stories include a piece on concerns parents have about equal access to education in Iowa — on the team are Evelyn Kraber, 18, of Iowa City West High School; Lily Rantanen, 18, of Iowa City High School; and Brooklyn Berumez, 18, Jay McOmar Esmael, 17, and Alyssa Muheljic, 18, all of Waterloo West High School. Waterloo West did not even have a high school program until four years ago, yet Berumez became the third Wahawk in a row to be named the IHSPA’s Journalist of the Year.
“I think a big thing is, like, believing in yourself,” Muheljic said about getting into high school journalism. She is the design and social media editor for the Wahawk yearbook and feature and multimedia editor for the Insider. An energetic daughter of Bosnian immigrants whose first language was Bosnian before she learned English in school, she plans to attend Iowa State University this coming fall and study psychology.
The Iowa City West’s West Side Story and City High’s The Little Hawk have been winning national recognition for years. Kraber and Rantanen could step into legacy programs and build on the excellence for which their publications are known.
But Ankeny’s program is in only its third year. That Ankeny and Waterloo West were willing to start journalism programs at a time when school districts in Iowa seek ways to cut spending brings hope that educators see the value in teaching interviewing, research, discernment, fact-checking, writing, photography, graphic arts, editing and story presentation skills.
They learn leadership skills, too. Ankeny’s Gerety is a prime example. She said she focused on her staff in her editor’s position. “I covered an ICE protest with one of our reporters, and there was, like, an anti-protest across the street,” she said. “And he just walked up to them and started talking to them. I asked him, ‘Hey, how’d you feel comfortable doing that?’ He’s, like, ‘Well, I just was curious what they had to say.’ I’m like, ‘That’s exactly why you’re part of this team.’”
And then there is Berumez, the Journalist of the Year heading to the University of Iowa and The Daily Iowan, where she will be Gerety’s colleague. She always has been shy, lacking confidence, she said.
Journalism not only brought her out of her cocoon, it saved her.
“From having experience and having stuck through it, and having been on both yearbook and news, it’s really taught me the lesson,” Berumez said, “that everybody has a story. Everybody deserves to have their story be told.”
Sometimes, they do not have the means to tell that story, Berumez said. She and all of her colleagues on this Hall of Fame team have shown they are willing to help give voice to those who otherwise would not have that opportunity.
We all should celebrate that.
Lyle Muller is a longtime Iowa journalist who, in retirement, continues to advise Grinnell Colleege’s Scarlet & Black student newspaper. You may read his Substack column, “Lyle Muller Doesn’t Have a Fancy Column Title,” at lylemuller.substack.com.
DUBUQUE, Iowa (KCRG) – Eastern Iowa EMS crews received specialized training Saturday on how to treat motorcyclists after a crash.
Course instructor Frank Prowant teaches the course, called Two-Wheel Trauma through nonprofit ABATE of Iowa, because EMS providers typically receive no specific training in motorcycle trauma.
“The motorcyclist is the one taking all the impact of an accident, all the force. There’s no airbags, no steering wheel that’s preventing further injury to them,” Prowant said.
Two-Wheel Trauma has been teaching first responders since 1986.
Prowant said ridership has grown over the years, and so have the crashes.
“We’ve went from just motorcycles to now we’re seeing e-bikes. We’re seeing electric scooters. We’re seeing all kinds of different motorcycles that are out there. And a lot of different injuries,” Prowant said.
Another instructor, Dick “Slider” Gilmore, said Iowa’s large riding community makes the training critical.
He said the Dubuque area draws heavy riding traffic.
“With the Mississippi River and all the cool places. We’re all drawn to this in the summertime. So, this area is maybe more important than most other places in Iowa because it’s where we gravitate to on our bikes,” Gilmore said.
Organizers plan to make the Dubuque training an annual event.
Copyright 2026 KCRG. All rights reserved.
The basic machinery of democracy, for all its flaws, can still produce good decisions when used in good faith.
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The news has felt best to avoid lately. It ranges from “discouraging” to “somehow real life, not the Onion.” And political news is the worst. Washington seems to be drawing from the movie “Idiocracy.” The Iowa Statehouse is no better. More voting restrictions. Less access to healthcare. Required propaganda at the University of Iowa. Another year of failing our schools and our youth. State finances aptly described as “a time bomb.”
These hot messes are real. They are also not the whole story. They are the sexy topics that stir controversy, satisfy donors, and get views. But underneath all the bold type, a shocking amount of work is happening with bipartisan support and following the “regular [legislative] order” that produces good decisions.
To give you a break from the daily doomscroll, here are some good things that happened this session. They remind us that the system can work outside big money and wedge issues.
Let’s start with slavery, euphemistically referred to as “human trafficking” these days. It’s second only to drug dealing in scale, but it’s rarely in the news. Iowa probably has a few hundred people enslaved at any given time. This year, Iowa passed several different bills addressing trafficking. Commercial drivers and child-protective services will be trained to recognize it. Victims now have a bill of rights and will be treated as victims, not as prostitutes, and Iowa is funding services for them. Prosecuting traffickers will be easier, and conviction will have more serious consequences. These are significant improvements.
There are bright spots on civics and government, too. Despite going backward on voting, the Legislature significantly improved our open records and open meetings laws. These changes include much-needed modernization, such as requiring notices to be online and not just on a physical bulletin board. They also crack down on bad-faith practices that have been used to block requests, such as unreasonable fees or labeling reporters as “vexatious requesters.” This is a win for Iowans.
Iowa also moved to shore up our citizens’ lamentable lack of civics knowledge, recognizing a Civics Seal of Excellence for high school graduates and reasonable requirements for graduates of Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa to have a basic understanding of America’s history and government. (Their requirements of the UI were not reasonable, but that is a topic for another time.) If only they had funded their mandates.
There are even rays of sunshine amid the gloom of reproductive rights and healthcare laws; minors can now consent to their own care before, during, and after giving birth, and miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies are clearly separated from abortions.
This session had numerous other, solidly positive bills, from modest water quality improvements to making animal torture a felony. The unifying theme among these bills is that they are either boring or address indefensible problems. No one campaigns in favor of nitrate-necessitated water rationing or animal torture. Elected officials want Iowans to know how the government works. Even some anti-choice politicians recognize the need for miscarriage care.
Unfortunately, this practicality breaks down in the face of partisan dogma and wealthy donors. More unfortunately, those partisan issues backed by wealthy donors are often the biggest issues of the day, and Iowa Republicans outdid themselves this year in passing inept and/or vindictive bills to campaign on.
But they aren’t the whole story, and it’s important to focus on the good things, too. They show that the basic machinery of democracy, for all its flaws, can still produce good decisions when used in good faith. It also reminds us that even the people passing the most atrocious, politicized bills aren’t always puppy-kicking cartoon villains. They’re often just people without the moral fiber to resist perverse incentives. And that understanding frames the challenge for us and those we elect in November: how do we change the system so that decency and good work matter more than wealthy donors and partisanship?
Kelcey Patrick-Ferree and Shannon Patrick live in Iowa City and write at www.ourlibertiesweprize.com. And biannual time changes must be abolished.
The Iowa State Cyclones have a completely revamped roster.
After head coach Matt Campbell left along with most of the coaches and several players, it’s clear that Iowa State is in a complete rebuild. Now, their team is full of transfers, with just a few impact returners going into next season.
Obviously, the majority of the Cyclones’ stars left in the transfer portal, but there were a few that decided to stay put for at least another season. And there should be a few that are still able to start next year.
Let’s take a look at three impact returners going into the 2026 season.
Kyle Konrardy
This one is very obvious. Kyle Konrardy is a fan favorite, arguably the best player on the team, and a leader, too.
Admittedly, he does have work to do when it comes to being consistent, but there is no doubt that he shows up in the big moments. When it felt like everyone else had left, Konrardy stayed put, gaining tons of respect from the Iowa State faithful.
The talented kicker is quite the impact returner and has lots on his shoulders going into next season, as he may be one of the faces of the team.
Drew Surges
Drew Surges comes back for another year with the Cyclones, hoping to become a leader as well. Last season, he had 15 tackles and an interception as a safety, some solid numbers without a doubt.
Iowa State brought in star Braden Awls, who was expected to be an impact addition at safety, but unfortunately, he suffered an injury that will keep him out for the entire 2026 season. Surges now needs to step up as the team’s top safety and make things happen on the defensive side of the ball.
Dominic Overby
Dominic Overby isn’t necessarily a key player for the Cyclones, but he certainly will be an impactful one. As a potential third wide receiver, Overby needs to be a consistent option for Iowa State next season.
He has to be a leader in the locker room as well, as the likely two receivers above him, Omari Hayes and Cody Jackson, are both incoming transfers.
If he can help other players learn the ropes while also finding reps for himself, Overby could end up being not only one of the most important receivers on the team, but one of the most important players on the entire offense. Early in the season, his importance will be massive.
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