permission from the January 2021 issue of The Prairie Progressive
, Iowa’s oldest progressive newsletter. The Prairie Progressive is funded entirely by reader subscription, available only in hard copy for $12/yr. Send check to PP, Box 1945, Iowa City 52244. PP archives can be viewed here.
Prairie Dog’s Honor Roll for 2020
When the Trump administration escalated its war against diversity and inclusion programs, Iowa State University wasted little time in terminating
John-Paul Chaisson-Cardenas, as director of Iowa’s 4-H program in the ISU Extension Office. The native of Guatemala had long reached out to youth of color and had pointed out incidents of discrimination and indifference by ISU administrators, but his creation of a transgender youth policy gave ISU the excuse it needed to fire him. Two years later, the State Appeal Board agreed to settle Chaisson-Cardenas’ lawsuit for $550,000 and changed his official departure from termination to voluntary resignation.
TOM BARTON
Democratic former Iowa state Sen. Rita Hart of Wheatland on Thursday defended her plans to file a petition with the Democratically-controlled U.S. House challenging the outcome in Iowa s close 2nd Congressional District race.
Congresswoman-elect Mariannette Miller-Meeks says every legal vote was counted in tight Iowa 2nd Congressional District race, and Rita Hart had ample opportunity to appeal any discrepancies in court, rather than ask the U.S. House to intervene.
Meanwhile, Iowa Republicans continued to attack the decision as a shameful effort to overturn the will of Iowa voters and called on Iowa s only reelected congressional Democrat, U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne of West Des Moines, to denounce the move.