Lyle Muller
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lylemuller.bsky.social
Lyle Muller
@lylemuller.bsky.social
Freelance journalist, retired; professional adviser for Grinnell College’s Scarlet & Black. Hawkeyes. Grandpa. "A MESSY CHURCH: An Iowa Church’s Journey Through United Methodist Celebrations, Controversies" author, buy it here https://bit.ly/46YXQbh
Arrests, deportations increase among Iowa immigrants, even without criminal convictions. It doesn't seem like harden crooks are the target here in Iowa.
www.thegazette.com/news/arrests...
Arrests, deportations increase among Iowa immigrants, even without criminal convictions
The number of immigrants arrested by ICE in Iowa this year is at an all-time high, and many of those arrested do not have criminal convictions, despite repeated claims by President Donald Trump's admi...
www.thegazette.com
November 26, 2025 at 8:14 PM
There was a time when women in college lived under strict curfews and housing rules. How and why are explained in this history piece from Iowa.
thesandb.com/53692/featur...
History Takeover: Lock the women up
The sixties were an era of mass social change not only across the U.S. but at Grinnell. In the fall semester of 1967, women’s hours, a strict curfew for the women students who lived in the tightly mon...
thesandb.com
November 26, 2025 at 7:49 PM
Good news. Mike Hlas is bringing his talents to the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative. Happy to have him. open.substack.com/pub/iowawrit... #Sports #Iowa
Mike Hylas News, Thanksgiving Gems, Sports, Music and More
...your roundup on the Flipside
open.substack.com
November 26, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Brenna Bird already sensing trouble in Iowa for her attorney general re-election bid. Good analysis here. www.bleedingheartland.com/2025/11/23/c...
Conservative group attempted image makeover for Brenna Bird
More than a year before the 2026 election, Bird's polling numbers were bad enough to inspire a well-funded outside rescue mission.
www.bleedingheartland.com
November 26, 2025 at 1:36 AM
Paid for doing nothing — good gig if you can get it — and you can at the Des Moines public school district. open.substack.com/pub/revans28...
School owes explanation for this good-bye gift
Why is Robert Lundin receiving $114,000 from the taxpayers for leaving 7 months early?
open.substack.com
November 25, 2025 at 3:36 PM
Reposted by Lyle Muller
Kelly: "My family has suffered from political violence. My wife, Gabby, was nearly assassinated, shot in the head at a political event. Even the president -- 2 assassination attempts -- he should understand his words have significant weight and people react to things that he says."
November 21, 2025 at 2:28 PM
Bleeding Heartland picked up my column about The Gazette sale. Also, IPR’s River to River noon hour show will have a segment on the sale. www.bleedingheartland.com/2025/11/20/t...
The Gazette's new task: maintain local confidence, journalism
Lyle Muller, a former editor at The Gazette, considers whether the Cedar Rapids newspaper can maintain its capacity for local reporting.
www.bleedingheartland.com
November 21, 2025 at 1:12 PM
Some love for Marshalltown, Iowa, which often does not get that love. Good read.
From Marshalltown to Manhattan: The Fisher Family Legacy
Each November of my high school years, our Iowa Girls High School Swimming and Diving Championship was held at the YMCA in Marshalltown, Iowa.
open.substack.com
November 20, 2025 at 2:02 PM
“This has become the norm in Iowa. Leaders shield themselves behind growing teams of ‘communications specialists’ and insist they are simply too busy to answer questions about the very policies they oversee.”

open.substack.com/pub/davebusi...
Starved children, missed warnings – and officials too busy for questions
Task force goes dark – state leaders duck reporter
open.substack.com
November 20, 2025 at 4:01 AM
Reposted by Lyle Muller
Five corporations control 90% of the US media market.

Airlines merged from 12 major carriers in 1980 to 4 today.

Four giants control 80% of meat processing.

A handful of companies control the pharmaceutical industry.

The evidence of corporate concentration is everywhere.
November 19, 2025 at 6:45 PM
NJ GOP congressman's former staffer charged in staged MAGA attack www.thehandbasket.co/p/rep-jeff-v...
NJ GOP congressman's former staffer charged in staged MAGA attack
Natalie Greene worked for Rep. Jeff Van Drew and had body modifications to make it appear she'd been assaulted.
www.thehandbasket.co
November 20, 2025 at 2:45 AM
A conversation with The Gazette editor Zack Kucharski in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, reveals his guarded hopes after the long-time locally owned paper moves to new owners. open.substack.com/pub/lylemull...
The Gazette's new task: maintain local confidence, journalism
A Minneapolis media company has bought the employee-owned Gazette newspaper in Cedar Rapids, ending local ownership dating to 1883
open.substack.com
November 20, 2025 at 1:03 AM
The Gazette’s leaders sent an email to customers this morning. links.thegazette.com/emails/webvi...
A Note from Zack: The Gazette to be family-owned
links.thegazette.com
November 20, 2025 at 12:51 AM
I’m not the new guy anymore at the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative. Someone else has to make the coffee now. Meet her.
Millions for Marshalltown, Chickenization, and Farewell to Bill Knapp
...much more in this Flipside edition of the Iowa Writers' Collaborative
open.substack.com
November 19, 2025 at 2:07 PM
The Anamosa City Council and Jones County Board of Supervisors in Iowa were in dispute over a 137-year-old bridge last year. Residents may only heard about it by happenstance except for one thing: a young reporter was there to write about it. open.substack.com/pub/lylemull...
Be Thankful for Those Local News Reporters
For all the ways delivering news is changing, we still need dedicated reporters, especially in small Iowa towns
open.substack.com
November 19, 2025 at 2:01 PM
The Gazette editor Zack Kucharski says he expects local editorial autonomy under the new ownership of one of Iowa’s two largest newspapers. But will he have the necessary resources? open.substack.com/pub/lylemull...
The Gazette's new task: maintain local confidence, journalism
A Minneapolis media company has bought the employee-owned Gazette newspaper in Cedar Rapids, ending local ownership dating to 1883
open.substack.com
November 19, 2025 at 1:43 PM
The Gazette of Cedar Rapids is sold. The Gazette Family of Companies was gone long ago; seems like a distant memory. lylemuller.substack.com/p/the-gazett...
The Gazette's new task: maintain local confidence, journalism
A Minneapolis media company has bought the employee-owned Gazette newspaper in Cedar Rapids, ending local ownership dating to 1883
lylemuller.substack.com
November 19, 2025 at 4:04 AM
A lot of people are doing great work for your benefit. They hardly are enemies of the state.
Be Thankful for Those Local News Reporters
For all the ways delivering news is changing, we still need dedicated reporters, especially in small Iowa towns
open.substack.com
November 18, 2025 at 8:57 PM
Deportation attempt in Iowa raised an interesting question until someone finally realized that you send Native Americans back to … well … um… open.substack.com/pub/basurekh...
The toxic brew of prejudice and policies that nearly caused a Native American's deportation
Facebook post on Leticia Jacobo’s situation
open.substack.com
November 16, 2025 at 5:25 PM
How knuckleheaded do you have to be to consider deporting Native Americans back to where they come from?
open.substack.com/pub/basurekh...
The toxic brew of prejudice and policies that nearly caused a Native American's deportation
Facebook post on Leticia Jacobo’s situation
open.substack.com
November 16, 2025 at 2:34 AM
open.substack.com/pub/lylemull...

Read excerpts from my book and order yours.
1910, when kids rankled church leaders in Iowa
A new book tells the story of United Methodist controversies through one church
open.substack.com
November 15, 2025 at 11:06 PM