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Lyle Muller

@lylemuller.bsky.social
612 followers 168 following 1.5K posts

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 bit.ly/46YXQbh

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Lyle Muller @lylemuller.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
News from Iowa’s colleges and universities. emergingjournalistcorps.substack.com/p/health-con...
emergingjournalistcorps.substack.com
Health concerns, international program on hold and a new education leader at Iowa’s colleges and universities
A round-up of some of the best reporting coming from Iowa college media journalists
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Lyle Muller @lylemuller.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Health concerns have closed a Simpson College building. thesimpsonian.com/38148/news/m...
thesimpsonian.com
Mary Berry officially closed until further notice
Mary Berry Hall is no longer open to students and faculty as Simpson College evaluates next steps in response to ongoing concerns about the building’s condition.  Following mold concerns in Mary Berry...
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Lyle Muller @lylemuller.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Serious illness grips Iowa college campus. thesimpsonian.com/38181/news/s...
thesimpsonian.com
Students sidelined as illness sweeps across Simpson’s campus
Across campus, an illness Simpson College Health Services says is most consistent with norovirus has disrupted classes, practices, work schedules and student organizations. Sending a ripple of fear th...
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Lyle Muller @lylemuller.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
International program at Grinnell College put on pause. thesandb.com/56515/top-st...
thesandb.com
Grinnell College pauses CPT authorization for international students
Grinnell College pauses Curricular Practical Training for international students after federal guidance raises concerns about elective internships and F-1 visa compliance.
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Lyle Muller @lylemuller.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Justice in Iowa’s fabulous win at Michigan yesterday. phoebewallhoward.substack.com/p/karma-bite...
phoebewallhoward.substack.com
Karma bites Michigan on the ass
‘Small town’ ice cream sandwich maker upsets multi-billion dollar football program
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Lyle Muller @lylemuller.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Luciano de Castro not a finalist for Center for Intellectual Freedom director’s job www.thegazette.com/news/luciano...
thegazette.com
Intellectual freedom center interim director not a finalist
After meeting Friday to discuss 11 candidates to serve as director of the University of Iowa-based Center for Intellectual Freedom, an executive committee voted to advance four finalists — none of whi...
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Lyle Muller @lylemuller.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
UPDATED: Saturday, Sept. 26, with new information. lylemuller.substack.com/p/u-of-i-cen...
lylemuller.substack.com
U of I Center for Intellectual Freedom advisory board exits are just fine
UPDATED: Saturday, Sept. 26, with new information.
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Lyle Muller @lylemuller.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Luciano de Castro not a finalist for Center for Intellectual Freedom director’s job www.thegazette.com/news/luciano...
thegazette.com
Intellectual freedom center interim director not a finalist
After meeting Friday to discuss 11 candidates to serve as director of the University of Iowa-based Center for Intellectual Freedom, an executive committee voted to advance four finalists — none of whi...
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Lyle Muller @lylemuller.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
This lawsuit was a joke, and waste of time. laurabelin.substack.com/p/why-trumps...
laurabelin.substack.com
Why Trump's lawsuit against Selzer, DM Register failed on every level
“The First Amendment clearly applies”
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Lyle Muller @lylemuller.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
A proposed data center is changing the conversation in an Indiana farming community www.investigatemidwest.org/events/data-...
investigatemidwest.org
A proposed data center is changing the conversation in this Indiana farming community
Andy and Tammy Orem are joining Investigate Midwest and UpRoot for a virtual conversation about a proposed data center near their family farmland in Shelby County, Indiana, and the questions it is rai...
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Lyle Muller @lylemuller.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
It is becoming more and more clear that the Center for Intellectual Freedom at the University of Iowa got created because someone who does not get their way tapped into state legislators’ thoughts about liberal arts education. People have caught on. lylemuller.substack.com/p/u-of-i-cen...
lylemuller.substack.com
U of I Center for Intellectual Freedom advisory board exits are just fine
Eleven out-of-state advisory board members for the controversial center quit when they don’t get their way on center operations
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Lyle Muller @lylemuller.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
U of I Center for Intellectual Freedom advisory board exits are just fine lylemuller.substack.com/p/u-of-i-cen...
lylemuller.substack.com
U of I Center for Intellectual Freedom advisory board exits are just fine
Eleven out-of-state advisory board members for the controversial center quit when they don’t get their way on center operations
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Lyle Muller @lylemuller.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Politifact - Did Biden revoke 440 press passes? Fact-checking Trump allies after White House bans news outlets politifact.com/factchecks/2...
politifact.com
How Trump media ban compares with Biden’s 2023 rule changes
President Donald Trump banned CNN, Politico and MS NOW from the White House. His defenders say that’s no different than what Joe Biden did in 2023. Is that true?
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Reposted by Lyle Muller
Laura Belin @laurarbelin.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
New post by Ed Tibbetts @edtibbetts.bsky.social : Ashley Hinson's convenient conversion Hinson is trying to convince Iowans she’s something she’s not: A bipartisan problem-solver trying to lower your costs. #IASen www.bleedingheartland.com/2026/09/19/a...
bleedingheartland.com
Ashley Hinson's convenient conversion
Ed Tibbetts: Ashley Hinson is trying to convince Iowans she’s something she’s not: A bipartisan problem-solver trying to lower your costs.
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Lyle Muller @lylemuller.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Investigation launched into Film and Media Studies Center partial collapse at Grinnell College. thesandb.com/56307/news/i...
thesandb.com
Investigation launched into Film and Media Studies Center partial collapse
An investigation has been launched after part of a Grinnell College building partially collapsed, injuring two construction workers.  Grinnell College’s Facilities Management office, Greiner Construct...
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Lyle Muller @lylemuller.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Iowa politics: gubernatorial candidate Zach Lahn’s lost endorsements from usual Republican backers could get worse for him. lylemuller.substack.com/p/lahns-lost...
lylemuller.substack.com
Lahn’s lost endorsements sting hard while expecting more
Still to come: The Iowa Bankers Association has been meeting with elected officials and candidates
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Lyle Muller @lylemuller.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Investigation launched into collapse of a portion of a @grinnellcollege.bsky.social building. thesandb.com/56307/news/i...
thesandb.com
Investigation launched into Film and Media Studies Center partial collapse
An investigation has been launched after part of a Grinnell College building partially collapsed, injuring two construction workers.  Grinnell College’s Facilities Management office, Greiner Construct...
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Lyle Muller @lylemuller.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Dear other news groups — this could be you next if it were not unconstitutional. Dear MAGA, you might think is sticking to these news sources but only a despot (who is insecure and tiny) does this. He is so sad. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/18/b... via @nytimes.com
nytimes.com
Trump Says He Has Banned CNN, MS NOW and Politico From White House
The president cited reporting from the outlets that he deemed “fake news.” It was unclear how such a ban would be enforced or defended in court.
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Lyle Muller @lylemuller.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Changes to international student visa rules on hold until October hearing. thesandb.com/56259/news/j...
thesandb.com
Judge temporarily blocks changes to international student visa rules
A federal judge has paused implementation of a federal rule that would limit international students’ and scholars’ visa duration to up to four years, one day before the rule was slated to take effect....
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Lyle Muller @lylemuller.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Environmental studies major OKed at Grinnell College. thesandb.com/56262/news/e...
thesandb.com
Environmental Studies major and Semester at CERA program to launch fall 2027
Beginning in fall 2027, Grinnell College students can declare a 36-credit Environmental Studies major. The College will also launch Semester at CERA, a 16-credit program based at the Conard Environmen...
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Lyle Muller @lylemuller.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Thank you, Des Moines Register, for publishing a Buena Vista Univ The Tack and Iowa Emerging Journalist Corps opinion piece. emergingjournalistcorps.substack.com/p/des-moines...
emergingjournalistcorps.substack.com
Des Moines Register publishes emerging journalist’s opinion piece
Plus, a college building partially collapses, giving student journalists a busy Friday
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Lyle Muller @lylemuller.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
This is a must read about Iowa’s cancer problem. Des Moines Register reporter Nick El Hajj has been working on a series of reports all summer. This is the first in the series. www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/h...
desmoinesregister.com
A cancer crisis decades in the making is bearing down on rural Iowa
Across rural Iowa, a “sleeping giant” is stirring as families confront the grief and unanswered questions of a deepening cancer crisis.
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Lyle Muller @lylemuller.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Nails it: “A year ago, Hinson clearly thought boasting of her subservience to Trump was enough to win a seat in the US Senate. But the political winds have shifted.” edtibbetts.substack.com/p/ashley-hin...
edtibbetts.substack.com
Ashley Hinson’s convenient conversion
No, she’s not really working across the aisle to lower costs
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Reposted by Lyle Muller
Laura Belin @laurarbelin.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Iowa Republicans periodically try to discredit my work because I am transparent about my views. To be clear: I do not coordinate coverage with or accept any payment or donations from any Iowa elected official, candidate, campaign, PAC, or any paid staffer or consultant on any Iowa campaign.
Screenshot of tweet from Zach Lahn accusing Laura Belin of working for Rob Sand's campaign.
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Lyle Muller @lylemuller.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Political commentator Bill Kristol in Iowa City last night: “God knows, after 2028, I don’t know what American politics is going to look like.” lylemuller.substack.com/p/bill-krist...
lylemuller.substack.com
Bill Kristol blames Republicans who know better for Trump presidency
The political analyst was at the University of Iowa for its Levitt Lecture series Sept. 15
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Lyle Muller @lylemuller.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Those to blame for Donald Trump should have known better. But here we are. https://lylemuller.substack.com/p/bill-kristol-blames-republicans-who?r=1umlc
lylemuller.substack.com
Bill Kristol blames Republicans who know better for Trump presidency
The political analyst was at the University of Iowa for its Levitt Lecture series Sept. 15
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Lyle Muller @lylemuller.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Major League Cricket is in trouble — how to save it. Wait — we have Major League Cricket? Good piece here. henryhhorn.substack.com/p/major-leag...
henryhhorn.substack.com
Major League Cricket is dying. The only hope for survival may already exist.
Major League Cricket is in purgatory, and there is no easy way out.
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Lyle Muller @lylemuller.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Attention: Buy this book. Help move copies out of the Ice Cube Press storage area. icecubepress.com/2025/12/16/a...
icecubepress.com
A Messy Church - Ice Cube Press
A Messy Church: An Iowa Church’s Journey Through United Methodist Celebrations, Controversies | Lyle Muller | 222 pages | Paperback | $24.95 A MESSY CHURCH: An Iowa Church’s Journey Through United Met...
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Lyle Muller @lylemuller.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
The Iowa Bankers Association was to finish a series of meetings with elected officials and candidates yesterday. I am curious to see if they endorse political candidates for the fall elections. lylemuller.substack.com/p/lahns-lost...
lylemuller.substack.com
Lahn’s lost endorsements sting hard while expecting more
Still to come: The Iowa Bankers Association has been meeting with elected officials and candidates
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Lyle Muller @lylemuller.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Commentator, political analyst Bill Kristol in Iowa City last night, with stern words about Republicans who made Donald Trump’s presidency possible. lylemuller.substack.com/p/bill-krist...
lylemuller.substack.com
Bill Kristol blames Republicans who know better for Trump presidency
The political analyst was at the University of Iowa for its Levitt Lecture series Sept. 15
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Lyle Muller @lylemuller.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Lahn’s lost endorsements in Iowa sting hard while expecting more lylemuller.substack.com/p/lahns-lost...
lylemuller.substack.com
Lahn’s lost endorsements sting hard while expecting more
Still to come: The Iowa Bankers Association has been meeting with elected officials and candidates
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Lyle Muller @lylemuller.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Perhaps Zach Lahn takes the prize in Iowa. Voters decided elections, after all, not polls or endorsements. But he would have to do it without public support from powerful Republican partners — the state’s main industry and its main industry association. lylemuller.substack.com/p/lahns-lost...
lylemuller.substack.com
Lahn’s lost endorsements sting hard while expecting more
Still to come: The Iowa Bankers Association has been meeting with elected officials and candidates
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Lyle Muller @lylemuller.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
It will be interesting to see if the Iowa Bankers Association skips an Iowa governor’s race endorsement. The association’s president is Gov. Kim Reynolds’ former lieutenant governor, Adam Gregg. lylemuller.substack.com/p/lahns-lost...
lylemuller.substack.com
Lahn’s lost endorsements sting hard while expecting more
Still to come: The Iowa Bankers Association has been meeting with elected officials and candidates
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Lyle Muller @lylemuller.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Mattia Wells (left) and Ellen deGraffenreid speak to the @grinnellcollege.bsky.social Scarlet & Black staff today about working with college officials.
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Lyle Muller @lylemuller.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
A chance to better understand our country's handling of race issues is coming to Iowa. rachellechase.substack.com/p/join-two-t...
rachellechase.substack.com
Join two trailblazers of school desegregation for three nights of conversation in Iowa
Carlotta Walls LaNier, of the Little Rock Nine, and Dr. Leona Tate, of the New Orleans Four, to speak in Iowa 10/1/26-10/3/26
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Lyle Muller @lylemuller.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Hold off before you criticize the internet too much for destroying culture. www.desmoinesregister.com/story/opinio...
desmoinesregister.com
Internet culture could be a gathering place for the arts | Opinion
Dismissing 6-7, aura farming and other trends as nonsense misses something important in this form of human expression, writes Fernanda Japa.
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Lyle Muller @lylemuller.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Thank you, Cedar Rapids Gazette, for running my piece on 9/11. www.thegazette.com/our-brains-w...
thegazette.com
Our brains went numb 25 years ago so we could do what needed to be done
Twenty-five years later, it’s interesting to me that my memory of the day ends at 1:59 p.m., after talking with our daughter in Chicago. A national tragedy really numbs your
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Lyle Muller @lylemuller.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
“I don’t know what to do. I can’t help you. We’re going to be OK.” My inadequate advice 25 years ago to my daughter. lylemuller.substack.com/p/our-brains...
lylemuller.substack.com
Our brains shut down 25 years ago so we could do what needed to be done
One Gazette newsroom editor’s 9/11 experience tested his role as a parent
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Lyle Muller @lylemuller.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Update: two people were injured when a Grinnell College building under construction collapsed. Here is the latest.  thesandb.com/56018/news/f...
thesandb.com
Film and Media Studies Center partially collapses, two workers reported injured
The facade and front roof of the Knapp Center for Film and Media Studies collapsed this afternoon. No casualties have been reported.  The Knapp Center is located downtown, at 1013 Broad St. Workers pr...
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Lyle Muller @lylemuller.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
This story has been updated this afternoon -- Film and Media Studies Center partially collapses thesandb.com/56018/news/f...
thesandb.com
Film and Media Studies Center partially collapses
The facade and front roof of the Knapp Center for Film and Media Studies collapsed this afternoon. No casualties have been reported.  The Knapp Center is located downtown, at 1013 Broad St. Workers pr...
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Lyle Muller @lylemuller.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Film and Media Studies Center at Grinnell College partially collapses. No reported injuries. The campus paper, The Scarlet & Black, is on the story. thesandb.com/56018/news/f...
thesandb.com
Film and Media Studies Center partially collapses
The facade and front roof of the Knapp Center for Film and Media Studies collapsed this afternoon. No casualties were reported.  The Knapp Center is located downtown, at 1013 Broad St. Workers present...
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Lyle Muller @lylemuller.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Those words I told my daughter — “I can’t help you” — haunted me for a long time. Later I learned that the Sears Tower in Chicago was on an alleged 9/11 target list. My daughter lived three miles from there. lylemuller.substack.com/p/our-brains...
lylemuller.substack.com
Our brains shut down 25 years ago so we could do what needed to be done
One Gazette newsroom editor’s 9/11 experience tested his role as a parent
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Lyle Muller @lylemuller.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Data provides a snapshot of agricultural drone use as the federal government changes the economics of buying the technology, Monica Cordero, of the Iowa newsroom, reports at @investigatemidwest.bsky.social Your donations support this reporting. investigatemidwest.org/2026/09/09/t...
investigatemidwest.org
Trump drone tariffs target a technology still used unevenly across US farms - Investigate Midwest
Drone use remains limited among most U.S. farms, but larger farms have adopted the technology at a higher rate than small farm operations, federal data show.  In 2023, 12% of large-scale family farms ...
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Lyle Muller @lylemuller.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Special rural Mass coming up in northeast Iowa. From @patkinney.bsky.social patkinney.substack.com/p/historic-w...
patkinney.substack.com
Historic Waterloo farm to host large Mass
Lichty farm south of Waterloo to host Archdiocese of Dubuque Rural Life Mass Sept. 18.
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Lyle Muller @lylemuller.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Starting to feel like Jim Ross Lightfoot’s campaign, when the state GOP got fed up with his incompetence and focused on all other Republicans instead. 2026 strategy might be same.
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Lyle Muller @lylemuller.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
It ain’t over. Immigration control tactics remain aggressive and harmful to Iowa families. www.yahoo.com/news/us/arti...
yahoo.com
Des Moines family calls ICE detainment of father violent, excessive
Juan Lopez was detained on Sept. 9 in Des Moines while on his way to work. Advocates are calling for his release while questioning ICE's use of force.
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Lyle Muller @lylemuller.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Our brains shut down 25 years ago today so we could do what needed to be done. lylemuller.substack.com/p/our-brains...
lylemuller.substack.com
Our brains shut down 25 years ago so we could do what needed to be done
One Gazette newsroom editor’s 9/11 experience tested his role as a parent
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Lyle Muller @lylemuller.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
OPINION: Short-form, long-reach: Can nonsense bring us together? emergingjournalistcorps.substack.com/p/opinion-sh...
emergingjournalistcorps.substack.com
OPINION: Short-form, long-reach: Can nonsense bring us together?
Internet culture could actually be a gathering place for the arts
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Lyle Muller @lylemuller.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Another year. The Scarlet & Black orientation meeting at Grinnell College today. Getting to know the new staff.
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Lyle Muller @lylemuller.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
How 17 Iowa lawmakers and their rich friends can raise your taxes but keep theirs from going up, by @EdTibbetts edtibbetts.substack.com/p/the-tyrann...
edtibbetts.substack.com
The Tyranny of the 11%
How 17 Iowa lawmakers and their rich friends can raise your taxes but keep theirs from going up.
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