 Jennifer HemmingsenI'm an op-ed columnist and member of The Gazette's editorial board, writing primarily about Iowa politics, social issues, public safety and human rights.I've been a professional journalist for nearly 15 years. I was named Iowa Newspaper Association Master Columnist in 2010 and selected as Cornell College’s 2012 Distinguished Visiting Writer for nonfiction. I've taught reporting classes as an adjunct instructor at the University of Iowa (my alma mater) and writing courses at Kirkwood Community College. I'm a member of the Association of Opinion Journalists and the National Society of Newspaper Columnists.I live with my family in Iowa City's Longfellow Neighborhood (I'm a former neighborhood council president). We're just a couple of blocks from the bakery -- a blessing and a curse, but mostly a blessing.Twitter: @jhemmingsen Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hemmingsenyah |
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A chance to transform child welfare
Two child welfare bills are heading to Gov. Terry Branstad’s desk after this week. One would create a dual-track system for responding to reports of possible child abuse or neglect. The second releases county attorneys from having to represent DHS in court if they disagree with the agency’s recommendations.
Cleveland kidnap case points to a larger, hidden, problem
The emerging story of three women who were kidnapped and imprisoned for a decade in a tight-knit Cleveland neighborhood seems too fantastic to be believed, and that’s one of the reasons predators are able to trap, traffic and enslave untold numbers of missing girls.
Beck is right: Shootings are no coincidence
Before the smoke had even cleared from a Houston airport shootout, conservative commentator Glenn Beck told attendees at the National Rifle Association’s annual conference he thought Carnell Moore was enlisted by liberals in an attempt to demonize gun owners.
SupCo ruling was right for Iowa’s kids
Last week’s state Supreme Court ruling — that both spouses in a lesbian marriage should be listed on a child’s birth certificate — wasn’t just the only legally logical way the court could have come down on the issue, although it is that. And please don’t write to tell me all about how babies [...]
Learn the facts about climate change
Want to know more about climate change, but stumped about where to start? I’d recommend the recently published book “America’s Climate Century: What climate change means for America in the 21st Century and what Americans can do about it,” by Sen. Rob Hogg, D-Cedar Rapids. Hogg has been active in environmental issues for a [...]
School equity: Are schools reinforcing achievement gaps?
It’s like chocolate and peanut butter, love and marriage, Abercrombie and Fitch. It should be, anyway. If highly qualified teachers have such positive effects on student achievement, and if we’re serious about school equity and tackling achievement gaps between different demographic groups, it only makes sense to make sure highly qualified teachers are hired [...]
Don’t rush to judgment in Boston’s wake
It was impossible to look away Friday, as police scoured Boston for the second suspect in Monday’s marathon bombing. The city was locked down; time stood still as we tethered ourselves to televisions, refreshed and re-refreshed Web pages, wanting to know the moment there was something — anything — to know. A gripping end [...]
A chance to curb incarceration rates of Iowa’s mentally ill
A glimmer of hope last week for the ANCHOR Center, and for 6th Judicial District parolees and probationers whose untreated and poorly treated mental health issues have resulted in run-ins with the law. Senate Democrats finally approved the money to open the groundbreaking Cedar Rapids residential health facility that’s been sitting empty for [...]
NEW PODCAST: ‘Insights on Iowa’ Boston Marathon bombing discussion
As officials look for answers to the Boston Marathon bombing, in this week’s edition of ‘Insights on Iowa’, Jennifer Hemmingsen talks with social worker Cynthia Vaske and journalism professor Frank Durham about saturation news coverage of traumatic events, why we can’t stop watching and how that changes our view of the world. [Audio clip: view full post [...]