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Lee Rood

Des Moines

Investigative Reporter and Watchdog Columnist at Des Moines Register

Reader's watchdog columnist.

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Articles

  • 500-plus AmeriCorps members at 15 programs gone across Iowa after DOGE cuts this month

    2 weeks ago | desmoinesregister.com | Lee Rood

    Part of a series. When the order rescinding federal funding this year for AmeriCorps dropped on April 15, 568 people doing a wide array of service work stopped for at least 15 Iowa nonprofit, faith-based and community organizations.

  • Head Start on chopping block despite being a top priority of Kim Reynolds, Iowa leaders

    2 weeks ago | desmoinesregister.com | Lee Rood

    Advocates for the 60-year-old federal program want Iowans to take action Lee RoodDes Moines RegisterPart of a series. Reading “The Very Busy Spider” to a circle of lively 4-year-olds crouched before her on a rug, teacher Crystal Crowdis builds in a lesson that promises to help her Head Start preschool class when they graduate next year to kindergarten. Who, the veteran early childhood teacher asks, was the first character in the book the spider encountered as she was working so hard on her web?

  • For Iowa's many libraries, federal grant losses could be 'death by 1,000 cuts'

    3 weeks ago | desmoinesregister.com | Lee Rood

    Iowa libraries face funding crises due to a state law change and potential federal cuts. The state law removed local levies for libraries, forcing cuts and closures. Federal cuts threaten statewide programs like IA Shares and Bridges, impacting access to books and resources. Lawsuits challenge the legality of the federal cuts, citing the importance of libraries for communities. Part of a series.

  • 'It’s all existential right now': Federal grant cuts weigh on museums, cultural nonprofits

    3 weeks ago | desmoinesregister.com | Lee Rood

    Federal budget cuts are impacting the Science Center of Iowa's ability to update exhibits and offer staff development. It;s just one of many nonprofits facing increased demand and competition for funding due to cuts at the federal and state level. 'It’s all existential right now,' says the head of Bravo Des Moines, which helps member nonprofits leverage public dollars to help create a more vibrant cultural environment in central IPart of a series.

  • 'It's brutal:' Sudden grants cuts devastate Iowa museums, libraries and cultural nonprofits

    3 weeks ago | desmoinesregister.com | Lee Rood

    Iowa museums and cultural institutions face funding crisis after federal grant cuts. The National Endowment for the Humanities and Institute of Museum and Library Services have terminated numerous grants, impacting organizations statewide. Nonprofits are scrambling for alternative funding sources and expressing concern about the future. The cuts are attributed to executive orders by President Trump and spending reductions under Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency.

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