Soil Compilation

Music
The Fruit Bats and Matthew Logan Vasquez Raise The Crowd

Article by Myles Ackman and Kade Grierson | Cover Photo by Cat Dooley For the first time in fifteen years, Fruit Bats returned to Iowa City on October 21 for a performance at The Englert Theatre, with support from Matthew Logan Vasquez. “Iowa City was the first place I ever traveled far to, and I thought, ‘this place resembles freedom,’” – Fruit Bats and permanent member Eric D. Johnson. The three of us—Elle, Myles, and Kade—were the youngest people in the audience by far, and sat near the front on the edge of a sea of double denim, floral shirts, … Continued

Online Content
Rob Sand and Zach Lahn Go Head-to-Head One Final Time Ahead of the Iowa Gubernatorial Election

With the midterms just one week away, Iowa Gubernatorial candidates Rob Sand (D) and Zach Lahn (R) went face-to-face in their third debate of the season. Both candidates are competing to replace Gov. Kim Reynolds, who chose not to run for reelection after nine years. As Sand and Zahn settled into their podiums ahead of the debate, both were given one minute to provide their opening remarks. Sand, who has heavily emphasized cross-partisan viewpoints through his campaign, did just that to kick off the evening debate. “There are a lot of people in leadership in both the democratic and republican … Continued

Sports
In Defense of Not Watching

To watch or not to watch? Ryan Paris recaps his experience taking in Iowa’s devastating loss from the Minnesota student section.

News
 Miller-Meeks and Bohannan Face Off in One Final Push Ahead of Iowa Elections

Former state representative Christina Bohannan (D) and U.S. Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R) met at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa, on October 20 for Iowa’s First Congressional District debate. Both candidates discussed issues weighing on Iowans’ minds, including agriculture, healthcare, and the economy. Once opening statements concluded, Bohannan and Miller-Meeks were questioned on what immediate actions they would take to lower the cost of living for Iowans. Miller-Meeks voted for no tax on tips or overtime back in May of 2025, when she voted in favor of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. In reference to lowering the cost of … Continued

How Watching the 2017 Final Four is Different From the Top Rows Glendale, Arizona – The thought of sitting in the rafters is one thing but actually doing it is another. Looking past the grey painted, slightly rusted beams supporting the wide spanning roof just to see the figures move on the floor. Sitting in the same plain as the massive light fixtures illuminating the stadium creates its own challenges. Those daring enough to look straight ahead meet with a blinding white light. On the floor, the players look like ants. It takes multiple trips down the floor before the … Continued

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Before the championship even tips off, I am sitting here surrounded by my busted brackets, seeing exactly where things went wrong. If only (X) team would have beat (Y) then I’d be rich. An old saying. Giving ourselves reassurance that it was not our faults, rather the universe has some sort of score to settle. South Carolina in the Final Four? Three of the Four #16 Seeds had higher final four picks that South Carolina. This year of March Madness certainly wasn’t the craziest in recent memory, nor the one with the most bracket-busters early. It was rather one where … Continued

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The past 5 NBA Finals have been in only 5 cities. Cleveland, Oakland, San Antonio, Oklahoma City and Miami. These teams are very different than they once were. All these teams added and lost major pieces in their lineups. Now, we sit in an age where each conference has their juggernauts. The east has Cleveland, the west has Golden State. With LeBron being the best active player on the planet, The Cavaliers have made short work of an Eastern Conference that doesn’t have the firepower to suppress them. The Warriors, on the other hand, have a roster chalked full of … Continued

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Throughout the past couple of weeks, the Chicago Bulls have been a mess. They did win their last two games before this weekend’s all-star game, but one win was on a bad call, and the other a win against a struggling Raptor team. Despite those two wins, the Bulls find themselves 7th in the conference.         Considering the hype this team had going into the season, for many Bulls fans, this is a disappointment. Personally, I am not as shocked as many people are; when the Bulls went all out and signed a washed up Dwayne Wade and an injury … Continued

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Toronto Raptors star players Demar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry have produced sub-par results in their first round playoff matchup with the Indiana Pacers, yet the series remains spilt at two games apiece. DeRozan has averaged 29.6 percent on shooting from the field so far this series while Lowry has chalked up 32.3 percent from the floor. “Give Indiana credit, they’ve done a good job on DeMar and Kyle,” said Raptors head coach Dwayne Casey according to Yahoo Sports. “But we haven’t seen their best, they know that and it may not be by scoring points, it may be by moving … Continued

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Growing up, Iowa basketball was my life. Success on the floor of Carver Hawkeye Arena was recurrent, which easily translates to an exhilarated kid watching on. Going to the games and seeing Hawkeye greats like Dean Oliver, Jeff Horner, and Greg Brunner was more than enough to brighten up the day for a young kid like myself, but it was how they played and electrified the game that made them so fun to watch. I remember going out in my driveway and pretending I was Adam Haluska hitting a game-winner in front of a packed house at Carver as the … Continued

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Since the turn of the millennium sports have taken on a whole new look. Rules have changed, superstars have become larger than ever, our favorite players are now owners and fantasy sports are nearly trumping the importance of reality. Although the landscape of professional athletics continues to evolve, one aspect has maintained familiarity; teams still win. Some much more than others. “Dynasty” is term loosely tossed around to describe successful teams after championship runs. In most modern sports, the talent pool has proven too deep to have a classic, 20th-century, dynasty such as the 50s Yankees, 60s Celtics or 90s … Continued

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