Your Ames Voice

Thursday, August 14, 2025

August 14, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes

Jack McClellan

Hello!

I’m Jack McClellan, a volunteer reporter for the Ames Voice.

I was born and raised in small-town Iowa and went to study journalism at Iowa State University in 2020. While in school I worked for the student newspaper to cover the university, and later held a part time position at the Carroll Times Herald covering local government and agriculture.

Since graduating in 2024, I’ve been lucky enough to get a chance to spend some time traveling, visiting the United Kingdom and a few other parts of Europe, as well as taking some road trips all around the country.

Once I returned to Iowa and found out about the Ames Voice, I knew it was something worth investing time and energy into. I believe journalism is essential to the operation of local governments and for the health of the communities they serve.

Today, locally oriented journalism seems to take a backseat to the national and global stories that capture our attention, but I’m a believer in paying attention to what you can control and actually take part in. With that in mind, I’m extremely excited to be a part of a new publication that aims to serve a community I’ve been involved with for several years.

I’m passionate about covering education and environmental issues and am excited to continue to learn about and report on all facets of Ames and the many interesting things happening within the area.

Thank you for supporting the Ames Voice, I hope you find value in our coverage of the community!

Jack McClellan | Staff Reporter
[email protected]

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Now, time for this week’s news!

Top Story

University Museums is celebrating is 50th Anniversary. | Image courtesy of University Museums

Iowa State celebrates 50 years of University Museums

by Kyle Werner | Published on August 14, 2025

Fifty years ago, a San Francisco family’s donation of money, dolls and decorative art started what would become Iowa State’s University Museums.

In the fall of 1975, University Museums opened its first exhibit at the new Brunnier Art Museum featuring pieces from Ann Brunnier’s 50-year collection of dolls and decorative arts. The Iowa State Center, home of University Museums in the Scheman Building, also received a large money donation from Henry Brunnier.

“Since the first exhibition of the Brunnier’s collections opened on Sept. 19, 1975, University Museums has continued to build upon that gift to connect more deeply with the Brunnier objects and expand areas of representation,” according to a news release from University Museums..

The Brunnier Art Museum led the way for other campus efforts to collect, preserve and exhibit pieces of art, including the Christian Petersen Art Museum, located in Morrill Hall; the Anderson Sculpture Garden, located outside of the building; the Farmhouse Museum; and pieces on display around the Iowa State campus.

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City of Ames

Ames chooses coal yard site for new power plant equipment

by Bill Monroe | Staff Reporter

The new Ames power plant will be next to the site of the current one, the Ames City Council decided at its Tuesday meeting. This location will be much cheaper and faster to develop than other options.

Iowa State University

Controversial DEI videos prompts special Regents meeting, stricter policies

by Kyle Werner | Staff Reporter

Iowa State University is the most recent subject of a video circulating on social media claiming the university’s LGBT center director found “loopholes” in Iowa’s anti-DEI law.