Website review
This review may include AI-generated content and is not individually verified. Domain, certificate and other facts come from the observed data on this page.
What is The Ames Tribune?
The Ames Tribune is a local news outlet for Ames, Iowa, covering the city and surrounding Story County area. Its reporting spans breaking news, local politics, Iowa State University (ISU) athletics, community events, entertainment, opinion columns, and obituaries.
What it covers
- News: Local government, public safety, education and campus news, including ISU matters like a special funding request for AI workforce programs and resignations from a Center for Intellectual Freedom council.
- Sports: ISU football, wrestling, and high school athletics such as Colo-NESCO volleyball, with game takeaways and player features.
- Entertainment and community: Arts coverage, including the Octagon Center for the Arts' 60th anniversary.
- Opinion: Local columnists writing on state and national issues from an Iowa perspective.
- Everyday service journalism: Seasonal pieces like the first day of fall, plus horoscopes and crosswords through a "Daily PLAY" section.
Who it is for Ames residents and ISU students, staff and alumni who want local news rather than national coverage. It is also useful for anyone tracking Iowa politics, Cyclones athletics, or community institutions such as the arts center.
How it compares For Ames-specific news, The Ames Tribune is the most direct source. For statewide politics and Iowa news, the Des Moines Register Des Moines Register covers a wider beat. For national and world headlines, USA TODAY USA TODAY is the parent-style outlet, and some of its shopping and lifestyle content appears on the Tribune site. For ISU athletics specifically, the university's official athletics site is the primary source for schedules and team news.
Next step If you want to follow a specific topic, start with the section that matches it: sports for Cyclones coverage, opinion for state politics commentary, or news for city and campus developments. If you need a statewide or national angle on the same story, check the larger outlets above alongside it.
How do I subscribe to The Ames Tribune and what does a subscription include?
Subscriptions to The Ames Tribune are handled through its website, where a "Subscribe" option appears alongside the news sections. Because the site does not display its plan details or prices on the public pages, the reliable way to see current offers is to open the subscribe link on The Ames Tribune and review the options shown there.
What a subscription generally covers
A subscription to a local daily like this one typically gives you unlimited access to its reporting rather than a single article. Based on the sections visible on the site, that would include:
- Local news, including city and county government and Iowa State University coverage
- Ames and area high school sports, plus Iowa State athletics
- Opinion columns and letters
- Entertainment and arts stories, such as the Octagon Center for the Arts coverage
- Obituaries and community announcements
- Contests and reader features like Community's Choice
How to decide
If you mainly want breaking Ames news, ISU sports and obituaries, a digital subscription is the straightforward choice. If you also want a printed edition, check whether the subscribe page offers a print-plus-digital bundle, since that combination is common for regional papers but is not confirmed here.
As a next step, open the subscribe page, note the introductory rate and the date the price changes, and check whether your local library offers free access to the paper — that can cover occasional reading without a personal subscription.
Where can I find Ames-area high school and Iowa State sports coverage, schedules, and game results?
The Ames Tribune is a local news site for Ames, Iowa, and its sports section is the most direct place to start for Ames-area high school and Iowa State coverage. It carries high school sports items such as volleyball match reports and photo galleries from schools like Colo-NESCO and GMG, plus Iowa State football analysis and previews, including takeaways ahead of the Iowa State vs. Utah game. If you want a single local source that mixes prep sports, Cyclones coverage, and general Ames news, this fits that need.
For schedules and results specifically, expect the paper to publish recaps, previews, and standout-player features rather than a full searchable database of every score. That means it is strongest for narrative coverage and photos, and weaker if you need a comprehensive, up-to-the-minute schedule archive.
A practical way to use it
- Start with the sports section for game stories, previews and photo galleries.
- Use the school name or team name in site search to pull together coverage of a specific program.
- Check back after game nights, when recaps and reaction pieces tend to appear.
- For official schedules and verified results, confirm with the school's athletics page or the state athletics association, since news coverage can lag or omit lower-profile events.
Where it fits against alternatives
| Need | Ames Tribune | Better fit |
|---|---|---|
| Local prep game stories and photos | Strong | — |
| Iowa State commentary and analysis | Strong | — |
| Complete schedules and all results | Limited | School athletics sites or state association |
| National sports | Not the focus | National outlets |
If your main goal is following a specific team week to week, pair the Tribune's local reporting with the official schedule source for that school or for Iowa State. For broader Iowa coverage, the Des Moines Register at Des Moines Register is a common companion read.
How can I submit an obituary or death notice to The Ames Tribune?
The Ames Tribune accepts obituaries and death notices through a submission process handled by its newsroom rather than a self-service form. In practice, you or your funeral home contacts the paper, provides the text and a photo, and the notice is published both in print and on amestrib.com. Because the site mixes free breaking news with a paid subscription model, expect obituaries to be a paid placement—most U.S. local papers charge by line, word count or column inch, with an extra fee for a photograph and for online-only publication.
H3 What to prepare before you reach out
- Full legal name, age, city of residence and date of death.
- Survivors listed in the order the family prefers, with correct spellings.
- Service details: visitation, funeral, burial, reception, and whether the service is private.
- A photo in high resolution, plus a one-line caption if you want it identified.
- Memorial donation instructions, if any.
- Billing contact and payment method, since the funeral home may bill on your behalf.
H3 Who usually handles it
Most families ask the funeral home to submit the notice, because funeral directors already have the paper's template, deadlines and rate sheet. If you are writing it yourself, call the newsroom directly and ask for the obituary desk or the person who coordinates death notices. Ask three things up front: the deadline for the next print edition, the per-line or per-word rate, and whether the online version is included or billed separately.
H3 A realistic example
Suppose a parent dies on a Monday and the family wants the notice in Wednesday's paper with a photo and a Saturday service listed. The funeral home submits the draft Tuesday morning; the paper confirms the cost and runs it Wednesday, with the same text appearing on amestrib.com. If the family also wants a longer tribute, they can keep the paid death notice short and ask whether a separate news obituary is warranted—those are written by staff and are not guaranteed.
H3 Decision criteria
- Use a death notice if you want a factual announcement with service times and survivors.
- Ask about a news obituary only if the person had broad public significance in the Ames area; those are editorial decisions, not purchases.
- Compare costs with nearby outlets if the family has ties elsewhere. Iowa State communities often also appear in The Des Moines Register, and national placement is available through Legacy.com.
For the exact current rate and deadline, call The Ames Tribune newsroom before you write the final draft—rates and cut-off times change, and a missed deadline is the most common reason a notice appears a day later than the family expected.
What local Ames news and politics stories is The Ames Tribune currently covering?
The Ames Tribune covers Ames and Story County across local news, politics, Iowa State University, sports, entertainment, opinion and obituaries. Its homepage is organized by these sections rather than by one theme, so the mix shifts daily with whatever is breaking.
What the current coverage shows
- Politics and government: Reporting on Iowa's two-party political system, including comments from gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand, plus a state-level debate over a proposed constitutional amendment on taxes.
- Iowa State University and Ames institutions: ISU's special $2 million funding request for an AI-ready workforce, resignations from the Center for Intellectual Freedom council, and coverage of Ames' new indoor aquatic center, including why officials consider it significant.
- Sports: Iowa State football, including takeaways ahead of the Iowa State vs. Utah game and a player's recovery after a scary hit; ISU men's wrestling NCAA penalties for recruiting violations; and high school volleyball at Colo-NESCO.
- Community and culture: The Octagon Center for the Arts' 60th anniversary, local history and progress essays, seasonal pieces such as the first day of fall, and daily horoscopes and crossword content.
- Opinion: Local columnists on topics like data centers, tax policy and lessons from Colorado's Flatirons.
- Obituaries and community notices: A standing section for local deaths and memorials.
How to use this
If you follow one thread, start with the section index rather than the homepage. For Ames city decisions and ISU funding, the news section carries the accountability reporting; for campaign and statehouse debate, check politics; for the Cyclones and area high schools, sports. Readers outside Ames often find the ISU and state politics coverage most useful, while residents rely on it for city services, school sports and obituaries.
Access is supported by subscriptions, so some stories may sit behind a paywall. For statewide context alongside this local reporting, the Des Moines Register at Des Moines Register covers Iowa politics and ISU athletics more broadly, and Iowa Capital Dispatch at Iowa Capital Dispatch focuses on state government.
How do I contact The Ames Tribune newsroom with a story tip, letter to the editor, or community event?
The Ames Tribune routes newsroom contact through its main site at The Ames Tribune. The homepage mixes breaking news, sports, opinion, obituaries and contests, and it is the entry point for reaching the right desk rather than a single generic inbox.
What to look for
- Story tips — treat these as time-sensitive. Lead with the who, what, when and where, and say whether you have photos, video or documents.
- Letters to the editor — opinion pieces usually carry word limits, require your name and town, and may ask you to verify you wrote the submission. Expect editing for length and clarity.
- Community events — calendar submissions generally need the event name, date, time, venue, cost and a short description, sent well ahead of the date.
Practical next step
Open the site and use its contact or submission link rather than replying to a news article. If you cannot find a form, phone the main newsroom line and ask for the news, sports or opinion desk by name. A labeled subject line — "Story tip: …", "Letter: …", "Event: …" — keeps your message out of the wrong queue.
Trade-offs
A tip sent only through social media may sit unseen; email or a form creates a record. Letters written as open letters or with personal attacks are commonly rejected, and event listings are not guaranteed coverage. If your item is an obituary, a paid notice, or a correction, ask specifically for that desk — the process differs from news tips.
As a concrete example: a reader who saw a city council vote go differently than expected should email the news desk the same evening with the meeting date, the vote and a link to the agenda, and note whether they can speak on the record.
User reviews (0)