I started my career in rural Iowa in 1974 as an English, speech and reading teacher. Our students were top performers and the state’s education system was the gold standard. Educators and public schools in general were revered and respected by their communities. We didn’t have a lot of ...
When a new baby needs to be fed, the Winter Olympics are a perfect background watch. These winter athletes have graced the television screen as the baby feeds. National pride is always sky high with gold medals on the line. Chanting U-S-A comes easy during the Olympics, though quietly with ...
First legislative deadline next week This week was the fifth week of the legislative session, and with our first legislative deadline coming up next week, our focus remained on subcommittee and committee meetings to consider legislation for this year. More subcommittee and committee meetings ...
February can feel like a quiet month. The holidays are behind us, winter is still hanging on, and spring feels far away. But for many local businesses and community organizations, February is an important time of year. This is when planning happens. Business owners are looking back at what ...
The U.S. needs a great amount of new energy, mostly due to the massive data centers that power artificial intelligence. This electricity should be provided at the lowest cost, with the fewest environmental impacts, and as quickly as possible. The answer would seem to be a mix of electrical ...
Beef. It’s what’s for dinner. Well, for some, Argentinian beef. On February 6, President Trump signed an executive order to permit “an additional 80,000 metric tons of lean beef trimmings per year from Argentina to be imported tariff-free in four quarterly tranches of 20,000 metric tons ...
Iowa caucuses Monday brought the Iowa caucuses. This meant many of us stayed home in our districts so we could participate. Since 1972, Iowa has been the first in the nation to hold the caucus. Caucuses are a great time to get involved at the local level, talk with candidates and have a voice ...
January 2026 has come and gone and cold temperatures are here, per normal Iowa weather. The Supervisors had our organizational meeting to start off the year, and I will continue to serve as Vice-Chair. The Boards I will represent for Tama County are the following: Tama County Economic ...
I don’t think I could’ve been happier seeing recent news that South Tama, Urbandale, and Cedar Falls school districts passed Public School Strong resolutions. Cedar Rapids was a week before, and they joined Albia, Belmond-Klemme, Decorah, Bennett, and Keokuk who passed resolutions late last ...
For a person who is not actively farming, I spend a lot of my time thinking about agriculture. One question which has puzzled me is how farmers are expected to have a second job. What other profession has this expectation? No one tells a doctor, lawyer, or HR person, they need another job to ...