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Editorials

A little bit about me

As a candidate for Sheriff in beautiful Tama County, I know how important it is to be connected with the ones you serve. Although I did not grow up in Tama County, I have strong connections here. My great-grandmother Blanche (Sevcik) Rebik was born in Carroll Township, near Vining, with her ...

Q&A: Sunshine Week

Sunshine Week is March 10-16, 2024. Q: What is the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)? A: Under this nearly six decades-old federal law, the public has the right to request access to records from any federal agency. The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) helps keep check on government ...

From the Desk of Senator Giddens: What’s going on with AEAs?

Greetings friends and neighbors! On Tuesday last week, we had an extremely special day at the Capitol – University of Northern Iowa Day! UNI Day is always one of my favorite days of the session. I got to spend time visiting with students, faculty, staff, and administrators who do incredible ...

From the Desk of Senator Giddens: Visit YOUR State Capitol!

Greetings friends and neighbors! Our work in the Iowa Senate last week was focused on consideration of bills in the full chamber that have passed out of their respective committees. In between our debates and other meetings, though, I made time to meet with various groups visiting from our ...

District 53 Newsletter: Feb. 29, 2024 Edition

Week 8 was marked by more intense floor debate as we work through some of the more impactful bills, particularly within the education arena. There are far too many to adequately discuss in this newsletter, but I’ll mention a few. House Republicans have been meeting with school ...

Duquesne, Arizona, and the Hunt for the Juniper Titmouse

A juniper titmouse was reported on the Tucson Audubon Rare Bird Alert in early January this year. It had never before been reported in the Patagonia Mountains of southern Arizona or anywhere in Santa Cruz County even though the area is arguably the best birding in the USA. On February 11, Matt ...

District 53 Newsletter: Feb. 15, 2024 Edition

Last week was “Funnel Week”, wherein we must have all our individually filed bills through committee. Fortunately, I have been able to move the bills I need to through the process already, so my work this week was focused on the many other bills moving through the committees I sit on, which ...

From the Desk of Senator Giddens: What’s Your Top Priority in 2024?

In the early weeks of the legislative session we’ve seen lots of bills on a variety of divisive topics, many of which I disagree with outright or at the very least think should not be top priorities for the legislature. These bills do not offer more opportunity, freedom, or accountability ...