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Editorials

Brass Tacks from Rural Iowa: Election Integrity or Intimidation?

There’s been a lot of talk lately about election integrity, especially from the Trump administration. What’s disturbing is that the rhetoric doesn’t seem to be lining up with his administration’s actions. Take for example the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. Created in 2002 after ...

Support local small businesses during the Iowa Sales Tax Holiday

IOWA – The State of Iowa will hold a two-day-long sales tax holiday during which consumers can purchase clothing without paying sales tax. The holiday will begin on Friday, Aug. 7, 2026, at 12:01 a.m., and last until midnight on Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026. No sales tax or local option sales tax ...

Should paper checks be abolished like the penny?

Germany is getting rid of paper checks at the end of 2027. Australia is bidding them farewell by 2030. U.S. President Donald Trump followed up his order killing off the penny with an executive order stopping check writing by the federal government. Should the U.S. follow these other countries ...

Celebrate farmers market week Aug. 2-8

Once a week in the summertime, brightly colored 10x10 tents pop up in a corner parking lot in my community. Under each one of those tents is a producer, crafter, or small business owner who has tables of goods for sale. We celebrate these farmers markets during National Farmers Market Week, ...

The colonists’ grievances are surprisingly relevant, 250 years later

The Declaration of Independence, with its block of cursive letters scrawled onto parchment, looks like a relic from the distant past. Likewise, you might think the 27 grievances against King George III, his government and the British people listed in the body of the document would have little ...

This old dog might catch the bumper

Chris Jones fancied himself trolling for walleyes in the backwaters of the Upper Mississippi River near Lansing in his retirement. Instead, the 65-year-old found himself disembarking at Philadelphia for the NetRoots conference on his way to a goal of raising $1 million in his uphill Iowa ...

Q&A: Federal Tax Cuts Help Working Families

Q: What does the 2026 federal tax filing data show? A: The U.S. Treasury released data showing American families and workers claimed $82 billion in individual direct relief from the Working Families Tax Cuts Act signed into law one year ago on the Fourth of July. The Republican-led Congress ...