We reached the end of the 2024 Legislative Session in the early hours of Saturday, April 20. We were in session for 103 days, including 37 days of voting on the House Floor. We passed 295 bills in the House, and 85% of these bills, 252, were non-partisan votes. I want to share with you what I ...
Let’s start with the price: $7,170. That’s the insurance quote I got this week from the only company that will insure us. The only company. Apparently “agritourism” – having tourists on your farm for classes or pizza night or to pet goat kids — is a no-no in Iowa now. And ...
Greetings friends and neighbors! Just before 3:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 20, the Iowa Senate adjourned for the year. About an hour later, the House of Representatives adjourned, concluding the 2024 legislative session. The final day was a marathon, with lots of bills making their way to the ...
In the heart of Iowa, Tama County is on the brink of a pivotal change. Lucas Dvorak, a name synonymous with dedication, expertise, and community involvement, has announced his candidacy for the position of Tama County Sheriff. With nearly 15 years of commendable service within the Sheriff's ...
We are in week 15 of the session with the intention of finishing up the budget and policy work yet this week, possibly working through till Saturday. As I finish this newsletter at 7:30 Thursday evening, we are preparing to debate five of these budget bills this evening. The first budget we ...
It’s time to be honest with you. You’re the problem. Every year about this time we warn you, the motoring public, that highway work is beginning across the country. State Police, State Departments of Transportation, workers, Unions, OSHA, and more; we produce public service ...
Greetings friends and neighbors! We are moving toward the finish line for this year's legislative session. The first year of each General Assembly is 110 calendar days long and the second year is 100 days long. This is the second year of the 90th General Assembly, and Tuesday, April 16, is the ...
We have finished week 14 of the session and are quickly approaching our 100 day milestone, which is Tuesday, April 16, when the clerks are excused, and our per diem for travel expenses ends. We don’t anticipate having the budget fully passed by Tuesday, but we should be in the midst of those ...
Is local news readily available in your town? Do reporters still cover your school board and other municipal meetings? The State of Local News Project at Northwestern University documents the changing local news landscape across the country. Our latest report shows that where you live and how ...
With a $9.48 million grant from the Energy Improvement in Rural or Remote Areas (ERA) program, Montezuma, a town of 1,400 residents, is paving the way for rural communities and serving as a model for the future of local energy systems in Iowa. The Montezuma microgrid project, a partnership ...