ByLeonard BoswellAs gas prices rise to nearly $4/gallon across our nation, I am leading an effort in Congress and within the House Agriculture Committee to investigate every contributing factor to the skyrocketing price of oil including the role of Wall Street speculators in driving up the ...

ByLauraSnyderMy freezer is full. One would think if one has a full freezer, there would be something in there to make for dinner.So why is it that, when I open the freezer door, I can't find anything to eat? This has happened before. I found that life became much easier after I trained my ...

Legislative Costs and 2-Year BudgetsGovernor Branstad was elected by an overwhelming majority of Iowans last year. He is sticking to a key component of his campaign, a two-year state budget. Many "experts" point out both pros and cons to a 2-year process and they are neither strongly for, or ...

By Senator Charles GrassleyQ. In Washington, how much time do you spend meeting with Iowans, compared to work on the Senate floor, in committee meetings and in other discussions and work?A. When I'm in Washington, D.C., for Senate business, I meet with many Iowans who are visiting the ...

BySenator TimKapucianGreetings from the Capitol!!As we move toward the second funnel week in the Iowa Senate we are debating many hot topics.Among this week's debated legislation was the passage of dove hunting. Like it or not, a dove hunting season was adopted in the House and the Senate and ...

Want to live better on the money you already make? Visit to find hundreds of articles to help you stretch your day and your dollar! Copyright 2011 Dollar Stretcher, Inc.Travel SizedA tube of travel size toothpaste is almost as expensive as the full size, but I discovered that I can reuse the ...

Dear Editor:National Volunteer Week is April 10 - 16, a time to recognize and celebrate the thousands of people who give selflessly of their time and talents in service to others. Nowhere is this volunteer presence more important than in our nation's hospice and palliative care programs.Care ...

BySenatorCharles GrassleyQ. What is the Sunshine in the Courtroom Act?A. The Sunshine in the Courtroom Act is a bipartisan bill that I reintroduced in February with fellow senators including the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, where I serve as the Ranking Republican. The ...

ByDawnPettengillUp Two Thousand Seven Hundred and Thirty steep steps in high heels. That's all the exercise I got last week. The rest was hurrying to meetings, so I could sit for an hour, and then the elevator down, of course. I definitely need to add more exercise somehow. Remember ...

BySenator Tom HarkinWhen Cliff, a veteran from the Vietnam War, sought assistance from my office, his claim had been pending with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for more than three years. He was suffering from cancer, yet the VA had not approved him for service-connected disability ...