One of the anticipated events of spring is the arrival of migrating monarch butterflies, but in recent years their number has declined greatly. Much of this loss has been caused by a great reduction in the abundance of milkweeds, the required food of monarch larvae, as a result of intensive ...
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Mental wellness is an important topic in my life and has been for many years. I have assisted many in my personal and professional life who need support in these areas. In my early teen years, I lost an aunt to suicide. A few years later, I lost my ...
April has been a great month of warmer temperatures and finally some much needed rain! The budget development process is now behind us for the year, but we will continue to monitor it as the year progresses. Our Supervisor meetings are running smoothly and the agendas are still very full. You ...
Telegraph Note: This column will publish in next week's print edition of the newspaper. If there is one thing that continues to stand out to me, it is how lucky I am to work alongside such great people. The staff at the Sheriff’s Office make my job easier every single day, and I cannot ...
Editor's Note: Chris Behrens submitted his resignation as interim Tama County Zoning Administrator/Weed Commissioner on Wednesday, April 30. His resignation is set to be addressed during a Friday, May 2 meeting of the Board of Supervisors. Well, our Board of Supervisors has done it again. ...
President Trump’s Fiscal Year 2026 draft budget calls for the defunding of many critical programs provided to older persons across the country. The State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) provides Medicare beneficiaries with information, counseling, and enrollment assistance. Its ...
When lawmakers return to Washington, D.C. from their April recess, I don’t have a good feeling about what’ll come next. They’ll begin the process of budget reconciliation, and it doesn’t bode well for rural America. Just look at the budget resolutions they passed before leaving ...
When you have an issue, you go straight to the source. This is what I did recently by taking a trip to Washington D.C. I went to receive advocacy training and advocate for family farms at the expense of the Iowa Farmers Union (IFU). Done through their national organization, this was the first ...
Well, it is Monday April 21. Our great Tama County Board of Supervisors just proved Tama County citizens are not in their best interest. Zoning Administrator Bob Vokoun was on the agenda today and ended up giving his notice of resignation effective May 1, 2025. Our wonderful Board accepted his ...
We are now fourteen weeks into the 2025 legislative session, and the pace at the Capitol remains brisk. This week alone, the Senate passed more than 30 bills addressing a variety of important topics, from civics education requirements for high school students to interstate compacts for health ...