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 ...
Dear Editor, Iowa House Representative Dean Fisher was a vocal supporter of private school vouchers. However, he will use the taxpayer voucher money to establish and run his private school after passing the law. In other words, I believe he utilized his elected position to enrich himself. ...
It is generally understood that carbon pollution is changing our climate and negatively impacting some native species. One example is the decrease in Monarch butterflies caused, in part, by continuing drought that limits food during migration. However, the opposite is also happening. Nature can ...
A recent Iowa Starting Line article noted University of Northern Iowa students do not plan to stick around after graduation. For a state with a workforce problem, this is not good. Whether it is on the microlevel, people leaving rural Iowa for a larger Iowa city or on the macrolevel, people ...
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 ...
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 ...
Sometimes I bury the lede. I’m famous for a slow-burning, long setup that tries to make everything come together in a grand revelation at the end, or that leaves a question hanging for the reader to gnaw on. But this is a time for clarity, so let me say it clearly. Terrorism is not the ...
Greetings friends and neighbors! The full Senate began debate last week, with consideration of bills previously passed out of committees. Bills that passed the Senate last week now move over to the House for their consideration. What’s Alive and What’s Dead in the Iowa Senate Two weeks ...
This past weekend my wife and I went to the grand reopening of the Val Air Ballroom in West Des Moines. Only a few years ago, we went to a concert at this venue, and I was thankful they kept the lights dimmed as much as possible. Soon after this concert, the venue was closed for remodel. ...
Dear Editor, This is in regards to the February 16 article in the Sun-Courier [and North Tama Telegraph] about the public library legislation. By the way people talk, you would think the proposed library bill seeks to ban libraries, when it only gives city councils the *option* of exercising ...