February 20 saw the passage of the first legislative funnel. This is a deadline lawmakers set to winnow down bills eligible for consideration for the remainder of the session. It doesn’t apply to spending bills, but does a good job of narrowing what lawmakers will focus on around the midpoint ...
A week of debate This was the seventh week of the legislative session and it was filled with debate following our first legislative funnel deadline last week. Some of the bills we passed in the Senate this week include: Senate File 2219: This bill requires school districts to grant a ...
The La Porte-Dysart FFA Chapter is inviting the community to help grow the future of agricultural education at Union High School. In 2026, the chapter is launching the Greener Futures Greenhouse Campaign which is a multi-year effort to raise $130,000 to renovate the educational greenhouse at ...
The coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a special and unique place in northernmost Alaska that supports calving caribou, denning polar bears, migratory birds that visit every state in the U.S., and is a sacred place of the Gwich’in people. However, it is also thought to ...
Funnel Week The sixth week of the legislative session officially kicked off the rush toward the first major legislative deadline. The initial "funnel" deadline is this week, making it imperative to advance any ideas intended for further consideration. This deadline brought a flurry of ...
A recently released U.S. House farm bill proposal underinvests in proven solutions farmers rely on to cut fertilizer waste, protect drinking water and reduce climate pollution, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). With mounting financial pressures on farmers, lawmakers ...
I started my career in rural Iowa in 1974 as an English, speech and reading teacher. Our students were top performers and the state’s education system was the gold standard. Educators and public schools in general were revered and respected by their communities. We didn’t have a lot of ...
When a new baby needs to be fed, the Winter Olympics are a perfect background watch. These winter athletes have graced the television screen as the baby feeds. National pride is always sky high with gold medals on the line. Chanting U-S-A comes easy during the Olympics, though quietly with ...
First legislative deadline next week This week was the fifth week of the legislative session, and with our first legislative deadline coming up next week, our focus remained on subcommittee and committee meetings to consider legislation for this year. More subcommittee and committee meetings ...
February can feel like a quiet month. The holidays are behind us, winter is still hanging on, and spring feels far away. But for many local businesses and community organizations, February is an important time of year. This is when planning happens. Business owners are looking back at what ...