Has our political system failed us? For most of our country’s history and especially during recent decades, our choices have been basically restricted to only two political parties. Over time, this has caused an increasingly divided and ineffective government and a dangerously widening gap ...
By Sen. Jeff Edler This was the fourth week of the legislative session. We continued our work on many important issues in subcommittee and committees, and also had more floor debate. One of the bills we discussed is Senate File 231, allowing a person holding a special minor’s ...
With 2020 behind us, we can only hope that 2021 will be much better! I hope your new year is off to a great start. Already in this new year, we have so much to be grateful for. Tama County Public Health has worked tirelessly throughout the COVID 19 pandemic since it began and now they are ...
Iowa’s Holocaust For decades the mental and physical torture of animals in Iowa’s Industrial Confined Animal buildings has been reported and ignored in our supposedly humane state. This involves chickens, turkeys, cattle, and in the largest part, pigs, who are known to have mental and ...
At the Middle School level, our students have had the least consistent year. However, our students have remained resilient and adaptable as we face the challenges associated with COVID-19. As a school, we were virtual for 13 weeks after the building was damaged. This week concludes 6 weeks of ...
Cornfields, Common Sense and Community Sen. Jeff Edler Dear Constituents, I hope this finds you all well and healthy. Our state has been through a number of unique challenges since my last newsletter and I am proud of Iowa’s determination to persevere and rise above the derecho and all the ...
January 13, 2021 The 89th Iowa General Assembly has begun. There is much the same as previous years of course, but much that is different as well due to the Wuhan virus. We continue to social distance, we are meeting in larger rooms, and we are taking care to minimize the number of meetings. ...
Sheda’s Grocery Store! Before we begin this little picture into the past, let’s be perfectly clear on one item; my Dad, Tony W. Sheda, was no saint! No way and no how am I, his youngest, best-looking and most talented son trying to make that statement. In fact, Dad probably is still ...
Why Did The Chicken Cross The Road? A while back, a friend, (I think he was anyway), sent me some answers to this eternal question from some very interesting people. I’m sure their quotations are not accurate but given their personal thoughts, personalities and ideas about life and ...
Dear Editor: As President of the Louise & Lucile Hink-Tama Library Board, I was shocked to hear that the Tama City Council voted to slash the Library Budget by $50,000. I know many of you felt the same way. I had no idea something like this was being considered as the agenda item stated ...