When former Republican Gov. Terry Branstad signed executive order number 85 on March 24, 2014, he stated, “transparency provides Iowans the necessary access to information to hold our government accountable, and our Open Records Act is essential of ensuring openness . . . our administration ...
It’s well known America’s first president warned citizens – on Sept. 17, 1796 – about the negative impact political parties could have on the country. In George Washington’s farewell address, he felt politicians and their party of preference could become “unprincipled.” The ...
School districts across the country are facing a shortage of teachers and other positions in K-12 education, such as paraeducators, bus drivers, and substitutes. As students head back to school this fall, it’s estimated that the U.S. is short over 300,000 people to fill critically important ...
Ever have a day when something keeps needling you and you have a chance to let it out and you grab it? Today was the day! After wallowing in the mud on Tama County gravel roads for the last two weeks, the Tama County Supervisors meeting was to be held today at 9:30 a.m. My first question was ...
We all heard about the horrible tragedy of the young lady killed by a ‘pack of feral dogs’ on the Settlement recently. However, it might behoove us all to understand the problem in more depth. The Settlement has long been the recipient of unwanted dogs (and cats) from surrounding ...
Once a year this old dog has to shake the fleas out, get refreshed and just unload all of those testy little irritants, called "pet peeves" out in the open and move on. So this column today is dedicated to pet peeves that haunt everyone. Here are a few of yours and then I'll share a few of ...
What a huge week for Iowa. St. Patrick's Day, Hawkeye and Cyclone NCAA basketball, both the men and women, and even UNI is in a basketball tournament. The warmer weather is coming and it's just a good time to be alive, don't ya think? And to top it off, did you hear where the Gunder Burger ...
Noah Webster, of dictionary fame, is spoken of as the founding father of American scholarship and education. His words are just as true today as they were in 1832 when he spoke them. And they need no commentary from me. “It is extremely important to our nation, in a political as well as ...
Every once in a while it's time to clear the air on a few things, clean off my desk of stuff and just endear you with my vast knowledge of nothing. A "friend" mentioned to me last week that I have the innate ability to write an entire column without saying anything. I think he meant to insult ...
I have been asked why I care about climate change when I am not directly affected. I continue my retired lifestyle, visit my grandchildren, and enjoy nature. I am too old to be affected by future predictions. I care because my neighbors, the residents of Earth, and Earth itself are being ...