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Editorials

Percentage of people in poverty dropped for the fifth consecutive year

The share of the U.S. population with incomes below the poverty level dropped between 2017 and 2018  the fifth consecutive annual drop, according to new American Community Survey (ACS) estimates released today. The 1-year estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau s 2018 ACS show declines in ...

Iowa: Look to Nebraska for Occupational Licensing Reform

Iowa's policymakers and business leaders agree: the state's economy needs more skilled workers. One area of regulatory reform state leaders should look at to address this problem is changing our occupational licensing requirements. Reducing onerous occupational licensing regulations in Iowa ...

District 72 Update: Robocalls

When we visit with constituents, some of the most common and persistent consumer complaints are about those irritating and sometimes frightening robocalls that we're all bombarded with day and night.Robocalls are recorded messages from scam artists to unsuspecting consumers. The scammers often ...

Greenhouse gas emissions and climate change: Key facts about paper’s impact

The pulp, paper and print industry is one of the lowest contributing industrial sectors to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at only 1% of emissions worldwide,[1] but consumers don't know it.A recent consumer survey commissioned by Two Sides showed a disconnect between consumer perceptions ...

This school year, let’s work together to support our state’s students

With the school year back in full swing, this is a great time to talk about the importance of parent and community involvement in our local schools. Researchers, educators and policymakers alike have all noted the importance of parent involvement as a key factor in helping students learn at ...

The National Preparedness Month of September presents a planning opportunity

There's a day, a week or a month for everything these days. Some designations, of course, are more important than others. A designation I hope all of you will heed is this September's National Preparedness Month.No one wants to believe something terrible will happen to them. But sometimes it ...

Who is going to pay?

We knew it was coming. A push to build a new school, or to completely remodel the middle school. It was easy to see was coming last winter when the district paid someone $12,500.00 to come in and find all the faults with the buildings we have. They even managed to find that the new elementary ...

“Get Your Walk On”

We've got a big goal this year, Iowans, and we need your help to achieve it. The Healthiest State Annual Walk is celebrating its ninth year. To celebrate, our goal is to have walks registered in all 99 counties across the state with a total of (at least) 900 walks.Help us reach our goal and ...

Improving rural health care

Rural communities are struggling to keep health care services available to their residents.Like most Americans, Iowans share growing concerns about the rising cost of prescription drugs, out-of-pocket health expenses and surprise medical bills. In states such as Iowa and Nebraska, we also face ...