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Editorials

Iowans heed the call for pollinator habitat development

In 2016, the Iowa Farm Service Agency (FSA), worked with Iowa farmers and landowners to convert 97,371 acres of cropland to new pollinator habitat plantings by utilizing the Conservation Reserve program (CRP), more specifically the CP42 Pollinator Habitat Initiative. The purpose of this ...

State benefit plans

The Iowa General Assembly (IGA) needs to change the pension system for state employees from the current Defined Benefit (DB) plan to a Defined Contribution (DC) plan as soon as possible (ASAP). Public Interest Institute has written about this problem and its solution numerous times in the ...

Veterans can fill skilled job openings

Iowa needs skilled workers to fill immediate openings and anticipated retirements over the next five years. Our state has an average of 34,718 daily job vacancies and more than 100,000 workers are likely to retire by 2021.Attracting and retaining military service members and veterans can help ...

Ernst condemns VA Secretary’s comments on wait times

WASHINGTON, D.C. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA), the first female combat veteran to serve in the U.S. Senate, issued the following statement after Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald compared veterans' wait times at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to lines at Disneyland:"Waiting ...

Vote Tuesday, June 7

Primary Election Day is Tuesday, June 7, and I encourage all eligible Iowans to make their voices heard by participating. Exercising the right to vote is one of our most important civic duties. We are very privileged to live in this great country where we have the freedom to choose our elected ...

Q&A: Memorial Day

Q: Why is Memorial Day a federal holiday?A: This holiday observes the ultimate sacrifice of more than 1 million Americans who served in the Armed Forces and lost their lives in the line of duty. It is a day of reverence and remembrance for our fallen heroes, the sons and daughters whose call ...

Why history is important in our public life

History is not just a matter of personal opinion, individual preference, or sectarian dogma. It is about truth: what is real, reliable, and factual. Our knowledge of the past is related to what exists in memory, in documents, in artifacts, in monuments, and in other physical remains. Part of ...

May is School Board Recognition Month

Facts from The Iowa Association of School BoardsRole of School Board Members-Vision: The school board engages the community in setting the course to guide local education, keeping student achievement as the primary focus.Structure: The school board employs a superintendent, adopts policies and ...

Iowa’s “Bucket List”

The concept of the "bucket list" gained great attention from the film The Bucket List a 2007 American comedy-drama film directed by Rob Reiner. The plot follows two terminally ill men on their road trip with a wish list of things to do before they "kick the bucket."A "bucket list", is a list ...

May Monthly Consumer Focus: Dietary supplements

When you pick up a prescription medication, it's likely a drug that's been clinically tested, is proven safe, and is regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). When you purchase a dietary supplement, it's a product that the FDA does not evaluate or review for safety and ...