This is the seventh year in which Public Interest Institute has updated the citizens of Iowa about Iowa Vote Tally. Iowa Vote Tally is a modified version of the National Taxpayers Union Foundation's Vote Tally. The purpose of Iowa Vote Tally is to let you know how Legislators voted to spend ...

The month of May was filled with graduations, relatives visiting, parties attended, photos taken, and "shrines" to the graduates crafted by their doting mothers. I know, I am one. In June we all collapsed and said, "Now what?"The Pew Research Center recently issued facts about today's college ...

Did you know that Iowa is among America's top ten Best Places to Retire? There are many good reasons for seniors to choose Iowa as their home. Topping the list are Iowa's relatively low cost of living and great health care, according to Bankrate.The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality ...

As the number of exemptions to Iowa's public records law has ballooned to 67, so, too, has the ability of public bodies to operate in secrecy.Take the case of a working group appointed by Gov. Terry Branstad in March after The Des Moines Register revealed that his administration was secretly ...

Q: What is ISIS?A: A radical group of Islamic extremists operating from the Middle East, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS, ISIL or Islamic State), is escalating its terrorist insurgency throughout the volatile region. ISIS splintered from the terrorist organization al Qaeda and since ...

A perfect credit rating and strong budget make Iowa one of the best run states in the country. As your state senator, I am committed to keeping Iowa's finances in good shape.I am proud of the bipartisan efforts of the Legislature to balance the state budget without raising taxes and set aside ...

September kicks off with Labor Day, a time to celebrate the achievements of working families as the foundation of a strong economy.Here in Iowa, we're always looking for ways to make our state the best possible place for hard-working families. Successful initiatives to strengthen Iowa's middle ...

The demand as well as the supply for smoke-free rental properties appears to be growing in Iowa. According to the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) Smoke-Free Housing Registry, 319 properties are now listed.These properties have at a minimum one building with a 100 percent smoke-free ...

At least it will ring out a warning unless they peddle the clapper first.With the ongoing looting of the Iowa Juvenile Home / State Training School for Girls of its contents (the State calls it "inventory and says the items will benefit other institutions) it would be wise to be watchful of the ...

Q: What is ALS?A: Some people may know the neurodegenerative disease by another name, Lou Gehrig's disease. ALS stands for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.To the tens of thousands of American families impacted by this progressive, debilitating disease, the diagnosis is devastating. The incurable ...