We think of education as the great equalizer, and we count on our schools to give every child a fair shot at success as an adult.Unfortunately, some kids face bigger challenges in school than their classmates do because their families are struggling to make ends meet. The number of Iowa kids ...
The school board has decided to call a special election on February 4th to get permission to raise taxes on property owners for the next ten years. They were declined on September 10th. February 4th can be pretty blustery and blizzardlike, so I am hoping for good weather so rural residents and ...
In my previous column I talked about a meeting between a delegation from Toledo and the governor's office regarding the Iowa Juvenile Home (IJH). That meeting occurred the afternoon of Friday, November 15 at the capitol. The delegation included attorney Jim Roan, President of the State Bank of ...
This is shaping up to be one of the most critical holiday shopping seasons in recent memory. Due to a quirk in the calendar, Thanksgiving arrives less than a month before Christmas. With the economy looking to rebound, this year's Black Friday has drawn even more attention.For consumers, Black ...
When I was a little girl, my father would take me to church on Thanksgiving Eve or maybe Thanksgiving morning. He would march me down the aisle and plop us two rows from the pulpit, right in front. Now, I never did know if that was because that is where he liked to sit, or if it was an attempt ...
Today (Nov.15) is National Philanthropy Day, to "recognize and pay tribute to the great contributionsmade to our lives, our communities, and our world." Iowans consistently rank near the top nationally (third in 2011) in volunteering and philanthropy. Education, both government and ...
According to the United States Uniform Crime Rate Report, crime in the United States accounts for more death, injuries and loss of property then all natural disasters combined. Approximately 13 million people are victims of crime each year with 1.5 million being victims to violent crimes. We ...
The Iowa Department of Revenue and local governments are rolling out the new Business Property Tax Credit the Legislature approved this year (Senate File 295).Commercial property owners can take advantage of the Business Property Tax Credit at www.iowa.gov/tax/locgov/13PTReform.html. There ...
Q: What is the status of the farm and food bill?A: The clock is ticking for the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to renew the federal farm and food bill that would set public policy for agriculture, nutrition, conservation, disaster assistance and rural development for the next five ...
One of the things that has become crystal clear to me amidst all of the rhetoric and posturing that is going on over the federal "government shutdown" that began at the beginning of October is that Iowa does it better. Much better.First, let's engage in some common sense and honesty. The ...