What do the infamous Watergate scandal and overwhelming regulatory burden on community banks have in common? "Follow the Money." Many of us remember this quip from the Watergate scandal. It was another way for "Deep Throat," the most famous source in American history, to say "connect the dots." ...

The Iowa Grocery Industry Association (IGIA) has announced its support of legislation SSB 3178, which will level the playing field and support local businesses. The legislation will require out-of-state online only retailers with a presence in the state to collect the same sales tax Iowa ...

Greetings from under the dome, If you've ever had to pull over on the shoulder of a busy highway, you know how dangerous it can be. High speeds and distracted drivers can be a dangerous combination on any road but if you need to fix a tire or wait for a tow truck, it can be deadly. It is never ...

Ever wondered "Why doesn't someone do something about ______ (fill in the blank) to improve my community?" Leadership programs give an individual the awareness, training, and networking to be that someone and take the lead to make it happen.Leaders are vital assets to communities and ...

When a city approves a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) zone, the property taxes collected are not divided between the city, county, and school districts Instead the increased (increment) revenue is all diverted to only the city which established the TIF. It was thought that by allowing the city ...

This next week is known as "funnel week", which means that those policy bills that involve funding need to be out of committee next week. Several important policy bills will be decided upon and begin the political process toward ultimate passage of both houses and the Governor's signature. ...

Greetings from under the dome, This week the Senate Transportation Committee passed Senate Study Bill 3141, more commonly referred to as the Gas Tax Bill. The bill would increase Iowa fuel tax by five cents in 2013 and five more cents in 2014. The bill specifies that the money collected from ...

Have you ever thought about whether your job is a "hot" one? Depending on what's going on around campus, some days my job is hotter than others. But I'm not talking about the kind of "if-you-can't-stand-the-heat-get-out-of-the-kitchen" type of job, I'm talking about jobs that are hot because ...

Greetings from under the dome, Governor Branstad, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey and Senate Republicans this week commended the United States Department of Labor after learning that the department has begun to reconsider onerous regulations on youth working on farms. In November of ...

Let's get ready to celebrate! We can start thinking of spring, warmer weather, the countryside turning green and probably a great deal of litter and trash on the roadsides and the landscape. With these thoughts we need to start putting plans together for our "Spring Housecleaning" for Iowa ...