When I was sitting court-side at Vibrant Arena March 15 before the UNI women's game tipped off in the Missouri Valley Tournament, I watched the three-member officiating crew – all women – go through their pre-game warmups and made a mental note of how seriously they were taking their responsibilities. more

"If this bill passes, Iowa farmers and agricultural workers will be unable to hold chemical companies accountable for the dangerous risk associated with using their products ..." more

"Let’s kindly encourage these foreign athletes to learn our language, and compliment them for each demonstration of progress they make along this very difficult road ..." more

"We are tired of all the shenanigans, power grabs and greed coming from Des Moines. And it is time for a change ..." more

If you were having a conversation with your best friend and he said your outfit looked horrible that day, would that make you feel good? more

The 14th week of the 2024 legislative session brought more bills to the House floor. As Chairman of the House Appropriation Committee, I have scheduled budget bills to start being voted on within our committee. We will soon be reaching the end of our session. more

The 14th week included a lot of floor debate as we work through bills going through both the House and the Senate. more

April 18, 1984: Doug Otto was hired as the fourth superintendent in North Scott’s history. Otto was currently serving as the superintendent at Rockridge, Ill., and would replace Robert “Bear” Stevens, who was taking a position as superintendent in Glenbard, Ill. more

The images are grim, and the April 10 first-person report from the Amnesty International fieldworker inside Gaza is sickening: more

Lancer Productions’ presentation of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” opens this weekend, and I have much to report. more

"Volunteers are an essential extension of the Compassus hospice care team. From directly interacting with patients and families to working with care team members behind the scenes to help operations run smoothly, they provide a vital service ..." more

"... I cannot recommend this play highly enough. It is a testament to the enduring relevance and transformative potential of the theatrical arts ..." more

House File 2634 removes the $7.0 million cap on the real estate transfer tax (RETT) that is deposited in the housing trust fund (HTF)—resulting in an increase to that fund and affordable housing across the state. The bill passed out of the House Economic Growth and Technology and Ways and Means Committees as well as off the House Floor unanimously. more

On April 10, the Iowa House passed House File 2641 by a near unanimous 96-aye to 1-nay vote. HF 2641 is the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) departmental bill. The measure proposes a number of changes to the Code that make technical corrections to update Code verbiage, remove dormant or obsolete program and Code provisions, and restructures Code language concerning the Choose Iowa Promotional Program. more

April 24, 1974: North Scott teachers were preparing to enter contract negotiations with the district and asked for a $1,000 pay increase, to $8,400 for the 1974-75 school year. Jack Dudley of the North Scott Education Association said the district had not kept pace with the cost of living. Dudley said the average teacher was paid $10,290 in the last school year, which worked out to about $4.82 per hour, assuming a teacher only worked eight hours per day during the nine-month contract period. Starting sweepers at Caterpillar earned $4.95 per hour. more

Thank you to readers who said they appreciated last week's "Impressions" which explained the difficult choices in the Israeli-Hamas War – thanks largely to the teaching pastor, the Rev. Peter Pettit, of St. Paul Lutheran. One reader wrote, "Thanks for your explanation of the Israel/Hamas war. I didn't understand what was going on, but your article helped me to grasp the problem." more