March 21, 1984: The arrest count rose to 12, as Eldridge police continued to work through a drug investigation at North Scott High School. One adult and three students were charged with selling drugs, and eight students were charged with possession of a controlled substance. Police chief Gil Hansen said more arrests were likely after students returned from spring break. He added more than $500 worth of marijuana and amphetamines had also been confiscated. more

I wanted to begin the column by thanking all of the citizens who attended my Listening Posts and forums this year. We held over 12 events in three different counties. Of course, you always have the occasional person there who wants to score political points through disruption or a litany of loaded questions but the overwhelming majority of people were thoughtful concerned citizens with great ideas! Thank you. I learn from these experiences. more

Iowans found their way back to the state’s 19 casinos in February, as gaming tax payments rebounded from January’s dip. more

Our second legislative deadline has passed, which means we had another busy week working on moving House bills through the Iowa Senate. Policy bills are required at this time to be through a committee in the opposite chamber to be considered for the rest of the legislative session. more

"Your continued thoughts and prayers are greatly appreciated ..." more

In 1975, Eldridge City Council members, recognizing that their meetings which sometimes lasted until 11:30 at night were way too long, made a decision to offload discussion of utility details by creating a separate utility board. The town was a third of its current population then, but growing rapidly. more

I’m working on a story for next month. And it’s kind of an unbelievable story, although what I’m about to tell you might seem unremarkable. So you’ll just have to trust me for now. But I did want you to meet two characters. more

March 13, 1974: A group of Eldridge residents said they planned to fight the U.S. Department of Transportation’s plan to abandon the Milwaukee Railroad spur from Bettendorf to Mount Joy and Eldridge. “The economic impact of its loss could be very serious,” wrote the North Scott Industrial Development Board. The Milwaukee Railroad said it also planned to fight the DOT on the matter. more

Last week, the House of Representatives had a busy week of debate. more

The Iowa House unanimously passed House File 2581, a bill to make changes to the Iowa One Call system. Iowa One Call is the 8-1-1 phone number that Iowans call before they dig to ensure that underground utilities are not harmed. The Iowa One Call system currently processes over 540,000 tickets and coordinates more than 2.7 million locate requests per year throughout Iowa. more

"Feeling the obligation to recognize the governor's skills and offer thanks of relief, Bill Wohlford, former course co-owner sharpened his carving tools and parodied Iowa's iconic artist, Grant Wood, with a version of his 'American Gothic' ..." more

"The HAVlife Foundation seeks to allow all youth to experience life in the fullest - increasing exposure to positive community influences and enhancing the development of a positive and confident approach to citizenship ..." more

"Please vote for democracy! Our lives and those of our children depend on it ..." more

Four years ago this week, on Tuesday, March 3, 2020, voters of Eldridge and the North Scott School District, in separate measures, gave thumbs up to funding a YMCA in Eldridge. The taxpayers would build it, and the YMCA of the Iowa Mississippi Valley would run it. more

March 6, 1974: The North Scott School District purchased 13 acres of land in Park View for $26,000. While the site had been eyed for an elementary school in the past, the land purchase did not guarantee a school would be built there. Any construction would require a bond referendum. more

Republicans in the Iowa Legislature say they don’t want politics in your kid’s classroom. But that’s not true. They don’t mind politics in your kid’s classroom—as long as it’s their politics. more

Last week was filled with idea exchange, constituent input and debate/decision, below are the detailed  results of that work along with a few additional highlights of activities in committee. more

Our second legislative deadline for this year’s legislative session is getting closer. The eighth week of the session focused on debate, as well as starting our work on the bills we’ve received from the House of Representatives. more

"... Trump wants to win to save his power over others. That’s his drug ..." more

"Harmony and cooperation have been broken by the Republicans. Iowans deserve the freedom to join in a union. They deserve the right to negotiate for working conditions ..." more