"I think it is high time to discuss these issues of water quality intellectually and responsibly for Americans of the twenty-first century. As folks in Agriculture we have to also admit that some of the things we now know should be looked at and evaluated, even to the point that we - the farming community - have made some mistakes due to economic pressure and the lure to feed a hungry world ..." more

"Out of 49 water quality projects in Scott County, 11 areas of water improvement were helped by the bipartisan plan. Mount Joy and Parkview will see storm water improvements ..." more

"Dictators are no friend to democracy.  If we do not speak up before we lose our democracy, we will have no one to blame but ourselves with no scapegoats ..." more

Friday afternoon we were at Fillmore Elementary School in the Ridgeview section of Davenport, just south of Interstate 80 off of Division Street, for the sixth and last of Rotary club president Tracy Lindaman's "Pay It Forward" days. more

May 12, 1999: Rumors of violence caused more than 100 students to leave North Scott High School early. Principal Nick Hobbs stressed that the administration had no reason to believe there were any actual threat. “We have nothing concrete, in terms of what the rumor was, or who started it. We have nothing concrete as to whether or not a threat was actually made against somebody.” Hobbs said many schools had been dealing with unspecified threats in the wake of the shootings at Columbine High School in Colorado, which was causing national tension. more

A new federal audit has revealed a surprising claim about biofuel tax credits: One third of the credits sampled by investigators lacked the required documentation, meaning the claims should not have been allowed. more

"Dad was so impressed by the organization of the trip and still raves about the wonderful reception at the airport when the flight finally came in around 10:30 p.m. ..." more

"Since his first election to the Scott County Board of Supervisors in 2016, Ken Beck has been instrumental in making amazing things happen for the betterment of the county and all of us who reside in it.  I’ll cite a few of the myriad of reasons Ken has earned my vote for a third term ..." more

"Those who know Ken will agree that he is responsive, engaged in the community, understands the need to be accountable to the taxpayers and gets the job done ..." more

"I wanted to express my appreciation for the recent gathering in Iowa City featuring House Speaker Mike Johnson, hosted by our congresswoman, Rep. Mariannette Miller Meeks ..." more

"What would make a person vote for a man who is only interested in bettering himself at the expense of others, namely our country ..." more

"You don’t have to vote for Joe.  Write in Nikki ..." more

A group of good-hearted volunteers in the Quad Cities is welcoming refugees and putting into practice the Biblical injunctions, "Am I my brother's keeper?" (Gen. 4: 9) and "I was a stranger and you invited me in." (Mt. 25:35). more

May 1, 1974: A 21-year-old Bettendorf man was seriously injured after he stopped to help another driver change a flat tire along Highway 61 near Interstate 80. A southbound vehicle veered off the roadway, pinning the man between it and the disabled vehicle. The man was taken to Mercy Hospital, where one of his legs had to be amputated. more

The 2024 session was a big win for Iowans, and we passed some major legislation to address the concerns of Iowans and the issues important to them. With all these accomplishments, we are looking forward to getting back home to our districts, spending time with our families, and talking with constituents about our successes this year. more

"Is it wrong to ask highly paid professionals to TRY to respond in English, even though it might be a broken-English? When they try, I’ll be the first to congratulate them ..." 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

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

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

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