Opinion

I am a 1969 graduate of Iowa Lakes Community College (ILCC). That year, John Denver and the Mitchell Trio performed in concert on the ILCC campus. The commencement speaker was the then Iowa Governor Harold Hughes. Since my graduation from ILCC, I have watched the college grow and increase the number of campuses to five; one each in the principal counties served. During that 50-year period, the school has added a number of career and technical programs...

During Michael Cohen's testimony to Congress, he produced letters Trump directed him to send to Trump's high school and colleges, threatening them with legal action and jail time if they ever released his academic records. A seemingly strange thing to do when he repeatedly claimed that he graduated "first in his class" from the Warton School of Business at Penn. ...

School minutes from May 13, 2019: "Hanson/Johnson moved to approve resolution approving project and authorizing consideration of acquisition of real estate and potential use of power of eminent domain at 1602 Sixth St., Milford and 803 H Ave., Milford. A vote was taken as follows: Yes votes — Droegmiller, Johnson, Hansen. Absent — Weaver, Dodge. Motion carried."...

  Last week the serial anti-Trump letter writer thought President Trump received a poor reception in London. The American press did report it negatively, however the United Kingdom press had a very positive report. This is further proof the American national media knows only one way to report the news about President Trump – negative...

Governor Reynolds vetoed House File 732, which would have altered Iowa's cannabidiol program. The veto leaves Iowa's current cannabidiol law in place. HF 732 would have made several changes to 2016 law. The largest of which would be removing the 3% THC cap and allowing a person with a medical cannabidiol card to receive up to 25 grams of THC in 90 days. Patients would be responsible for managing their dosage in those 90 days and would be prohibited from receiving more in that time...

  Throughout its history, Iowa has been a place where women break barriers. Time after time, Iowa women have shown if they set their minds to something, work hard and believe in themselves, they can accomplish anything. On July 2, we celebrate the 100th anniversary of Iowans ratifying the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. It granted women the right to vote...

Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth. May was another strong month for state revenue, as tax collections were 28.1 percent higher than what was collected in May 2018. The $145 million increase in monthly collections raised the year to date growth in state revenue to 7.8 percent in Fiscal Year 2019, putting the state well ahead of the Revenue Estimating Conference’s projection of 4.8 percent growth. ...

Starting July 1, Iowa Total Care will be joining the Iowa Medicaid program and UnitedHealthcare will be leaving the program. All Medicaid members that have UnitedHealthcare have been notified with their initial assignment to either Amerigroup Iowa or Iowa Total Care. Those Medicaid members will have until June 18 to switch to the other managed care organization to be effective July 1...

DCTB received two grant awards in May for trail development in the Iowa Great Lakes. The first is a Wellmark Large match grant in the amount of $100,000 for construction of the Jones Pasture Trail that will be completed this summer. Wellmark offers these grant opportunities to communities in Iowa and South Dakota for projects that can help individuals, families and communities achieve better health though built environment initiatives that encourage physical activity...

Senate File 86 is a bill (now law) that places an organ donation symbol on hunting, fishing, or fur harvester licenses, similar to what is done with Iowa driver licenses. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed this bill on May 6.  Under this new law, there is an option to request that a donor symbol is added to your hunting, fishing, or fur harvester license will be added to the application for license, and future hunter education courses will include information on being an organ, tissue, or eye donor...

People who open up their homes and their hearts to children in need are truly special. They provide a stability, comfort and safety to kids who otherwise wouldn't have it. They offer support, guidance and most of all, love. The time and effort they willingly give is not only a blessing to the children they care for, but also their communities...

I'm going to go ahead and tell you. "Mental Health in the Heartland" has taken a good chunk of time and energy for every one of the authors in this series. It's a really complex subject, with a lot of background and a lot of faces in a lot of different fields. Just like everyone's least favorite Facebook relationship status — it's complicated...

On Monday, May 13, Iowa Gov. Reynolds signed Senate File 599, the Iowa Hemp Act, which starts the federal-state partnership to redevelop the industrial hemp industry. Governor Reynolds in her signing letter noted that this legislation will "… allow Iowa to begin the process of entering a new agricultural marketplace for hemp. ...

Word of Compass Pointe's closure last month was a stark reminder of the crisis rural America is facing in meeting the needs of those facing mental health and substance abuse issues. As awareness and openness regarding mental health conditions has increased in recent years, local, state and federal officials struggle to keep up with the demand for services, leaving those in need and their families struggling to find help...

A maroon Members Only jacket hangs in the back of my closet. It is neither warm, nor comfortable nor stylish. It simply exists as continued proof of a plethora of fashion choices society wishes it hadn't made. Of course, May is a month known for decisions being made by the young as they graduate — where they will go, what they will do, who they will become. It's a time when the community watches with great interest as the quasi-adults answer those questions for themselves...

Now that the 2019 session has ended, I thought it might be interesting to share a deeper dive into the state's budget.  At the end of session, supplemental appropriations for Fiscal Year 2019 totaled $168.6 million. This amount is driven by an $150.3 million increase for Medicaid and the $15 million one-time appropriation to help communities in western Iowa recover from this spring's flooding...

This past legislative session we worked hard to ensure high quality and affordable health care in the state of Iowa. The things we did to ensure that include $4.4 million for rural hospitals, $7.7 million for child care affordability, $2.8 million for additional mental health treatment, $5.9 million for additional Department of Human Services field employees, $400,000 for rural psychiatric residencies, and $3.1 million dollars for children’s mental health...

On Tuesday, April 23, the House passed Senate File 599 by a bi-partisan 95 "aye" to 3 "nay" vote. It had previously passed the Senate 49-1. SF 599 provides the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) with the primary role of implementing operating the Iowa Hemp program. I've received a lot of questions about this program...

During the 15th week of the legislative session, we continued our work toward adjournment for the year. We spent much of our time waiting for bills to come to us from the other chamber, waiting on amendments and debating some of the last proposals we will discuss this year. ...

As you read this message the 2019 session of the Iowa Legislature has ended. There were many things that were done this year to "move Iowa forward" and we were able to have a very successful session. This last session, we were able to put taxpayers first, ensure a world class education, ensure affordable and accessible health care, revitalize rural Iowa, enhance Iowa's workforce and economy and protect public safety...

Has the winter been rough on your car? Does it need repair caused by an accident on icy roads? Is it out of alignment or does it need new shocks due to all the potholes? Taking the time to find the right repair shop will save you money and future headaches...

As you prepare for finals and look ahead to summer jobs, don’t miss out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Have you ever considered working on Capitol Hill? My U.S. Senate office offers internship opportunities that will give you hands-on work experience in a fast-paced, dynamic work environment. Internships are open to all college-age students of any academic major...

Come Saturday, the spheres of pop-culture geekdom will come into alignment. The first Saturday in May is traditionally held as Free Comic Book Day across the country. It's a day in which comic retailers of all types open their doors and promote literacy through — you guessed it — free comic books. ...

I have talked about property tax reform a few times this year and Thursday morning at 3 a.m., the Iowa House passed a historic bill that simply requires communication on how property taxes are calculated and explained to the common taxpayer. The bill that was passed out of the House and sent to the governor has several main points to it that will protect and keep taxpayers informed. The bill deals with several topics including:...