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Opinion

Meggers’ Memo: Week 6

Editorials

As we wrap up Week 6, I wanted to give some insights into what happened at the Capitol this week, especially because it was Funnel Week. What is Funnel Week? For those who are unfamiliar, Iowa lawmakers have self-imposed deadlines that help to keep bills moving through the legislative ...

On Nature: Arctic Under Attack

Local Columns

The coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a special and unique place in northernmost Alaska that supports calving caribou, denning polar bears, migratory birds that visit every state in the U.S., and is a sacred place of the Gwich’in people. However, it is also thought to ...

Iowa Republicans raise property taxes more than a socialist

Editorials

That damn socialist mayor out in New York threatened to hike property taxes by 9.5% unless he can ram through a wealth tax. Wait a New York minute: Property taxes on our humble metal shed along Railroad Street shot up more than 70% this year. Potholes pock the streets and we can barely afford ...

Iowans must stand up to chronic underfunding of public schools

Editorials

I started my career in rural Iowa in 1974 as an English, speech and reading teacher. Our students were top performers and the state’s education system was the gold standard. Educators and public schools in general were revered and respected by their communities. We didn’t have a lot of ...

The Lenten Lifestyle

Local Columns

Lent began as a way for professing Catholics to remind themselves of the value of repentance. Many people believe that giving something up or fasting for Lent is a way to attain God’s blessing and grace. But the Bible teaches that grace cannot be earned; grace is, by definition, a gift. Also, ...

Meggers’ Memo: Week 5

Editorials

As we wrap up Week 5 of Session, let me share what has been happening this week. Agriculture Committee Pushes Important Bills Ahead of Funnel The House Agriculture Committee was active this week, advancing legislation on a range of issues including thoroughbred and quarter horse racing, ...

Fairy Tales Part 5: Happily Ever After

Local Columns

They say that who you are is a product of the books you read and the people you spend time with. They also say that kids are sponges, that the brain reaches 90% of its adult size by age 7, and that these early years lay the foundation of learning and personality that will last the rest of their ...

Meggers’ Memo: Week 3

Editorials

Hello Friends. As we wrap up our fourth week of session, I wanted to brief you on what is happening here at the Capitol. Audits of the State Auditor’s Office Are Behind Schedule At the close of each fiscal year, the Department of Administrative Services (DAS) releases the Annual ...

Dengler Domain: Beef

Local Columns

Beef. It’s what’s for dinner. Well, for some, Argentinian beef. On February 6, President Trump signed an executive order to permit “an additional 80,000 metric tons of lean beef trimmings per year from Argentina to be imported tariff-free in four quarterly tranches of 20,000 metric tons ...