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Editorials

Iowa Outdoors

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is hosting a series of town hall-style meetings where local staff provide updates on recently completed hunting seasons, discuss possible changes to hunting rules and regulations, and address other topics as requested. Locally, the Iowa DNR will ...

Winter storm demonstrates importance of diverse energy sources

Significant snow, wind, and brutally cold temperatures impacted Nebraska and much of the Midwest in January. Given the frequency of extreme weather events experienced across the U.S. during the past several years, preparing for emergencies is an important consideration for utilities and ...

Sweeney from the Iowa Senate: Week 4

We are finishing up the fourth week of this year’s session, and we remained as busy as ever as we worked on many major priorities in the legislature. It was a pleasure to meet with students from all across the district during FFA Day on the Hill on Tuesday. High school students came and ...

District 53 Newsletter: Feb. 1, 2024 Edition

As week four of the session comes to a close, the discussion on the governor’s bill to restructure the Area Education Agencies (AEA) appears to be coming to a resolution, at least for now. This week, Iowa House Republicans held a subcommittee on the Governor’s amended AEA proposal. In ...

Changes to crop insurance regulations demonstrate support for conservation

Crop insurance provides a safety net for farmers, protecting their operations from loss due to natural perils such as drought, frost, excess moisture, pest infestations, or disease. While essential for many farmers, the rules regulating crop insurance have often been at odds with conservation ...

District 53 Newsletter: Jan. 18, 2024 Edition

Week two of the session is done, this is the week when we begin our work on bills in earnest. I’ve chaired a few subcommittee’s this week for bill’s assigned to me by the Public Safety Committee chair, and served as a member of several others. I’m also working on writing and filing ...

New Tama-Toledo Christian School

Our children’s education is one of the most important and most sacred responsibilities of parents. Parents have the largest impact on their child’s education and parent involvement is one of the most significant indicators of a child’s success in school (Mapp, Carver, & Lander, 2017). ...

Rural voices essential to democratic process

Iowa lawmakers are gathering once again in Des Moines for another year of debating and passing legislation. The democratic process is something America prides itself on and one that requires input from citizens to thrive. As new bills are being introduced and debated, lawmakers need to hear ...

Opening Week in the Iowa Legislature, from the Desk of Senator Giddens

As Iowa’s 2024 legislative session kicked off last week, I want to take a moment to say hello and thanks for your engagement in Iowa’s future. This year, I’m committed to living our Iowa values and offering A Better Deal for Iowans. To do that, we need passionate Iowans like you to stay ...

District 53 Newsletter: Jan. 12, 2024 Edition

The 2024 Legislative session began on January 8, and as always, the first week was filled with speeches and all the ceremony that surrounds them. Of course, the highlight of those speeches is always the Governor’s Condition of the State address that was delivered by Gov. Reynolds on Tuesday ...