Q: What is the blue slip tradition in the U.S. Senate? A: The blue slip refers to a paper form, literally a blue piece of paper, the Senate Judiciary Committee has used for more than a century to give home-state senators the courtesy to show their endorsement or disapproval for a presidential ...
Many rural Coloradans, especially in agricultural communities, feel looked down on by their urban counterparts. One cattle rancher I spoke to put it plainly. “It’s an attitude … we are the idiots … we are the dumb farmers … we don’t really matter.” The sentiment is also ...
Senator Grassley recently released a public statement in which he acknowledged that climate change is a serious issue (i.e. not a myth), but he also called for a vigorous debate to determine if climate change is an “existential threat to the planet” as the Biden administration had ...
Q: What are you hearing from Iowans during your county meetings? A: During the month of August, I take advantage when the Senate’s not in session to spend all my time in Iowa. As usual, I’m continuing my annual 99 county meetings and listening to Iowans across the state. By the end of the ...
I heard from some fellow CCI members up in Hardin County that on August 6, their County Supervisors voted to approve another factory farm in the area. This isn’t good news for the folks living in Hardin County or for our ongoing water quality crisis. The only one smiling about this is ...
While I am no longer growing food on a large scale, I became a slightly more aggressive gardener this year. I planted popcorn, peas, green beans, green peppers, sweet peppers, and sunflowers in a plot with a diameter of five feet. Marigolds and zinnias from the farm were also sprinkled in the ...
Q: What is the Presidential Physical Fitness Award? A: Nearly 70 years ago during the Eisenhower administration, the President’s Council on Youth Fitness developed a program to prioritize physical fitness, strength and healthy habits among America’s school-age children. Post-World War ...
Earlier this summer, I attended my 30th high school reunion in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and the event was one of the most eye-opening experiences I’ve ever had in Iowa. After my classmates and I moved past the typical catchup about families, careers, and major life events, the conversation turned ...
In the mid-19th century leading up to the Westward Expansion, people traveled by covered wagon to attend the first Iowa State Fair in 1854 on a six-acre tract in Fairfield. Today, more than a million visitors stroll the historic state fairgrounds in Des Moines to soak in the sights, sounds ...
The knight has seen better days. I wouldn’t doubt the full-size suit of armor was at the entrance when Traer Pizza Palace opened under that name. After all, there was a theme to be had, and the building lacks turrets or a moat. Somewhere along the line, perhaps during the few years’ ...