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Editorials

An update on the county budget

We have turned the page on another year at the Tama County Board of Supervisors. Mid-January means that it is time for budget hearings and discussions. When the new board took over last January, we promised transparency and made a commitment to the taxpayer to use sound budgeting principles. ...

Embracing Iowa’s Energy and Future

As your State Senator representing District 27, one of the unique privileges of this role is gaining firsthand insight into innovative technologies and opportunities emerging across North America. With the Iowa legislative session set to begin in January 2026, I've been reflecting on upcoming ...

Pray for divided government: Iowa can’t stand another four years of zealotry

2025 was arduous and is good to have behind us. The fever might have broken. Trump was raving mad on TV last week, almost spitting into the camera. This just days after saying that he doesn’t want Somalis living here because they are garbage. It was astonishing to hear even this president ...

Ringing in America250

As we wind down the year, America is winding up to celebrate an important milestone in our nation’s history. On July 4, 2026, the United States of America will celebrate the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding. When the clock strikes midnight on December 31, America inches closer ...

Where the wind blows: Wind development’s impacts on rural infrastructure

Iowa is a national leader in wind production, and that leadership has brought real benefits to rural counties like Adair and Howard. As local governments work to stretch limited budgets to keep roads drivable, bridges safe, and parks well-maintained, wind energy tax revenue has become a ...

Woodpeckers great and small

WOODPECKERS have unique habits that place them into a category of avian critters who conduct their life and food gathering abilities in similar fashion. Scientists place them in the family named Picidae. All have strong claws, short legs, strong stiff tail feathers to help them climb trees and ...

Farmers know that we were better off

Can’t live with them, can’t live without them. Farm subsidies, that is. They distort markets, suppress diversity, and create winners and losers. We can’t get by without them. Nearly 70% of farmers surveyed in the 2025 Iowa State University Farm and Rural Life Poll agree that ...

Q&A: Shoppers Beware of Online Scrooges

Q: How concerned should holiday shoppers be about counterfeit products? A: Unfortunately, the season of giving is prime time for rip-off artists to worm their way into the wallets of American shoppers during the holidays. As co-chair of the Congressional Trademark Caucus, I lead an annual ...

District 53 Newsletter: Dec. 5, 2025

One of the issues the Iowa House Republicans have been working on for several years now is the issue of school and public libraries providing material, mostly books, that rational people would consider pornographic. In past years we have passed legislation barring our public schools from ...