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Lawler Easter Egg Hunt

Columnists

It’s been going on for 28 years, the Lawler Easter Egg Hunt. It rivals the City of Mt. Pleasant’s Easter Egg Hunt which is on the same day, at the same time. But there’s plenty to go around. I caught up with Jean Lawler as she was frosting cookies for the Jerry Tolson Quartet, which is a benefit for the renovation of the 2nd Baptist Church in Mt. Pleasant, the oldest African American Church in Iowa. She’s baking 20 dozen cookies. So, Jean Lawler is known not only for her cookies, but also for the massive Easter Egg Hunt she and her husband, Matt, host each year at their rural ...

The MCO Medicaid mess — Why Iowans shouldn’t have to clean it up

Columnists

There’s a saying in business: “Where there’s mystery, there’s margin,” meaning complexity, confusion, and a lack of transparency create profit opportunities for those at the top. Sounds a lot like the privatization of Medicaid, and Iowa insiders’ plans to fund it. Medicaid alone is complex. The combination of federal and state money pays for healthcare and services for hundreds of thousands of vulnerable Iowans — physically and intellectually disabled kids, veterans, seniors, and low-income families whose employers don’t offer insurance. The list goes on. Medicaid ...

Fortunate to have UPH hospital in Marshalltown

Your View

I recently visited the Emergency Room at UnityPoint Hospital - Marshalltown, then I was admitted to the hospital for a 15-day stay. What a gem we have here, right in our own city! I found the ER staff to be very capable and efficient with each person doing his/her job quickly and effectively, then getting out of the way for the next staff member. When I was admitted to the hospital, I found the same thing. All my caregivers were friendly, knew their job and performed it quickly and efficiently. I was very impressed! As I said, we are so fortunate to have this facility in Marshalltown! It ...

Nothing sweeter than Nebraska-Iowa in March Madness

Columnists

Early in Tim Miles’ disappointing tenure as Nebraska’s basketball coach, I was waiting for a connecting flight at Chicago’s Midway Airport when a bunch of tall guys sporting my alma mater’s logo deplaned at a nearby gate. I spotted Miles about 10 feet to my left, and in what must ...

A pair of somber anniversaries

Columnists

Monday, March 23, was the 16th anniversary of the signing of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) into law. Roughly 50 million Americans have gained health insurance coverage either through the ACA marketplace or Medicaid expansion. Since 2013, the number of Americans uninsured decreased by nearly half, from about 14.5% to just under 8%. I think most of us would agree that our healthcare system, including the ACA, is imperfect and that we could do more to ensure access to healthcare for all Americans. But programs like the ACA and Medicaid have made strides in closing some of the gaps in ...

When Chuck Norris got a Waterloo soldier to reenlist in Iraq

Columnists

I just heard Chuck Norris passed away at age 86. There’s a group of Iowa National Guard soldiers who won’t forget him — and not just because they may have liked his movies and his hit TV series “Walker: Texas Ranger.” Twenty years ago, the TV and movie star and martial arts expert ...