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Confusion results from differing applications of teachers’ rights

The nation’s founders got right to the point when they laid out how to treat the First Amendment freedoms of religion, speech, the press and the rights of people to assemble and to petition the government. They used only 45 words, without asterisks. Their simple words should lead to simple conclusions. Yet, recent Iowa cases illustrate why people in general, and educators specifically, are perplexed about what is protected and what is not. Some legal background: In a 2022 decision dealing with school employees’ First Amendment rights, the U.S. Supreme Court refereed whether ...

Mourning the lives taken on Oct. 7, 2023

Two years ago on Oct. 7, 2023, the world watched in horror as vicious Hamas terrorists invaded Israel, murdered nearly 1,200 innocent Israelis, burned entire communities to the ground, and took hundreds of people hostage. Hamas is a terrorist organization that has no regard for human nor any remorse for its violent actions. Killing entire families, raping women, attacking a music festival, and setting homes and neighborhoods ablaze is despicable and shameful. On this somber anniversary, we mourn those who tragically lost their lives, continue to call for the release of all remaining ...

How to win a war

It has been a long time since a Western country has won a war. It can now be said that Israel has won its war on Iran and its proxies in the Middle East, with the assistance of the United States — and, in particular, President Donald Trump. On Oct. 7, 2023, the genocidal terror group Hamas invaded Israel’s borders and killed 1,200 Israelis, mostly Jewish; they abducted 250 Israelis and took them back to their terror tunnel hellholes. Those tunnels, as well as Hamas’ vast arsenal of rockets, grenades and small arms, had been built up over the course of 20 years, with the support ...

Why I’m voting yes on the East Marshall bond issue

I am a 5th generation graduate of what is now the East Marshall School District. I returned to my hometown after college and teaching out of state for several years and have been paying taxes in the district for 35+ years. This letter is written as an alum, a current district taxpayer, a retired educator of 41+ years, and a concerned citizen. Deciding to vote YES for the current EM bond issue was a difficult decision for me. I have spent the last year attending nearly every monthly school board meeting. I volunteered for the superintendent hiring committee when they were seeking new ...

Medicare Advantage — Grrr

You may or may not recall that a couple of months ago I came out in a big way in support of Medicare Advantage Plans. And, considering my health condition of recovering from cancer treatment, with huge medical bills, my Medicare Advantage Plan took great care of me. I have no complaint about the coverage. However, I have recently been informed that my Medicare Advantage Plan, which is United Health Care AARP, is discontinuing coverage for a big chunk of Iowa, effective January 1, 2026. It’s called a Service Area Reduction or SAR (not to be confused with the SARS virus, although ...