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EMPTY NEST

On Sept. 17, farmer Thad Nearmyer, who lives north of Monroe, was across the road from his house checking pigs for the evening. They have a custom feeding operation. He noticed smoke billowing from the farm yard of his house across the road. He jumped in his truck and hightailed it for home. When he pulled in the drive, he saw flames shooting from the loft of the barn, and heard buzzing. Just then the power lines to the barn dropped to the ground like dead snakes. He immediately called 911, and within 10 minutes the Monroe Volunteer Fire Department arrived on scene with a pumper ...

Always watching

Do you worry that you're being watched? If you drive, you probably are. My new video covers the cameras that photograph the backs of millions of cars. A company called Flock has 80% of that market. Flock's CEO says the goal is to "eliminate crime." But lots of people hate the ...

Three easy ways to reduce pain at the pump

I've always argued that the easiest way for families to gauge the health of the economy is to check the daily gas price. Drivers see the 50-foot-high signs in every community in America. They stare us right in the face. I call it the affordability index. In recent weeks, gas prices have ...

District 53 Newsletter from Rep. Dean Fisher

On Sept. 28, President Trump announced that a new steel mill will be built near Fort Madison in Lee County, Iowa by Mesabi Metallics. This is incredible news, not just for Iowa, but for the nation. Today’s announcement is a once-in-a-generation economic victory for Iowa. Mesabi is making a $15 billion investment to build the largest steel mill in American history right here in Iowa. It’s the first mega steel plant built in the U.S. since the 1960s, and it proves that Iowa is leading the nation in industrial growth. The source of the iron ore will be a new mine that is already open in ...

Stop buying votes. Everybody!

It would be hard to find a more insulting offer than to exchange money for your vote. That's exactly what President Donald Trump did in announcing that if voters keep Republicans in power come the midterms, he'll send every adult citizen a $5,000 check. Now, one would not put money on that ...