As I write this, we are in our final hours of “funnel week.” In order for our individually filed bills to be available for floor debate they must be passed by their respective committee by Feb. 20. That deadline creates a flurry of activity as we press to get our individual bills through ...

It was disturbing, frustrating and sickening. But it was not surprising. And it’s happened six years in a row. Behind closed doors, secretively and quietly, Iowa’s Senate Republicans once again killed a bill that would improve, and possibly save, the lives of nursing home residents. The ...

On the farm, pets tend to be of the wider variety than for urban folks. Pigs make good pets, as do chickens, horses, ducks, geese, cows, sheep, llamas, or anything alive on the farm. For Krista Jennings Hagge, southeast of Winfield, her pet was Casper the Friendly Lawn Ornament Donkey. On ...

George Orwell’s 1984, a dystopian classic novel, is a staple in American high school English and social studies curricula. 1984 is taught in 9th or 10th grade and used to introduce themes of totalitarianism, propaganda and censorship. Likewise, studying Adolf Hitler’s accession to power ...

It’s the week before funnel! It’s the week before the first legislative funnel deadline. Most House bills must pass a full committee by the end of next week in order to stay alive. This was a busy week full of subcommittee and committee meetings as we work to make sure our priorities ...

It’s funny how a government body can learn and teach an important civics lesson in the time it takes a student to go from kindergarten through 12th grade. In 2012, the Atlantic Community School District won a lawsuit to keep information secret about disciplinary measures taken against two ...