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My imaginary friend, Cappy

When I was a little boy I had an imaginary playmate, Cappy. Being the youngest of eight children, and there being a three year gap between my next oldest sibling, a girl, Angel, and me, and being raised in rural Iowa, I had no one to play with. Angel and I, having very little in common, essentially ignored each other, like a cat and dog, because when we did acknowledge each other, we fought. The name Cappy came from me, and was a derivative of my own name, Curt, or Curtie, as I was sometimes called by my older siblings. Angel would call me Curtie to get my goat. “Curtie, stop making ...

Trump’s troubled appointees face scandals, backlash and low support

Besides the ill-defined Iranian war, DOJ-FBI created Epstein file debacle, tariff fiasco, Venezuela, Ecuador, Greenland and Cuba interventions, special elections turning in Democrats’ favor and the ever increasing cost for gasoline, health care, mortgages, rent, prescription drugs, food, clothing, natural gas, electricity and agri-fertilizer, President Trump has other problems. YouGov polling reveals that nearly all of Trump’s second-term political appointees are net-unpopular. Let’s examine Trump’s `most troubling’ appointees. Kristi Noem Fifty-two GOP and seven Democrat ...

Respectful or not, America enables criticism and dissent

Noah Petersen and Priscilla Villarreal live 1,200 miles from each other, Petersen in Newton, Iowa; Villarreal in Laredo, Texas. They share a key connection despite that distance. Each has encountered government punishment for exercising their First Amendment rights. Both went to court to fight for their freedoms. For Petersen, he had the good fortune of litigating in Iowa, where two judges grasp what First Amendment freedoms encompass. So, his civil lawsuit continues today. Meanwhile, for Villarreal, better luck next time. When her civil case reached the U.S. Supreme Court a week ...

Inside Education: Opening doors to the future: How AEA career supports connect students to life

What if school didn’t just prepare students for tests, but for life? Across our communities, that question is turning into action. Through work-based learning opportunities supported by Central Rivers AEA, students are stepping beyond the classroom and into the workforce. What they are discovering is transforming their futures. Central Rivers AEA partners with 30 school districts to help students explore careers through job shadows, internships and work experience. These aren’t just “extras” – they are essential experiences that help students answer the big question: ...

Democrats be warned: Trump knows your weak spots

Sure, the “No Kings” marches drew millions rightly protesting Donald Trump’s assaults on our democratic institutions. But Democrats must dig deeper and ask how Trump could actually win another term after trying to overturn the 2020 election results with a violent attack on the Capitol. It wasn’t as though most Americans adored him. Gallup’s approval rating for Trump on election eve was a sad 46%. Trump carried the 2024 vote by playing the Democrats on three issues that aggravate even moderate Americans. They are open borders, the demonization of law enforcement and racial, ...

To make America healthy again, break up Big Ag

President Trump has systematically broken virtually every promise made on the campaign trail to court health-focused voters. His most recent walk-backs on pesticide reform are a cruel insult to the idea of “making America healthy again.” Among other controversies, he issued an executive order to boost the production of glyphosate, a toxic pesticide linked to cancer. And he’s repeatedly sided with Bayer in a Supreme Court case that will determine legal immunity from health-related lawsuits for pesticide manufacturers. Voters of both parties are hungry for a new path ...