Breaking News

Columnists

Lawler Easter Egg Hunt

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 ...

Nothing sweeter than Nebraska-Iowa in March Madness

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 ...

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

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 ...

When Chuck Norris got a Waterloo soldier to reenlist in Iraq

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 ...

A pair of somber anniversaries

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 ...

Give Trump due credit

The cause of problems Americans face has hooves, long ears, and a paperback copy of Antifa’s handbook. But the engine behind U.S. victories answers to the name, President Donald Trump. Economy A March 14 Economist report noted “GDP grew at 0.7% per year in the fourth quarter.” Inflation was 3.0%, and unemployment, 4.4%. Since Trump initiated MAGA policies, the S&P 500 has risen to 9.6%. A February CAPS / Harris poll reported 51% of respondents are confident our economy is strong. That’s up from earlier polls. 52% agreed dollar matters were worse under Biden. 59% credited ...