At the end of this year, significant portions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), which was signed into law in December of 2017, officially expires. That means that – absent congressional …
By far the biggest lender to U.S. farmers, ranchers, and rural businesses is the Farm Credit System (FCS) whose four banks and 56 associations hold nearly 50 percent of all debt in rural America. …
Iowa is among the richest places in the world. We have the soil, the water and abundant energy generation. We should be first-rate, but we are not. We used to be the best. We were Number One in …
When Donald Trump made his first successful run for president in 2016 he made 663 promises to American voters. By the end of his 2021 term of office he was only able to fulfill approximately 23 …
The Iowa Legislature opened on Monday, January 13 and we're starting a 110-day journey to make Iowa a little better for the people we serve. Every person at the State Capitol loves and cares about …
To the family of Paul Struck, I was thinking about Paul and how I knew him, when one of my favorite expressions came into my mind: WORDS MATTER. Spoken or written words have a huge …
People are talking about Iowa’s alarming cancer rates, but they need to turn up the volume. “We have to start getting loud with our elected officials about doing …
I have been kicking myself since being reminded that procrastination comes with a price. This lesson arrived the week before Christmas when I spotted a small obituary in the Bloomfield Democrat. …
We lost a great one when Paul Struck died on Monday at age 78. Our sympathies go to his wife, Darla, and family. The editor of the Cherokee Chronicle Times will be missed dearly. He was a …
On November 5 th , 2024, the American people delivered a mandate for our government by electing President Trump and Republican majorities to Congress. Like me, our families and neighbors want secure …
The four-page executive summary of the November-issued report on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) doesn't predict when or how the hopefully-named "green" aircraft fuel will be produced. Instead, …
A big shout out to the residents of Euclid Street on Christmas Eve. In fact on Christmas Eve it should be called Luminary Lane. Great job neighborhood. So this is a big atta boy and atta girl to you …
If you’re reading this, there is no avoiding 2025. It can’t be that bad. 2024 wasn’t the greatest, may old acquaintance be forgot. People poking in indiscreet places, a lot of that, …
Why the results surprised anyone is itself a surprise. After the state of California began testing dairy herds for highly pathogenic avian influenza, known also as bird flu or H5N1, in August, …
Tis the season when professional and amateur theaters and drama clubs mount productions of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” Some may find the story overly wrought or too …
Fast-moving mutation and spread of avian flu to humans should set off alarms and be met with an all-out effort to protect health and a reliable, safe food supply. Unfortunately, there is a prevailing …
Congress extended the farm bill for another year as part of a spending deal approved last weekend that avoided a government shutdown. The five-year farm bill should have been approved in 2023 but has …
Two of my favorite days happened this week: Dec. 25, Christmas; and Dec. 21, the Winter Solstice. The reason I like Christmas should be obvious. I like the Winter Solstice because it’s the …
When I was a little boy living in the Chicago area, my parents welcomed a teenage girl, Linda, into our home for about eight months. My father previously was a pastor in Creston, Iowa, and …
When it comes to freedom of religion and the rights enshrined in the 45 words of the First Amendment, the devil is in the details in Iowa. Gov. Kim Reynolds' administration recently revoked …