We had one day of debate this week, which included funding State Supplemental Aid for schools. Now that SSA is passed, work can begin on the budget. I chair the Health and Human Services Budget, which is a $2.4 billion budget. Many safety-net needs and health coverage for Iowans are included. ...

Last week, I had the pleasure of welcoming Iowans from Fort Dodge and Webster County to our nation’s capital to discuss opportunities and challenges facing our families, farmers, and businesses. We had an extensive and productive conversation on a wide range of issues from education and ...

Q: What are “universal injunctions?” A: An injunction is a court order requiring someone to do or stop doing a specific action. Temporary restraining orders (TRO) are similar to injunctions but are short term, unappealable orders from the court directing someone to take or not take some ...

Joan Johnson Drewes is proud to be part of Fort Dodge’s First Family of Music, among six talented members of the Johnson family — her parents, Gladys and Dick, and her three sisters Karen, Donna and Martha. She moved away from her hometown decades ago, but continues the family music ...

Throughout our lives, from childhood to adulthood, community is an essential part of everyday existence. Sometimes, we don’t see or fully understand its impact, and sometimes we may think it is irrelevant. But for both rural towns and larger cities, community is vital in ways we can’t ...

In Iowa, agriculture connects us all. Those of us who live on farms, in rural communities, and even in cities across our great state, are fortunate to have a deep-rooted understanding of all our farmers do to make sure folks have food on their tables, gas in their tanks, clothes in their ...