Breaking News

Local Columns

Putting Iowans first

For the last four years, we saw our southern border turned into a glorified turnstile with a record flood of illegal immigrants and drug trafficking by murderous cartels. Iowans are unfortunately all too familiar with the dangers of open borders. In 2016, as Iowan Sarah Root drove home from a college graduation party, she was struck and killed by an illegal immigrant driving drunk. Before her family could even lay Sarah to rest, her killer was released on bail and fled to Honduras. Like most Iowans, I was heartbroken for Sarah’s family and outraged that the system had failed to ...

Standing with President Trump against Communist China

On June 4, FBI Director Kash Patel reported the arrest of a Chinese national who was allegedly caught smuggling a dangerous, potential biological weapon into the United States. According to the report, the Chinese national — Yunqing Jian — was traveling with samples of fusarium graminearum. This fungus can cause “head blight” in wheat, corn, and other grains, as well as causing health problems in humans and livestock. It should be of little surprise that both Jian and her accomplice, Zunyoug Liu, have ties to the Chinese Communist Party. This is yet another attempt by the CCP ...

City, county have different functions

In the comment section of last week’s piece, there were a few questions for me that were more focused on the city. Fixing roads, streetlights out, city council decision-making, etc. I get this a lot when talking with folks about what they’d like to see from the Board of Supervisors. To be fair, the lines can get blurry, especially when we’re all trying to solve the same kinds of problems, and especially since my district - District 4 - falls squarely inside the city limits of Fort Dodge. Here’s the short version of how city government differs from county government: City ...

Religious freedom must not be taken for granted

Q: What have you learned about the FBI’s bias towards American Catholics? A: From my top spot on the Senate Judiciary Committee, I’m pushing to get answers from the FBI about its efforts during the Biden administration to tie certain Americans of Catholic faith to violent extremist views. New information I recently released showed the anti-Catholic Richmond memo was widely distributed to more than 1,000 FBI employees across the country during the Biden administration. What’s more, the newly released records showed the targeting of Catholics based on biased sources included ...

Trinity Nursing Honor Guard brings final farewell at nurses’ funerals

As funeral services for Gladys Meier neared an end at Grace Lutheran Church, five nurses, wearing their nursing caps and red and navy-blue capes draped over their white uniforms, walked to the front of the church for a final farewell to their fellow nurse. One of the nurses went to the ...

What is travel insurance?

Travel insurance safeguards your investment in a costly trip by covering unexpected events that could disrupt your plans. It can reimburse pre-paid, non-refundable expenses for unforeseen circumstances. Consider purchasing a policy if there is a chance the trip could be impacted by severe weather, a loved one has a pre-existing health condition, or non-refundable expenses have already been incurred. Before purchasing a policy, understand the different coverage options, exclusions, and limitations, as policies vary significantly. Check current insurance policies and credit card ...