Breaking News

Local Columns

House of Representatives gets started for 2025

The first week of the legislative session is traditionally filled with ceremony, and this year was no different. House members were sworn in Monday morning; seat selection in the chamber was in the afternoon. Tuesday evening, Gov. Kim Reynolds delivered the Condition of the State address. Our state is strong! Iowa ranks No. 1 nationally as a state for retirement, for millennial home ownership, and fiscal responsibility. We are No. 2 in cost of living and No. 3 for opportunity. We’re also No. 4 for health care and educational choice. Significantly we are the sixth best state ...

Beginning a new legislative session

Welcome to the first Minute with Mike of our first session of the 91st General Assembly. First of all, I want to thank you! The citizens of House District 7, (Calhoun, Pocahontas, Sac counties and the western side of Webster County) for this unbelievable opportunity to serve you in this beautiful building. I also want to deeply thank all of you who do not live in my district, but support my campaign. Thank you for believing in my ability to protect agriculture and keep Iowa moving in the right direction. I want to thank my family, especially my wife Becky. You cannot do this job without ...

Private equity’s harmful effect on health care

Q: What prompted your bipartisan investigation into private equity’s stake in hospital ownership? A: In the last Congress, I launched a bipartisan inquiry to dig into the impact that private equity ownership of hospitals has had on patient care and rural health care. Specifically, my concerns were prompted following a tragic incident at Ottumwa Regional Health Center, the general acute care hospital in Iowa under private equity (PE) ownership. A male nurse practitioner assaulted incapacitated female patients in 2021 and 2022, before he died from an overdose in the hospital. ...

What is insurance fraud?

According to the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud (CAIF), insurance fraud costs consumers an estimated $308.6 billion annually in the United States, translating into roughly $900 per consumer due to increased premiums caused by fraudulent claims. Insurance fraud is any act of deception or misrepresentation made to an insurance company with the intent of receiving benefits or payouts that one is not entitled to. This includes individuals and organizations making false claims, as well as those providing false information to avoid paying premiums or reducing their insurance costs, and ...

AFES says thank you to community

As we reflect on another year of service to our community, I want to take a moment to express heartfelt gratitude to the City of Fort Dodge and its residents for the incredible support you’ve shown Athletics for Education and Success (AFES) over the past 20 years. Your belief in our mission has allowed us to grow, evolve, and continue making a positive impact on the lives of youth and families in our area. For two decades, AFES has provided programs that serve as pillars of support for our community. These include our after-school programming, summer programming, and a variety of ...

Looking ahead to 2025

Q: What’s new on your plate in the U.S. Senate in the 119th Congress? A: Voters in the 2024 elections delivered a fresh mandate to Washington, D.C., returning President Trump to the White House and putting Republicans in control of both houses of Congress. That means the U.S. Senate will be led by a Republican Majority in the 119th Congress, where Sen. John Thune of South Dakota will serve as Majority Leader and I will resume chairmanship of the Senate Judiciary Committee. At the committee’s helm, I’ll work to uphold the independence of the federal judiciary, a vital lever of ...