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’Tis the (budget) season

Say it with me: Ugh. Budget season. It’s January, which means it’s time for us to review the budget. What does that mean? Well, it’s mostly quiet work that happens over time, with a lot of reviewing, questioning, and weighing options. It also brings close attention from the public, strong opinions, and a wide range of perspectives on what priorities should be. This year, there are added layers to consider. Legislative budget mandates shape what counties must do. There’s also the pledge that more property tax reform is coming this session. We don’t know for sure what that ...

It was Christmas Eve. The gifts were laid beneath the Christmas tree at the home of Merlin and Nelda Powers in Urbandale. But the family’s holiday celebration ended abruptly that day in 1968 when the Powerses’ 10-year-old daughter Pamela disappeared from the YMCA in downtown Des Moines while the family attended her brother’s wrestling meet. Two days passed before the family received the horrible answer to their “where is Pamela” question. Police located the girl’s body in a roadside ditch just off Interstate 80 near Mitchellville. The discovery came after Cleatus ...

For 170 years, Laufersweiler Funeral Home has served the community

From the time in 1856 when Fort Dodge pioneer Conrad Laufersweiler conducted his first funeral service to the present day when his descendants Mark and Luke Laufersweiler continue the family business, there’s been an underlying theme. When the brothers succeeded their uncle Joe ...

Delivering high-quality, affordable health care for Iowans

As a father of four and former volunteer EMT for 15 years in my hometown of Hull, I know the vital importance of affordable and accessible health care for Iowa families, particularly our neighbors in rural Iowa. Traveling across our district, I’ve had countless conversations with Iowans about the skyrocketing cost of health care and declining access to care in rural communities. Iowans are paying too much for routine checkups and prescription drugs and traveling long distances for doctor’s appointments and emergency care. It’s unsustainable and must change. Fortunately, on ...

Ringing in America250

As we wind down the year, America is winding up to celebrate an important milestone in our nation’s history. On July 4, 2026, the United States of America will celebrate the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding. When the clock strikes midnight on Dec. 31, America inches closer to our Semiquincentennial — a Latin-derived term meaning 250 years — with special celebrations to commemorate our storied history in communities across the country. Throughout our history, Americans from all walks of life have shaped our story, including the 56 colonists who signed the Declaration ...

Have a hands-free holiday driving season

Think what life was like 100 years ago. Most of us living today won’t recall anything about 1925. Those were the days of great American prosperity known as “the roaring 20’s”, when Babe Ruth played for the New York Yankees, the 18th amendment to the United States Constitution outlawed transport and sales of alcoholic beverages across the nation, Calvin Coolidge was the first president to deliver his inaugural address over the radio, the ladies wore flappers, the guys wore zoot suits and fedoras. Jazz music played in the speakeasies, and Henry Ford’s Model T dominated the ...