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California wants to ban our bacon? Not on my watch

Local Columns

California is home to high taxes, billion dollar boondoggles, and a liberal agenda. Clearly, the folks there shouldn’t be calling the shots on anything, let alone our farms. Iowa’s dedicated producers rise before the rooster crows and toil in the fields long after dark to keep our great state number one in corn, eggs, ethanol, and of course, pork. Our farmers go “whole hog” for their animals, prioritizing their safety and going the extra mile to uphold health standards. No one knows agriculture like Iowans do. That’s why I can’t stay silent while radical coastal ...

Earth Day unites more than it divides

Editorial

The late 1960s were turbulent years in America. It was a time of rapid change when young protesters expressed disillusionment with many aspects of the world their elders had built. The divisions in society that emerged from those conflicts decades ago still haunt our society in the 21st century. Some of the emotional scars from those bitter disputes will influence American politics well into the future. There is, however, one legacy of those chaotic times that unites rather than divides us — Earth Day. The first Earth Day was April 22, 1970. Tomorrow marks 55 years of Earth ...

Senate advances constitutional amendment on taxes

Local Columns

Iowa voters are likely to decide in the 2026 election if Iowa’s constitution has a new amendment that sets a higher threshold for future state income tax increases. The Iowa Senate has given its final approval to the proposed amendment. It would require that super majorities of at least 34 state senators and 67 representatives approve any future increases in the individual income tax or the state’s corporate tax. Proposed amendments to Iowa’s constitution must win approval in the Iowa Senate and House twice over a four year period. This was the second time the Senate endorsed ...

Congress must extend tax provision to support farm families

Local Columns

Across rural America, where farm fields stretch to the horizon and small towns pepper the landscape, agricultural cooperatives stand as pillars of strength and resilience. As CEO of NEW Cooperative Inc., headquartered in Fort Dodge, and a lifelong advocate for Iowa’s agriculture community, I’ve seen firsthand how cooperatives play a crucial role in driving our nation’s competitive agriculture sector while sustaining the economies of our rural communities. From the outside, agricultural cooperatives may look like any other business. But they are so much more. And at a time when ...

There is hope for tomorrow, even here on this troubled earth

Editorial

Having commemorated the sorrow of Good Friday, Christians the world over today are preparing for the joy of another Easter morning with the message of victory over death and despair. The celebration of the resurrection of Christ is a time of renewal and a reaffirming of faith in him who rose to lead mankind in the ways of peace and brotherhood and fulfilled the promise of eternal life. It is a time of subdued joy, the joy of understanding that the certainty of death does not detract from the good life and that good deeds and ideals live on and surmount even the inevitable. Easter is a ...

Wants pharmacy benefit manager reform

Letters to the Editor

To the editor: As a longtime Eagle Grove resident, I have been shocked to read the recent coverage of Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) and their harmful impact on communities of all sizes across the state. It has been widely reported that 29 Iowa pharmacies closed in 2024. These pharmacies were in both rural and urban communities, showing that no community is immune from the predatory practices of PBMs. My daughter is an adult with Down Syndrome and has severe psoriatic arthritis. She is a Medicaid patient and needs to have Humira injections every two weeks, which leads to an ...