In this paper last week our Statehouse Representative, Shannon Latham expressed her support for Israel and HR 101: Iowa's Support for Israel.

The library needs your help in safeguarding library funding, which has been placed in jeopardy by House File 718. In Hampton as well as in 96 communities across the state, Iowans successfully petitioned for a library levy to be placed on their ballot. Iowans in these communities then voted by the required margin to obtain levies for library services.

We’re just two weeks into the 2024 legislative session, and Governor Kim Reynolds is already ramping up her crusade to defund our public schools through an unproven voucher plan. This year, Reynolds wants to transfer another $179.2 million of our tax dollars to private schools.

That title is what we call clickbait. But not totally. They have instituted mail-in voting for their primary/caucus.

Last December, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported that more than 302,000 illegal immigrants were apprehended at our southern border, the highest number of crossings ever recorded in a single month in American history. This figure also comes on the heels of a CBP report confirming that more than 785,000 illegal immigrants were encountered at our border since last October alone. The numbers don’t lie.

A friend suggested that we read “The Big Book.” That is the book titled simply Alcoholics Anonymous. It turns out it is more than just a book for people with that disease. There are lessons for life everyone can use, such as how helping others can help yourself.

2024 is likely to be filled with more than the usual challenges to planetary safety and survival. Here’s a look at 10 issues and a wild card that suggest what’s ahead internationally that is worth our attention.

Born into a Republican family in Louisiana, a state increasingly painted in shades of red, I grew up amidst conservative dialogues with honest values. My childhood was steeped in Republican ideologies, shaping my early political outlook. However, as I matured, my views began to diverge from my family’s, leading me on a journey through America’s polarized political landscape.
 

Dear Editor, 
I am writing this letter to share the experience I had with our local medical facility. A few months ago when I suffered a major heart attack, Franklin General Hospital Emergency staff cared for me with expertise and caring.

As Iowa’s voice in Congress, I take my job very seriously and work every day to advance strong policies that benefit our families, farmers, main street businesses, and rural communities.

Dear Editor, 

This paper regularly features a column by Randy Feenstra, our Representative in the US House. In a recent column he bragged about his support for the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). His focus in the column was about supporting “the troops” as part of his oath to “protect and defend” the Constitution.

Our police and law enforcement officers make incredible sacrifices to protect our families and communities and undertake many responsibilities outside of the public eye. That includes caring for police K9s – which assist officers in seizing drugs, tracking missing people, and detaining criminals – during their service and after their retirement.

You have to hand it to our Statehouse political leaders for one thing: they really don’t like those darned school libraries. It seems like they’ll do anything to control what our children and grandchildren are allowed to read.

When I was elected to serve Iowa’s 4th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, I promised that I would be a strong voice for our families, farmers, and rural main streets and equally transparent with and accessible to the people I represent.