The 13th week of the 2024 Legislative Session brought more bills to the House floor. As chairman of the House Appropriation Committee, I received our budget targets for this session. We will soon begin building the budget for the State of Iowa. more

The 13th week of the legislative session involved a lot of debate, finding an agreement on the state budget, and confirming governor appointees. Bills of note include: more

As a kid have you ever wanted to get something expensive but your parents say, “No,” or “pay for it yourself.” more

"Governor Reynolds and the GOP majority are determined to deny Iowa women the bodily autonomy their grandmothers fought to win ..." more

"Why has Rep. Bobby Kaufmann submitted a bill to make it harder for Iowans to vote? It is soon heading to the Senate to be passed ..." more

Social media is important in our lives with everyone using it almost every day. Social platforms videos and chats make people look at their phones, tablets, computers, almost every screen. You can connect and share interests with each other and communicate. It’s a nice, easy way of information gathering and sharing. And lastly it can give us opportunities for business. more

I have worked with many employees at the Eldridge post office in my 53 years at The NSP, but no one cared more about service than Lisa Williams, 57, who died all too soon on March 26. She saw many changes in her 25 years behind the counter and sorting mail before she suddenly was not there in 2021, taking a medical retirement. No offense to others who have worked there since, but it hasn't been the same.  more

April 3., 1974: The Donahue American Legion Post No. 532 honored Vietnam veterans with a ham supper. Veterans in attendance included Merle Wiese, Dale DeCock, David Thode, Richard DeCock, Allen Schnoor, Dennis DeCock, Kenneth Glover, Darrell Thode, Arnold Adams, Gerald Murphy and Ronnie Madden. more

This session, the House passed House File 2554 which is based on some of the recommendations provided to update Iowa’s energy laws. Over the summer, the legislature required a full review of Iowa’s utilities and ratemaking processes. This was the first comprehensive review done in 20 years, and a lot has changed in that time in the energy sector. more

On March 28, Senate Republicans released the total general fund spending goal for next year. The general fund target of $8.872 billion is a 3.74 percent increase over FY 2024. It includes the increase of $172 million in funding for public K-12 schools and minimum starting teacher pay approved earlier this week in HF 2612 and $51.25 million in new money for ESAs for a total $223.2 million in new money for K-12 education. more

"On behalf of Cindi’s family, friends, and the Scott County Library System, we would like to say thank you to everyone who donated to her memorial ..." more

"Is it asking too much for athletes from other countries who are highly paid professional athletes in America to show more respect for our country by learning to speak English ..." more

Rules are racing. more

The Eldridge-North Scott Chamber of Commerce is what it is – a force for bringing people together and creating community – largely because of the efforts of Carolyn Scheibe who served as executive director for 15 years, retiring in 2016. Sadly, Carolyn died March 22 at age 70 after an extended illness. more

March 27, 1974: The North Scott School Board reviewed bids for the construction of a new junior high building. The low bids totaled $1.9 million for the 88,000 square foot building. Superintendent Melvin Heiler said the bids were higher than he would have liked, but there had been price fluctuations and concern over materials shortages in the months leading up to the bidding process. more

Last week we took action on two major pieces of legislation – combating illegal immigration and fighting against eminent domain abuse. more

Changes to Iowa’s Area Education Agencies (AEAs) have been a central focus of many Iowans this year. The reality is this - the status quo of Iowa’s special education system is not good enough, and something has to change. It is not just the legislature that thinks so. The federal government has designated our state as “needs improvement” and is starting in-state monitoring this fall. more

"The southern border controversies highlight the hypocrisy of our Congress representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks ..." more

"Has Iowa’s Republican party fallen so low they need accommodations for criminal candidates ..." more

As you can see by the rundown of bills still alive in the Legislature in this week's NSP, there is no shortage of issues to engage. You might not like what I have to say about several of those anyway.  more