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Re-elect state Rep. Rob Bacon

State Rep. Rob Bacon, of Slater, has was first elected to the Iowa House of Representative in 2010 and is now completing his third term. He brought to the House substantial legislative experience having previously served one term in the Iowa Senate. Bacon understands well the multitude of issues that lawmakers are called upon to address. As a local business owner and civic leader his knowledge of our part of Iowa is extensive. He has done a superb job of making sure that local concerns are fully voiced in Des Moines. Bacon chairs the House Natural Resources Committee. That gives ...

Let’s keep Mike Naig on the job

When Iowans go to the polls next month, they have a chance to show their support for a superb secretary of agriculture. Mike Naig was appointed on March 5 by Gov. Kim Reynolds to succeed Bill Northey, when that outstanding predecessor became an undersecretary in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Naig has proved to be an outstanding choice to lead the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. His five years as deputy secretary resulted in a seamless transition of leadership at IDALS and the continuation of the key initiatives Northey launched. Of particular importance ...

Support Kim Reynolds for governor

Iowa is doing well. The economy is healthy and growing. State government is well-managed. Taxpayers are seeing their money spent wisely and with frugality. Unemployment is at a historic low. Assorted national rankings put our state ahead of most other states in a diverse assortment of categories. People all across America are coming to realize that the Hawkeye State is one of the best places in the nation to make a home and build a career. The leadership of Gov. Kim Reynolds is helping Iowa thrive. She has made initiatives that stimulate plentiful jobs for Iowa workers that pay well ...

Time to get a flu shot

Have you gotten your flu shot yet? Why not? Many health care professionals are urging the public — especially those who, because of age or existing health conditions may be more vulnerable to the flu — to get immunized as soon as possible. They have a very good reason for being worried. Last winter, about 80,000 Americans died of the flu and complications from it. That is the highest death toll in more than 40 years. Our health care environment is so good that it has led some to complacency about doing what they can to protect their own health and that of loved ones. Many of us ...

Your local news isn’t ‘fake’

Less than a month into his term, President Donald Trump created a “fake news” battle with multiple national media outlets, referring to them as the “enemy of the people.” And that rhetoric continues. The idea of fake news now permeates our national dialogue, used to dismiss news reports when someone doesn’t agree. While this makes for lively television, it is a destructive practice that should never be blithely used. And while it may ring true in some quarters, there is a place this phrase should never apply: your local newspaper. The Daily Freeman-Journal is serious when it ...

Nothing compares to the Iowa State Fair

If you love a parade, plan to be in Des Moines Wednesday evening at 6:15. That's when what's billed as the state's largest parade will be the kickoff event for what may well be the grandest of our nation's state agricultural festivals ­ the Iowa State Fair. Iowans gathered in Fairfield for the first state fair in 1854 ­ just eight years after achieving statehood. That fair boasted an attendance of about 8,000. In the early years, the fair's venue changed frequently. It wasn't until 1879 that Des Moines became its home. It took up residence at the present site in 1886. The ...