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Public notices must remain in newspapers

There are some in the Iowa Legislature who periodically toy with the possibility of eliminating the requirement that local governments print public notices in newspapers This is the wrong move today, tomorrow and for the future. Government transparency is more important than ever. In truth it is critical. While The Messenger, The Daily Freeman-Journal and other Iowa newspapers have an economic interest in seeing that the public notice publishing requirement remains, the issue goes far beyond a few dollars. Maintaining the legal requirement to publish government actions and meetings ...

Soybeans are big business in Iowa

No one knows exactly how long humans have cultivated the soybean, but agricultural historians seem quite certain its domestication as a crop in China dates back three millennia. There are actually Chinese records documenting soybean growth as far back as the 11th century. There is some disagreement about who first introduced soybeans into North America, but researchers seem to agree that by the 1760s, soybean seed had reached Georgia. Whatever the origin, few would dispute that in the 21st century, soybean cultivation is important to the world as a food source and a great deal more. ...

What the governor’s veto communicates

The speed with which Summit Carbon Solutions applauded Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds’ veto of House File 639 is notable. The following email arrived in the Daily Freeman-Journal’s inbox at 4:21 p.m. Wednesday: “We thank the Governor and her staff for their thoughtful and thorough review of the bill. Summit remains committed to working with landowners through voluntary agreements — just as we have with more than 1,300 Iowa landowners to date, resulting in $175 million in payments. We look forward to continued discussions with state leaders as we advance this important project. At a ...

The governor’s letter of veto

June 11, 2025 The Honorable Paul Pate Secretary of State of Iowa State Capitol Building Dear Mr. Secretary: I hereby transmit House File 639, an Act relating to hazardous liquid pipelines, including common carrier requirements, proceedings under the Iowa utilities commission, including commission member attendance at hearings and informational meetings, including allowing certain persons to intervene in such proceedings, including sanctions on intervenors in contested cases, and permit, permit renewal, and operation limitations, and including effective date and applicability ...

Keep Iowa’s roads safe during spring planting

This is the time of the year when big, slow-moving farm vehicles rumble out onto roadways dominated by faster-paced traffic. That shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who lives in farm country. Even so, all of us should pay special heed to safety considerations as we share the roads with agricultural vehicles. In general, Iowa has been doing a good job of keeping accidents involving farm vehicles to a minimum. According to data from the Iowa Department of Transportation, fatalities and major injuries resulting from such accidents have been on the decline in recent years. That’s ...

Sen. Guth, ‘We will not forget or forgive’

To the editor: In 2024, I spent 10 months running for the Iowa Senate. The district includes Franklin, Hamilton, Hancock, Humboldt, Wright and northern Story Counties (Roland and Story City.) It's a big, rural district and mostly Republican. I'm a Democrat, and like a lot of Dems in 2024, I did not win. Senator Dennis Guth was re-elected on a platform of: 1. No eminent domain for private gain; 2. Medical Freedom (freedom from vaccine requirements but zero freedom to make decisions about women's reproductive health) and; 3. Changing the basis of our currency to one based on the ...