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Iowa employers are mobilizing

Gov. Kim Reynolds has issued a call for Iowa’s employers to participate in the fifth annual Give Back Iowa Challenge. This important philanthropic undertaking got underway on April 1 and continues through May 31. The goal of this innovative endeavor is to engage our state’s residents in employer-supported volunteering. “Volunteering and giving back is an integral part of what it means to be an Iowan,” Reynolds said in launching this year’s Challenge. Charitable and service projects of various types are important to the success of every community in our state. Iowa has a ...

Helping students decide wisely

Going to college can be an expensive undertaking. One of the most important decisions prospective college students and their parents must confront is just how much debt they are willing to face when their studies are complete. Iowa’s two United States senators — Charles Grassley and Joni Ernst — have partnered with U.S. Sen. Tina Smith, of Minnesota, to introduce three complementary bills the enactment of which would provide college students and their families improved information about what their educational pursuits will cost both in the near future and long-term. The two ...

The Iowa tradition lives on

When the Missouri River recently surged out of its banks and turned southwest Iowa and parts of Nebraska into a giant pond, the true character of Iowans shined through once again. People across Iowa, even those with no connection to the flooded area, are pitching in to collect money, bottled water, hay for livestock and other supplies to be sent to those who are impacted by this disaster. And they’re not limiting their generosity to their fellow Iowans. Some of the material is going to flooded areas of Nebraska. People in the Fort Dodge area are part of this grassroots relief ...

Keep McCain’s memory alive

Some Americans, including members of Congress, are happy about the success of President Donald Trump’s policies, even as they wish fervently he would learn, well, to keep his mouth shut on certain topics. The late Sen. John McCain, of Arizona, is one of those subjects. McCain was, like Trump, a Republican. But the two clashed politically and very publicly. The senator refused to support a health-care initiative favored by the president. And, Trump said this week, McCain leaked a document intended to harm Trump in his 2016 bid for the White House. It was clear for some time ...

College admissions scandal has wide reach

The indictment of dozens of wealthy parents, including several Hollywood actresses and business leaders, along with the top college athletic coaches they allegedly bribed, tells a shocking story of corruption and deception in college admissions. If the charges are true, these privileged but desperate parents sought to ensure spots at elite schools for their children by pretending they were top flight athletes, helping them cheat on standardized tests, and paying off college officials, among other things. Well-known designer Mossimo Giannulli was among those charged, along with actress ...

Help celebrate National Ag Day

After an at-times trying winter, spring is about to arrive. As another growing season approaches, Thursday was set as National Ag Day by the Agriculture Council of America. The council designates the week within which it falls as National Ag Week. This important time to celebrate agriculture began Sunday. One goal of Ag Day is to recognize the contribution agriculture makes in the lives of all of us. The council sponsors and encourages programs during Ag Week that help Americans: • understand how food and fiber products are produced, • appreciate the role agriculture plays in ...