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Opinion

District 53 Newsletter: Dec. 5, 2025

Editorials

One of the issues the Iowa House Republicans have been working on for several years now is the issue of school and public libraries providing material, mostly books, that rational people would consider pornographic. In past years we have passed legislation barring our public schools from ...

Dengler Domain: Fair Chance to Compete

Local Columns

When it comes to participating in the economy, everyone wants to have a fair chance to compete. People want to believe if you put in the work, do your best, you will be rewarded for your toils. Through this effort, the best in each field will rise to the top. This has not always been the case. ...

New ‘Center of Excellence’ supports Iowa’s youngest learners

Editorials

Iowa is taking an exciting step to help young children grow and thrive with the creation of a new Center of Excellence for Early ACCESS. This new center is part of a statewide plan to make sure every child, no matter where they live, can get the best possible start in life. The Center of ...

Tama County teamwork

Editorials

With winter approaching, the work on Salt Creek Wind Phase I is winding down. You may have noticed less activity in that area. I was notified that the last turbine in Phase I was raised last week. During our negotiations with NextEra Energy on Phase I, David Turner and I met with Kimberly ...

Brass Tacks from Rural Iowa: Not A Good Look

Editorials

A couple weeks ago I was reading more news about water only to come across another story which, in roundabout ways, is also about our state’s water quality. It was about the lawsuit filed against Farm Bureau Financial Services and several of their other subsidiaries. Former special ...

Heather’s Highlights: County Government and You, November 2025

Local Columns

Happy December! I hope everyone had a great November and Thanksgiving. A Letter of Engagement was signed with Marshalltown Chamber of Commerce for Economic Development purposes. Supervisor Doland and I met with John Hall, President and CEO of Marshalltown Chamber of Commerce multiple times ...

Iowa Republicans buck up against a cold wind

Editorials

Northwest headwinds buffet Iowa Republicans a year out from the 2026 midterm elections: Farmers are under stress, grocery prices are high, our rivers are fouled, and voters want better. The GOP controls the statehouse, the governor’s office and the entire congressional delegation. The ...

Thanksgiving Day, A Day for Unity in America

Editorials

Thanksgiving Day took root in our nation’s history as a “day of public thanksgiving and prayer” when George Washington issued a proclamation in 1789, calling upon freshly minted Americans to celebrate ratification of the Constitution and coalesce around the bounty of hard-fought freedom. ...

Dengler Domain: No Love Lost

Local Columns

Around 3,000 individuals will be out of job and the processing of 5,000 head of cattle per day will disappear, which is about 4.8% of the daily U.S. beef slaughter after Tyson announced they were closing their beef plant in Lexington, Nebraska, according to DTN Progressive Farmer. While Tyson ...