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Our governor will be spending part of his Memorial Day weekend in Mississippi: Ceremonies in Mississippi this weekend mark the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Vicksburg and a monument to Iowa soldiers who died there will be rededicated. Iowa Governor Terry Branstad is on his way there this morning. “That was a very [...]
continue »Each year, when the legislative session finally ends, as the 2013 edition did this morning, some journalists compile a did/didn’t list: measures lawmakers actually passed and issues that were considered, perhaps seriously, perhaps momentarily, but then tossed aside. The didn’t list is always longer. And I think, for the most part, aside from some disappointments, [...]
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Tom Walsh said he used to live on an Iowa acreage with 20 acres of hardwood timber. In the spring, when conditions were right, those woods yielded morel mushrooms. Now, the former Johnson County bureau chief for the Gazette lives in Maine, where he writes for the Bangor Daily News. Beautiful place, Maine, [...]
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The smashed houses now on an endless cable TV loop are a lot like the ones that line my neighborhood streets in north Marion. The flattened schools look a lot like the one my kids attend. It would be just as heartbreaking and awful anywhere, but the familiarity of both the setting and the [...]
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So the final campaign spending numbers are in on the March 5 Linn County gambling referendum. Thanks to our quirky campaign finance system, we don’t get a complete picture of who was spending how much on what until more than two months after the vote. Helpful. Turns out it was a $3.4 million battle [...]
continue »The Floridian who won that $590 million Powerball prize is going to get a lot of attention. But I find myself wondering about folks who were one number away. Three such tickets were sold in Iowa: A total of 77,640 tickets purchased by Iowa Lottery players won prizes ranging from $4 up to $40,000. [...]
continue »Thank you for that kind introduction. I’m honored and humbled to have been invited to speak to you, the graduating class of 2013 here at the Iowa Institute for Reverse Psychology. I think reverse psychology is a very important but little understood and appreciated discipline. And it’s so thoughtful that you’ve bestowed on me this [...]
continue »The big tax deal rolled out yesterday at the Statehouse is taking lumps on the left. Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement says vote it down: Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement Action Fund (CCI Action Fund) members blasted a tentative legislative deal to cut corporate property taxes after a confidential memo was leaked Thursday, saying the [...]
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Lawmakers come now to grace us with details of the big ‘ol tax deal: In the property tax area, the compromise calls for commercial and Industrial properties to be assessed at 95 percent of valuation retroactive to Jan., then at 90 percent starting on Jan. 1, 2014, and then at 90 percent thereafter. Currently, [...]
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The governor’s state salary bill is out, including some proposed raises for elected officials. The Gazette’s Rod Boshart sent us the numbers: Proposed state salaries Office Current salary New salary effective Dec. 19, 2014 Governor 130,000 141,710 Lt. Governor 103,212 112,510 Sec. of Agriculture 103,212 112, 510 Sec. of State 103,212 112,510 State Treasurer [...]
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