There’s nothing I love more than getting out of school for a week and sitting at home.

This year’s spring break snow has had a chilling effect on the mood, but it hasn’t stopped me from getting the full 2025 spring break experience! By that, I of course mean doing homework, practicing for speech and (of course) whining about how little free time I have. It’s great!

This week, we have debated quite a few good bills that will make Iowa a better state. The funnel was last week, and that excluded a lot of bills that have been out. If they didn’t make it through the funnel by being out of committee, the bill is effectively not eligible for debate anymore. However, as we say, nothing is ever dead in the Legislature, and so they always seem to have a way of coming back.

Prayer and the season of lent go hand in hand — along with repentance, worship, fasting and all the other “spiritual disciplines.” So, I want to take this opportunity to encourage you to pray this Lenten season.

Spring is in the air. The robins and killdeer have migrated back to the area, green blades of grass have started to pop up, and muddy paw prints have appeared on my kitchen floor. With the appearance of spring, it’s time to start planning for warm weather activities.

In my turtle analogy of adopting a defensive investment strategy, my turtle will stick his head out of his shell to see if everything is all clear, and his eyes will immediately fix on the acrimonious exchanges of tariffs. That will cause him to pull it back in and squeeze his eyes shut, hoping to avoid contact. President Donald Trump has called himself “Tariff Man” suggesting tariffs are the salvation of the U.S. economy and means to retain his perception of American greatness.

Rabbits are year-round and frequent visitors to gardens and landscapes. As children, we read about and adored these furry critters. This love of rabbits often faded as we grew older and experienced damage to our gardens and landscapes. Employing various management strategies allows us to co-exist with these cute yet voracious members of our community.

Just the facts ‘mam.

Joe Friday made the statement famous in the classic cop drama, “Dragnet.” I’m stealing the sentiment for today’s column which focuses on the state’s high rankings in recent surveys.

IOWA DRIVERS FACE HIGHEST ANIMAL-RELATED RISK IN NOVEMBER

The Spencer City Council and senior leaders are in a tough spot when it comes to figuring out a budget for next year.

Like any other small to midsized community in America today, Spencer has to balance its ability to cover the ever rising costs of equipment, supplies and regulatory compliance with the need to make investments to help the city grow economically, all while trying to keep taxes at a reasonable rate. Never an easy task, and as often as not it's a thankless one.

We recognize the importance of collaboration in building a strong, sustainable, and dependable emergency medical service for our communities and the entire county. As the backbone of public health and safety, EMS must be funded, properly staffed and well-equipped to meet the growing needs of our residents.

Q: What is 'Be The One' campaign all about?

Willoughby breezed through the valley the other day. He lives in the capital city, but whips on through here about once a month, and each time he comes he has new things to sell.

“Do you suppose,” said Bert, watching Willoughby’s van pull into town, “he sells all of it each time and fills everyone’s orders, or just doesn’t sell any of it and has to try new things?”

For those of you who feel I’ve been giving films nothing but good ratings lately, I’ve got some good news for you. My streak of three-plus buckets ends today courtesy of “Mickey 17.”

Despite a solid cast and an interesting concept, this futuristic, end-of-the-world comedy didn’t strike the funny bone. Instead, it settled for the ridiculous bone.

We laugh when we see a T-shirt, bumper sticker or coffee mug touting some kind of witty slogan or snarky joke about how I/we can’t function properly without the overly celebrated morning cup

of coffee.

This National Ag Week, Iowa Farm Bureau is celebrating the many ways farmers are protecting our state’s water quality.

And the numbers prove we’re rising to this challenge.

While our state is historically known for leading the nation in certain commodities like corn, pigs, eggs and ethanol production, we’re also ranked No. 1 in the following conservation practices:

• Water quality wetlands.

• Bioreactors.

• Grassed waterways.

A turtle is sitting on a post on a farm. The turtle looks bewildered, thinking … “Here I am. How did I get here? What is going on? What should I be doing next?” These are all pertinent questions that farmers are asking themselves. I think that we have entered a swirling vortex of developing new reality so that none of us are comfortable enough to think that we know all the answers to the questions.