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.

We highlight persons with developmental disabilities this month as we partner with the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities and recognize March as Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month.

That first full day in the garden may find you tired, sunburned and stiff. Whether you are a young or young-at-heart gardener, include some strategies to help extend your enjoyment and reduce fatigue and muscle strain so you can keep gardening longer each day and for years to come.

Chickens have forever had a place in our hearts and on our tables. Why is that? Well … why not?

And so I’d like you to come with me back to the summer of 1970, ‘way up north of Fairbanks, Alaska, to what was once the thriving gold mining village of Chicken, Alaska. I was on my way, hitchhiking with a canoe, to paddle down a stretch of the Yukon River and to see the cabin where Jack London spent the winter once upon a time.

So last week, I watched President Donald Trump’s speech — a six-week State of the Union sort of — to all the parties who comprise the houses of Congress, as well as the citizens of this country. To be fair, I’ve watched all of the presidents annual addresses since I was old enough to care when President Ronald Reagan was in the office in the '80s.

It's been awhile since I've written anything about the proposed CO2 pipeline. I guess I've been waiting to see how the cards would fall in South Dakota, and I have great news! The people of South Dakota have been fighting so hard to pass legislation to ban eminent domain on carbon pipelines in their state, and last Tuesday the Senate passed the bill to do just that! Then on Thursday the new governor, Larry Rhoden, signed that bill into law.

Last week, I started out my newsletter with the first right in the Iowa Constitution's, Bill of Rights. I got a lot of comments. A few were, “I didn’t know Iowa had a Bill of Rights” or “The first right in the Iowa Bill of Rights is pretty inclusive.” So, I thought, why not continue to discuss our state’s Bill of Rights.