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For eons, Native art has held the fascination of all cultures. Lisa A. Crossman and Heid E. Erdrich have compiled a stunning volume of indigenous work in the book Boundless, based on an exhibition by …
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By Michael Tidemann
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10/9/25
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Anyone who has seen the film We Were Soldiers starring Mel Gibson has seen how war impacts the personal lives of not just those who went to war but also the families who stayed behind and prayed for …
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By Michael Tidemann
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8/28/25
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Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” focused on manners and goodness, two virtues sometimes forgotten today.
Shortly before the novel was published, our Founding …
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By Randy Evans
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6/19/25
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In the Senate we continue to work on the bills that made it out of the last legislative deadline. Also, this week Senate Republicans announced a budget target for FY 2026, setting our target at …
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By Sen. Dave Rowley - Representing Iowa Senate District 5
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4/17/25
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Significant Judi SSA Final Agreement
This week, we passed a final SSA agreement, SF 167, after months of negotiations. While our original proposal included more money for schools, this final …
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By Rep. Henry Stone -
Representing Iowa House District 7
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4/17/25
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This was the twelfth week of the legislative session and included our second major legislative deadline for the year. The week focused on committee work and moving several of the governor’s …
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By Sen. Dave Rowley - Representing Iowa Senate District 5
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4/10/25
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Significant Judiciary Bills Survive the Second Funnel
The House Judiciary Committee has considered a significant number of bills this year. Below is a list of a few key bills that have survived …
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By Rep. Henry Stone - Representing Iowa House District 7
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4/10/25
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This week the Senate gained momentum as we held debate on key bills to be passed and messaged to the House. SF 22, the Hands Free bill, passed with a bipartisan vote of 47-1. The bill prohibits the …
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By Sen. Dave Rowley - Representing Iowa Senate District 5
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3/27/25
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Reforming Education
This week, we passed a number of bills through the Iowa House to refocus our institutions of education on providing quality education, lowering costs for students, and …
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By Rep. Henry Stone - Representing Iowa House District 7
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3/27/25
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The Senate held debate Monday to Wednesday moving several bills on to the Governor’s office and to the House. I floor managed SF 397, which passed unanimously and now goes to the House. This bill …
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By Sen. Dave Rowley - Representing Iowa Senate District 5
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3/20/25
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Obscene Materials to Minors
With funnel week behind us, we have been focused this week on debate. A lot of legislation has been discussed and passed out of the House. HF 306 is a bill I ran this …
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By Rep. Henry Stone - Representing Iowa House District 7
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3/20/25
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It was an extremely busy week in the Senate. Kudos to my clerk, Mary, for lining up several subcommittees this week in preparation to advance bills to committee in a timely fashion. We still have …
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By Sen. Dave Rowley - Representing Iowa Senate District 5
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3/7/25
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Most parents believe a back-to-basics approach is needed in Iowa schools. Last session, Governor Reynolds and House Republicans took that attitude to improve literacy amongst Iowa’s students with …
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By Rep. Henry Stone - Representing Iowa House District 7
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3/7/25
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This week, the Senate passed a bill to increase SSA Funding for the next fiscal year by 2%. This is in alignment with what the Governor proposed in her budget. Iowa House Republicans are interested …
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By Rep. Henry Stone - Representing Iowa House District 7
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2/20/25
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This week the Senate passed SF 167 for K-12 funding. The proposal increases funding for K-12 education by $235 million for this year. When combined with last year’s budgeted amount for education, …
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By Sen. Dave Rowley - Representing Iowa Senate District 5
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2/20/25
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The week started off on a somber note as we mourned the loss of Iowa Representative Martin Graber. He was a dedicated soldier, leader, community servant and a friend. Our thoughts and …
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By Sen. Dave Rowley - Representing Iowa Senate District 5
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2/13/25
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The 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results released by the U.S. Department of Education show encouraging gains with Iowa in the top 10 of all states for eighth grade reading …
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By Rep. Henry Stone - Representing Iowa House District 7
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2/13/25
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HSB 47: School Safety Enhancement
House Study Bill 47 is one of the bills I served on the subcommittee for this week. After passing the subcommittee, the Education committee passed HSB 47 to …
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By Rep. Henry Stone -
Representing Iowa House District 7
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2/6/25
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The third week brought the capital city a reprieve of the cold weather and we were lucky to have several days of 40 plus degrees and sunshine.
Inside we continued to hold subcommittee and …
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By Sen. Dave Rowley -
Representing Iowa Senate District 5
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2/6/25
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Week 2 began with the celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. I had plenty of committee meetings and some subcommittee meetings as well. On Wednesday, I was able to meet with FFA students from …
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By Rep. Henry Stone - Representing Iowa House District 7
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1/30/25
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The second week of this legislative session was shortened due to the observance of Martin Luther King Day. Monday, we also celebrated the peaceful transfer of power from one president to the next. It …
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By Sen. Dave Rowley - Representing Iowa Senate District 5
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1/30/25
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“We’ll always have Paris,” Rick tells Ilsa in the classic film Casablanca in which Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman set for the ages Paris as a backdrop for romance. Some even consider the …
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By Michael Tidemann
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11/7/24
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Marcie R. Rendon reprises her fascinating character Cash Blackbear in Sinister Graves, third in a trilogy about a young Native woman whose special powers make her an invaluable …
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By Michael Tidemann
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10/10/24
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