One of the photographs of my father that I clearly remember appeared on the pages of the Bloomfield Democrat about 60 years ago. Pop was standing chest-deep in a hole that had been hastily dug in the street on the Bloomfield city square. His face was grim. There was urgent
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Posted July 03, 2023in Stray Thoughts
My late friend Paul was a fine Des Moines teacher. I wish the Evans girls had him for history and government. Judging from his ability to entertain me with descriptions of his interactions with students, parents and administrators, I am confident he could make the Peloponnesian War come alive
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Posted June 27, 2023in Stray Thoughts
These are challenging times for Iowa’s 327 public school districts. They are being watched closely by state officials and lawmakers, by parents and by others in the community. These eyes are looking for signs schools are treading lightly on topics like racial history and sexual orientation or that schools are
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Posted June 19, 2023in Stray Thoughts
Forty-four years ago, the Iowa Supreme Court made an important change in the way the state courts operate — allowing journalists to bring their cameras and audio recorders inside courtrooms during hearings and trials to better inform the public about noteworthy cases. Iowa was a pioneer in making its court
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Posted June 05, 2023in Stray Thoughts
Sue and I were in Washington, Iowa, last month. The purpose for our trip was a high school graduation. It was a special occasion because the people we joined with in honoring young Cameron, the newly minted Washington High School grad, have been our friends for almost 44 years. It
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Posted May 24, 2023in Stray Thoughts
When FBI agents led a Dixon, Ill., official out of city hall in handcuffs and the charges against her became public, the most often asked question was “How.” How did City Comptroller Rita Crundwell manage to embezzle an astounding $54 million from the northwest Illinois community of 15,700 people before
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Posted May 19, 2023in Stray Thoughts
In 2017, the Iowa Legislature responded to concerns from Gov. Terry Branstad and amended Iowa law to ensure when government employees are forced out of their jobs the reasons must be made public and not shrouded in secrecy. The goal was commendable. The governor was right. People deserve to be
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Posted May 02, 2023in Stray Thoughts
If you watch the Iowa Legislature in action, there are some truisms you see time and again. Such as: Each political party is in favor of transparency and accountability — until they gain the majority. Then those politicians see many reasons why transparency and accountability are problematic. Another: If you
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Posted April 26, 2023in Stray Thoughts
I thought the often-repeated desire to weed out waste, fraud and abuse from government spending was something Republicans, Democrats and independents could all agree on in Iowa. Boy, am I naive. A bit of recent Iowa government history illustrates this contradiction between our elected officials’ statements and their actions. The
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Posted April 17, 2023in Stray Thoughts
Last week was one to savor. But it also was a week to reflect on how far we still need to travel to have true citizen engagement in our state and local governments. First, some savoring. The Iowa League of Women Voters honored me and the Iowa Freedom of Information
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