~a column by Colleen O’Brien The kind of leader I would like right now – Carlos Alvarado Quesada, 39-year-old president of Costa Rica – is actually concerned about climate change. Along with citizens of his country, he is figuring out how to do something about it.
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Several bills in legislature could impact hunting, fishing license
~courtesy of The Scranton Journal Greene County resident and hunting enthusiast Fred Long is active in the field hunting wild game but also keeps a close eye on the Iowa State Legislature. At the Greene Gobblers Hunting Heritage banquet, Long touched on some bills in both the House and Senate. He provided an update for The Scranton Journal, noting that…
Read MoreLetter to the editor – Patti Naylor,
To the editor, A unique opportunity to learn about organic pork production is coming up on March 8 and 9 in Waterloo. Sponsored by the Iowa Organic Association and supported by a USDA Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative grant, the Midwest Organic Pork Production Conference will bring together farmers and researchers in the organic and niche pork production fields.
Read More91 years ago
Editor’s note – Colleen O’Brien’s column this week uses many different formatting styles. To preserve those styles most efficiently, the column is posted as a .pdf. Click on the link below to read the column as formatted. ~a column by Colleen O’Brien Excerpts from The Jefferson Bee, February 29, 1928 [The following is a story about the influence of radio.…
Read MoreThe Behn Report
In the legislature February 14, 2019 As we moved into the fifth week of the legislative session, subcommittee work remained the primary focus. One of these subcommittee bills is Senate Study Bill 1128, which allows driverless vehicles to operate on public highways. The bill requires the vehicle to meet a series of criteria and requires the owner of the vehicle…
Read MoreTalking points
~by Victoria Riley, GreeneCountyNewsOnline There’s still close to a year to go before the presidential caucuses in Iowa. News media are starting to count down days. Republicans and even some Democrats are already exclaiming, “Enough already!” I’m not one of them. I didn’t mind the abundance of Republican candidates in 2015 and I don’t mind the abundance of Democratic candidates…
Read MoreGambling on a political judiciary
Editor’s note – Clarification of Iowa State Bar Association’s role added per information provided to GCNO by that group. ~by Victoria Riley, GreeneCountyNewsOnline State senator Jerry Behn surprised people at Coffee and Politics a week ago when he announced that the three branches of Iowa government – executive, legislative and judicial – are not equal according to the Iowa Constitution.
Read MoreCandidate Andrew Yang speaks in Jefferson
The idea of a $1,000 a month paid by the federal government to every U.S. citizen older than 18 sounds “out there”, but Andrew Yang, a Democratic candidate for president who espouses the universal basic income (UBI), made it sound more realistic. Yang’s UBI, a “Freedom Dividend”, is similar to Alaska’s petroleum dividend, he explained to about two dozen Democrats…
Read MoreThe Behn Report
February 8, 2019 The attention of many Iowans was focused on the work being done in the Senate this week. Several key issues being discussed this legislative session began to work their way through the process and have been the topic of many discussions at the Capitol. A judicial subcommittee advanced SJR 9, a constitutional amendment that would prevent unelected…
Read MoreArt Cullen speaks to large group in Jefferson
The Greene County Democrats’ inaugural Groundhog Day Dinner Feb. 2 drew not only local Democrats, but also guests from surrounding counties, State Rep Karin Derry of House District 39 (Polk County), State Rep Wes Breckenridge of House District 29 (Jasper County), and J.D. Scholten, contender for the Fourth Congressional District seat held by Steve King. Close to 80 people attended…
Read MoreTo be or not to be…conservative/liberal
~a column by Colleen O’Brien How do we remain friends with somebody who voted for the wrong person? How do we talk with someone we know is a flaming liberal when we are a far-right conservative? Many of us have given it up over the past two or three years, figuring we aren’t going to get anywhere. And the truth…
Read MoreThe Behn Report
February 1, 2019 Our focus continues to be our subcommittee work as more and more bills are being filed during the third week of the legislative session. On Tuesday members of the United Way from across the state visited the Capitol. They discussed different policy proposals to support Iowans through education and health care, and how to assist Iowans in…
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