The Onion v. Iowa

For Gay Couple, Fulfilling Lifelong Dream Of Marriage Not Worth Moving To Iowa

Today’s Column – Thanks for Nothing

State lawmakers who stumbled, bleary-eyed, out of the Statehouse early Sunday morning once again left open government legislation on the scrap heap.Surprise, surprise.
It’s been two years since a panel of experts appointed by lawmakers made a series of thoughtful recommendations on how best to tighten and toughen Iowa’s open records and open meetings laws. But [...]

Gross Calls a Meeting

Over at The Iowa Republican, news for Republicans by Republicans, blogicon Krusty Konservative discusses a meeting of GOP“establishment” types in Des Moines today called by Doug Gross. Gross, a former candidate for governor and longtime Republican player, is  sharing some polling data on the party’s future direction.
Krusty is skeptical of what these squishy “moderates” are up [...]

Thursday Reads — H1N1 v. Iowa

So, how about that outbreak/epidemic/imminent pandemic?
Well, it’s become an Iowa story now, and about people, not just pigs. Gov. Chet Culver and our state’s top health experts gathered before cameras yesterday to trouble us while urging us not to be too troubled just yet.
And unless you’ve already sealed yourself up in a hilltop hideaway, you’ve [...]

It’s Probably Here – Culver Flu Release

Here’s what our governor has to say this hour about H1N1:
TWO PROBABLE CASES OF H1N1 INFLUENZA REPORTED IN IOWA
DES MOINES – Governor Chet Culver and the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported two probable cases of H1N1 influenza in the state. The initial testing, performed by the University of Iowa Hygienic Laboratory, is expected [...]

Tricky Culver uses the Switcheroo

Gov. Chet Culver has pulled the old switcheroo.
Today, he’s appointed Shearon Elderkin to the Iowa Power Fund Board and Carrie La Seur to the Environmental Protection Commission. or EPC.  Just days ago, Senate Republicans scuttled Elderkin’s nomination to the EPC and La Seur’s nomination to the Power Fund Board.
So now he switches the appointments after lawmakers go [...]

Where are They Now — Jim Nussle

The former Republican congressman, White House budget director and the candidate who couldn’t stop the Big Lug juggernaut is now a high-powered Virginia-based consultant, says The Register.
Radio Iowa also has coverage of “The Nussle Group,”  which is, according to its innaugural press release, “a multi-disciplined government relations and strategic consulting firm serving a wide range of clients across multiple [...]

It’s Here? Updated

The Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier reports a possible Iowa swine flu case:
A suspected case of swine influenza in Iowa has appeared in Black Hawk County.
An adult showed up in a local hospital late Tuesday with flu symptoms and a fever more than 100 degrees after traveling to a U.S. state with a confirmed case of [...]

Wednesday Reads — Everything’s Not So Swine

Would Swine Flu, by any other name, be less damaging to the nation’s agricultural economy?
US Secretary of Agriculture TomVilsack thinks so, according to Radio Iowa. Pork prices are falling. Russia and China have slapped import restrictions on some US pork and some skittish nibblers are losing their taste for the other white meat.
In Cedar Rapids, [...]

Breaking — Legislature Adjourns

Yeah,  I know it’s been at least three full sleep cycles since the Iowa Legislature adjourned early Sunday morning, ending an around-the-clock vigil commemorating the death of good, open daytime government.
Zombies, not Democrats, actually controlled the Legislature in the final hours, according to my sources. Which explains that huge tax break for the undead tucked into [...]