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JOHNSTON, IOWA (February 17, 2025) – When communities come together, lives are saved. Blood donation is one of the most direct ways to support your community, local hospitals, and families in need. It takes just one hour to donate blood, but the impact lasts far longer.
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Week 9 is over, and the 2026 legislative session is in the books. With our first calves already on the ground, I’m ready to trade long floor sessions for calving night checks, feeding chores and more time back home with Lauren, Michael, and Catherine.
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We have completed the 9 week legislative session and what a journey it has been. The legislaturehasactedonover600 bills, resolutions and commemorations. The largest amount since the 90s. It almost feels like January 13th was yesterday because the time goes so fast there is always somewhere we need to be, someone we need to be talking to, bills that need to be read,informationweneedtoresearch, committee hearings on billsandmostimportantlyserving our districts best interests. During and prior to my 4 years inthelegislatureheateddebates on property taxes have been daily conversations. We ended up with around 30 proposals regarding property taxes. I am proud to say the legislature and theexecutivebranchputpolitics aside and worked tirelessly to finally deliver options for relief to owner occupied property taxes. In 2022 the legislature temporarily lowered the sales tax from 4.5 to 4.2%. Bills were introduced to make this relief permanent, but they ultimately died before I had a chance to vote on them. With the sunset in place the sales tax will go up next year automatically. SB 245 designates the future sales tax revenues offset owner occupied property tax. At the end of the day this will put more money into the hands of homeowners andhopefullyhelpthoselooking into homeownership. The hope is that the extra will provide future growth for schools in futurebudgets.Pairedwiththis bill was SB 96 an optional sales tax for counties for those counties with the highest property taxes. We looked at 2 optional sales tax ideas this year. The other was HB 1245 an optional tax for municipalities to build future projects. I voted against this bill. Hypothetically, if Sioux Falls implemented both these options this could be an additional 1.5% sales tax on you when you go to Sioux Falls for a Doctors appointment, basketball tournament, Christmas shopping, etc…. The bill is currently on the governor’s desk. This being said I encourage you to shop locally. District 19 has such great options for all our needs and we want to keep it that way. Each little town in District 19 has a special place in my heart and I love travelling to all our communities and supporting them. It has been an absolute honor to serve you the last 4 years. Putting my people 1st has been my mission the entire time I have served you. I can’t thank you enough for trustingmewithyourvote.Iam seeking re-election and humbly ask for your support once again to serve you.
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The American Legion Auxiliary is one of the nation’s most prominent supporters of veterans, military, and their families. One goal of this auxiliary is to promote patriotism and a lifelong respect for our flag and country. Americanism Poem and Essay Contests were created to teach students the value of patriotism and what it means to be Americans. Thousands of students participate in the program each year. By participating in these two contests students are able to explore the fundamental rights and freedoms we enjoy today. Winners from the American Legion Auxiliary Legion Arthur Wissman Post #150 are:
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You walk into the house after a long day. Your growling stomach serves as a reminder that you only managed to get in a few bites of your lunch before surrendering to the tasks at hand. Your mind feels like a bowl of mush after navigating the day and your muscles are so tight it feels one touch would cause them to snap. You haphazardly drop your things down at the door, grab a bag of chips and fire up the tv or sink into the chair and scroll. When your phone vibrates with a call from one of your good friends, your finger quickly finds the silence button. You get caught up in the mind numbing diversion in front of you and before you know it, it's an hour past your bed time. You decide to forego the regular nighttime routine, crawl into bed and hope for a better day tomorrow.
Read moreThe first library board meeting for 2026 was held on March 10th at the library. Dawn Kitchenmaster’s term as a board member ended with the December meeting. I would like to thank Dawn for her 15 plus years of service to the library. She was a part of the decisions that helped the library move to its new location, expand on the services provided and was part of the recent accreditation process for the library. Thank you again Dawn.
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