Quad-City Times. Dec. 18, 2020.
Editorial: Caucuses need reform
It was a lifetime ago, but we’re learning more about the 2020 presidential caucus debacle in Iowa.
An internal investigation commissioned by the Iowa Democratic Party and conducted by lawyers in Iowa, including former Attorney General Bonnie Campbell, was released recently - and it cast plenty of blame. The Democratic National Committee’s meddling in the development of an app for reporting results caused significant delays, so much so there was no time for training before the caucuses began.
Then, DNC demands to verify results as they were coming in caused delays the night of the caucuses.
The state party didn’t escape blame, either. The report noted the Iowa Democratic Party is ultimately responsible for having the apparatus in place to run the caucuses. And, it said, the party missed opportunities to speed along development of the app in spite of DNC demands.
The state party also didn’t adequately build in adequate backup in the event of problems with the app, the report noted. And it was clear before the caucuses even began that precinct leaders were bailing on using the software.
If you’ve forgotten – and we wouldn’t blame you with all that’s gone on in the 10 months since then if you have – the Feb. 3 caucuses were a nightmare, as campaigns, voters and media outlets worldwide waited and waited - and waited - for results that just didn’t materialize in full until three days later.
As a result, many have predicted the demise of the first-in-the-nation caucuses, at least as far as the Democrats are concerned.
Making predictions about the caucuses is always risky, but this year’s failures won’t be forgotten.
In addition, the caucuses have the same old problems. They’re complicated and not very accessible (the latter applies to the Republicans, too). The other thing is this: Joe Biden has no reason to keep Iowa first, something other presidents did. After all, Iowa has been no friend to Biden. He’s always done poorly in the caucuses, and he lost the state in the general election by a wide margin.
Regardless of whether Iowa remains a lead-off state, though, Democrats still must figure out how to go forward. There is a lot of pressure to convert to a primary. If the party doesn’t like that idea, it should strongly consider the report’s recommendation that it conduct a straw poll, like the Republicans do. We think that’s a solid idea. Frankly, the days of complicated caucus math and state delegate equivalents is over. The person with the most votes should win, right?
The party also needs to find a way, finally, for greater participation.
This report documents in detail what we already know: The caucuses were a disaster.
At the least, they need to be reformed, whether Iowa is first-in-the-nation or not.
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Fort Dodge Messenger. Dec. 16, 2020.
Editorial: STEAM kits provide fun, learning. Worthwhile program should be continued
In some Fort Dodge households, little mechanical critters called hex bugs are slowly working their way through mazes and over bridges.
Rockets made of straws are sailing through rooms, perhaps buzzing a snoozing pet or two.
And kids are painting with pendulums in an activity designed to bring out their creativity.
The gear for all those activities was included in boxes called STEAM kits which were mailed last week to 200 families who signed up for them. STEAM stands for science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics.
Each box contains items for five activities intended to encourage young people to innovate and practice problem solving skills. Those activities are building bridges for the hex bugs, creating mazes for the hex bugs, building rockets out of straws, painting with a pendulum and putting together paper puzzles called tangrams.
Some of that stuff seems like it would be fun even for adults. But what’s most important is that while the kids are having fun with these kits they’re learning skills applicable to future studies and eventually careers.
The Iowa STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) Council and Iowa Central Career Connections paid for the kits.
The key people involved in the project were Kelly Bergman, north central regional manager of the Iowa STEM Council; Dawn Larson, economic development specialist for the city of Fort Dodge; Megan Kruse, work-based learning coordinator at Iowa Central Community College; and Ed Birkey, robotics teacher at Fort Dodge Senior High School.
Marissa Hamilton and Aubry Salgren, owners of the Artist Warehouse in Fort Dodge, helped to create the painting element of the kits.
Kids might gripe about going to science or math class, but they probably won’t complain about doing the activities in these STEAM kits. While they’re doing those activities, they’re learning skills from the realms of math, science and other fields. That’s what makes these kits innovative and exciting.
We hope the STEAM kit program continues and grows in the future.
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Dubuque Telegraph Herald. Dec. 16, 2020.
Editorial: Simmons development a shining bright spot amid dark times
In a year when people have been isolated from family and friends, businesses have suffered tremendous hardships, and thousands of events have been canceled, any kind of good news is a welcome respite.
The Dubuque-area community got just that last week with the announcement of one of the biggest economic development agreements the city has ever seen.
One of the nation’s leading pet food manufacturers proposes investing about $80 million in a Dubuque facility and creating more than 270 full-time jobs.
Simmons Pet Food, based in Arkansas, aims to buy the former Flexsteel Industries plant at 501 Seippel Road by the end of this year.
The company proposes hiring 138 workers by the middle of 2021 and increasing that total to 271 full-time employees in the next three years. It also would make a series of sizable investments in order to acquire the building, retrofit the facility, install equipment and eventually expand the structure.
The proposal is contingent on the receipt of local and state incentives. The Dubuque City Council will hold a Dec. 17 public hearing on the proposed development agreement, and the application for state incentives goes before the Iowa Economic Development Authority later this month.
The magnitude of the impact of such a development would be impressive in any economic climate. Amid a pandemic, the weight of the announcement is all the more staggering.
It was just more than seven months ago that Dubuque got the devastating news that Flexsteel would close its manufacturing operation after 84 years in the community. For decades, as the hometown of the global company, Dubuque took great pride in the quality workmanship at the local plant. But by this summer, 213 people lost their jobs with the closure.
The timing seemed terrible as the region had been plunged into pandemic closures for weeks and the numbers were just beginning to climb. Citizens had begun to realize that enduring COVID-19 would be a long haul.
Yet now, before the end of the year, comes word of a new chapter for Dubuque with Simmons Pet Food. Landing such a plum deal was part reputation, some hard work - and a touch of good old-fashioned luck.
This area had multiple things going for it that helped secure the deal:
A new-but-vacant, state-of-the-art facility.
A workforce renowned for its drive.
Local government and economic development officials eager to build partnerships.
Leaders from the City of Dubuque and Greater Dubuque Development Corp. deserve credit for facilitating this deal and landing this opportunity. On a development plan of this level, the pieces don’t all fall into place without some assistance, and GDDC has been masterful at that effort for the Dubuque area.
The pandemic is not yet over, local businesses are still struggling, and challenges lie ahead for all of us. But this positive economic news provides some sunshine amid the clouds.
Dubuque lost one of its cornerstone businesses this year. Now, months later, there’s a plan in place for a new company to make its home in Dubuque, bringing even more well-paid jobs to fill the exact building of the loss. And it came together during the most significant pandemic of the century. To Simmons Pet Food, we offer a grateful “Welcome home.”
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