I was talking to our son, Hans about his son, Oliver. He said he has homework and it is really cool to see him learn to budget his time. As I remember, school was like prison, we moved at the bell and shut up most of the time. Now kids are learning how to live in the real world. It's a beautiful thing. I talked to a kid working at McDonald's just before they were shut down.

To the editor:
In the late 1700 era of time, the phrase came about “give credit where credit is due”. The phrase has the amplified meaning of acknowledgment given to the person or persons who deserves it.

The COVID-19 pandemic con-tinues to be at the top of eve-ryone’s mind. We’re all adjust-ing to a new normal—talking, thinking and acting differently than we did just a month ago.

As I write today from my kitchen table, I want to thank all of you for doing all you can to stay informed and keep each other safe and well. Thank you to everyone continuing to do the hard work of caring for and serving our communities.
This week I want to share a number of information pieces to keep you up-to-date, as the changes at the State and Fed-eral level are happening quick-ly.

I know this is a hard time for everyone, and I want to help keep you as informed as possi-ble. There are reliable links to very informative websites from experts at both state and fed-eral levels. Please go to these websites for facts...don't rely on rumors and opinions. Thank you for what you are doing to care for and serve our commu-nities in so many ways.

The COVID-19 outbreak has affected pretty much every aspect of daily life, but few industries have been disrupted as much as the film industry.
Basically everything is on hold right now as studios delay their theatrical releases due to not having any theaters to release in.
This has resulted in some drastic steps to recoup some of those theatrical losses.

We've been dividing our paper napkins into four instead of two. We've had a tradition here that Dawn and I would pull a napkin apart unless we had ribs or some really great tacos.

It was so refreshing to hear a story about second-degree theft on the radio this morning. I needed a break from COVID-19.

Thanks to the spread of COVID-19, people across the state are discovering that they have an unexpected amount of free time and fewer options to fill it. Staying home means staying home, which is apparently new territory for a lot of people.
Don't worry though. I'm here to help.

It has been an exhausting week for many Iowans as we make immediate lifestyle chang-es to protect our families, workplaces and communities from the COVID-19 outbreak. Our jobs, schools, routines and plans have all been impact-ed.
As a legislator and fellow citizen, I am doing what I can to ensure this time of uncer-tainty is as short lived as pos-sible.

As you know by now, the Iowa Legislature suspended session late on March 16 for 30 days. It may be necessary to extend it further, but we will be back to finish our work when it is safe to do so. It was important to lead by example as the Governor made her deci-sions on keeping Iowa as safe as possible. If anyone has questions, please let me know.

More and more of the world is getting put on hold every day in response to the spread of COVID-19.
Movies are being postponed, including "The New Mutants," which just can't catch a break. This is a movie that finished filming in 2017 and has been delayed six times since then. It almost feels like a time traveler is trying to keep this movie from ever coming out and utilizing increasingly extreme measures to do so.

Iowa faces a workforce short-age and over the last several sessions, House Republicans have made it a priority to ad-dress this challenge. Over the years, legislators have worked in a bipartisan way to pass the Future Ready Iowa Act and Last Dollar Scholarship pro-gram to help Iowans access career training programs and advance in their careers. The next step to ease Iowa’s work-er shortage is addressing the issue of child care.

Iowa has been one of the worst states for protecting pets, but the Legislature is finally acting.

In the men's room at the Windsor Theater in Hampton reads a sign instructing employees to wash their hands. Then under that it says, “Actually, it is probably a good idea for everyone to wash after using the bathroom.” Wise advice.