Randy Evans / Stray Thoughts

School teaches taxpayers an expensive lesson

Des Moines Superintendent Thomas Ahart has been a lightning rod during the past three years over the way Iowa’s public schools have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ahart

By Randy Evans / Stray Thoughts

/ 7 Mar 2022

School teaches taxpayers an expensive lesson

Evans: Lawmakers' mixed message is puzzling

I’m confused, and I have a hunch I am not the only one. Are government mandates a bad thing — or are they good? My confusion comes because I hear

By Randy Evans / Stray Thoughts

/ 8 Feb 2022

Evans: Lawmakers' mixed message is puzzling

Evans: Iowa school debate needs a lesson in civics

A seat at the table. Iowa Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver provided that succinct explanation last week of what his fellow Republicans are looking to provide to Iowa parents as

By Randy Evans / Stray Thoughts

/ 3 Feb 2022

Evans: Iowa school debate needs a lesson in civics

Evans: State government may be harming Iowa population challenges

I stumbled across a statistical tidbit the other day that probably will surprise many people. U.S. Census Bureau figures show that between 1900 and 2000, the state that grew

By Randy Evans / Stray Thoughts

/ 18 Jan 2022

Evans: State government may be harming Iowa population challenges

Evans: Senate change won't better inform Iowans

Typically, in the days leading up to the start of a new session of the Iowa Legislature, the attention is on lawmakers’ goals and priorities — and on the pledges they

By Randy Evans / Stray Thoughts

/ 12 Jan 2022

Evans: Senate change won't better inform Iowans

Evans: Americans are slow to grasp this extreme danger

Something came out of Colorado last week besides images of the destruction from a rapidly developing wildfire that roared through the area between Denver and Boulder. The fires consumed upwards

By Randy Evans / Stray Thoughts

/ 3 Jan 2022

Evans: Americans are slow to grasp this extreme danger

Evans: Justice in Iowa vs. Minnesota justice

Minnesota and its government officials delivered an important lesson recently on how to provide justice — and their lesson should be taken to heart by their neighbors in Iowa. The contrast

By Randy Evans / Stray Thoughts

/ 27 Dec 2021

Evans: Justice in Iowa vs. Minnesota justice

Evans: Those ‘good neighbor deeds’ can recharge us

When I walked out the door at the Des Moines Register for the final time on Dec. 12, 2014, there was an unfinished piece of work tucked away in a

By Randy Evans / Stray Thoughts

/ 20 Dec 2021

Evans: Those ‘good neighbor deeds’ can recharge us

Evans: School officials haven't learned important lesson

The past couple of years have been challenging for Iowa’s 327 public school districts. Parents have become very engaged with their schools — and enraged, too, at times. This has

By Randy Evans / Stray Thoughts

/ 13 Dec 2021

Evans: School officials haven't learned important lesson

Evans: Our political system has withered

The death Sunday of Robert Dole was a potent reminder of what we have lost as a nation. Another member of the Greatest Generation has left us — another of those

By Randy Evans / Stray Thoughts

/ 8 Dec 2021

Evans: Our political system has withered

Evans: Another school problem is not being discussed

When you have orbited the sun as many times as I have, people sometimes want to tap into the insights you have gathered through the years. Young journalists and newsroom

By Randy Evans / Stray Thoughts

/ 29 Nov 2021

Evans: Another school problem is not being discussed

Evans: Libraries should be for all, not just for some

There’s a big birthday coming up in Iowa in about a month. This place we call home — these 55,800 square miles of farm fields, wooded land, and clusters

By Randy Evans / Stray Thoughts

/ 22 Nov 2021

School teaches taxpayers an expensive lesson

Evans: Lawmakers' mixed message is puzzling

Evans: Iowa school debate needs a lesson in civics

Evans: State government may be harming Iowa population challenges

Evans: Senate change won't better inform Iowans

Evans: Americans are slow to grasp this extreme danger

Evans: Justice in Iowa vs. Minnesota justice

Evans: Those ‘good neighbor deeds’ can recharge us

Evans: School officials haven't learned important lesson

Evans: Our political system has withered

Evans: Another school problem is not being discussed

Evans: Libraries should be for all, not just for some

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