Jeff Stein

Music for a Penny As a teenager in the 1970s, I couldn’t wait to get permission to sign up for the Columbia House Record Club. The ads sounded great—send in a penny, and you’d get 12 record albums. And each month after, you’d have the choice of buying their “record of the month” by simply mailing a card back to them. It was a family event…a few for me, a few my brother picked, and a few selected by my parents.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – An Iowa City Community School District board member is resigning after a tense public work session, citing board “dysfunction” and expressing doubt that the district can regain the public’s trust amidst a financial crisis. Jayne Finch announced her plans to step down following a disagreement with fellow board member Lisa Williams during a Wednesday board work session. The district’s financial struggles were made public earlier this year.

Trouble on the Farm Dr. Ernie Goss of Creighton University is the country’s foremost expert on the Midwest economy, and a frequent guest on KXEL. His monthly Rural Mainstreet Index survey was just released, and it’s not great news for rural areas. This is a survey of bank CEOs in rural areas of a 10-state region, including Iowa, dependent on agriculture and/or energy.