Benjamin Fisher
Senior News Reporter at Silver City Daily Press
City and Politics Reporter at Telegraph Herald (Dubuque, Iowa)
-Reporter at the Telegraph Herald (politics, government & the environment of the IA/WI/IL tri-state) -Sometimes poet, forager, partner and friend
Articles
-
6 days ago |
telegraphherald.com | Benjamin Fisher
While the recently adjourned 2025 session of the Iowa State Legislature brought about many changes, several of lawmakers’ stated top priorities failed to get over the finish line this year. In interviews with the TH, east-central Iowa lawmakers shared what priorities they had hoped to accomplish this session but which turned out not to be in this year’s cards. And a nearby political science professor said the session was as expected, by some accounts, despite some misses on those priority bills.
-
6 days ago |
telegraphherald.com | Benjamin Fisher
Another session of the Iowa Legislature meant some more changes to rules and regulations of education at various levels — although to a lesser degree than in some recent sessions — as well as additional socially conservative policy laws from Republicans’ trifecta majority in Des Moines. The session featured a landmark, bipartisan and years-sought approval of a bill requiring schools to bar cellphones from students during instructional time.
-
1 week ago |
telegraphherald.com | Benjamin Fisher
While it might seem like a year and a half is a long time from now, several area candidates already have jumped into campaigning for state races to be decided next year. Democrat Matt Robinson, of Dubuque, recently announced that he is running for the Iowa House of Representatives District 72 seat, which will come up for election in November 2026. That district was held by longtime Democratic lawmaker Chuck Isenhart, of Dubuque, until Iowa Rep. Jennifer Smith, R-Dubuque, ousted him in November.
-
1 week ago |
telegraphherald.com | Benjamin Fisher
Republicans in the Iowa Legislature passed numerous bills impacting health care — including Medicaid-access restrictions and increased regulations of pharmacy benefit managers — and workforce supports during the recently concluded 2025 session. Local health care officials and lawmakers shared upsides to some of the bills approved this year. But lawmakers were split by party on others, especially those requiring proof of work status to qualify for Medicaid.
-
1 week ago |
telegraphherald.com | Benjamin Fisher
Try JournoFinder For Free
Search and contact over 1M+ journalist profiles, browse 100M+ articles, and unlock powerful PR tools.
Start Your 7-Day Free Trial →Coverage map
X (formerly Twitter)
- Followers
- 158
- Tweets
- 131
- DMs Open
- No
Began to unwind my 2024 Iowa Caucus experience, now that I've taken some time to breathe: https://t.co/eaH4uepfA9
After much consideration, I have joined the herd and headed to Substack to share writing that doesn't fit in my daily newspaper: https://t.co/gklfHVmgF0 Come visit. There'll be much more to come.
Bundled up as best as I could be ahead of covering my first Republican Iowa Caucus in Dubuque, and in a hellish cold #IowaCaucus #journolife So this was me smiling. https://t.co/lk8bMbGIxU
