Jeff Stein

1 week ago | kxel.com | Jeff Stein

Odds on the PopeThe white smoke came from the chimney at the Vatican yesterday, at 7 p.m. local time. The first pope born in the United States was elected by his fellow cardinals. Robert Francis Prevost was born on the south side of Chicago, and graduated from Villanova University. As the 267th pope of the Catholic Church, he has taken the name Leo XIV. Once that was announced…it was time for bettors to settle up.

1 week ago | kxel.com | Jeff Stein

From the KCRG-TV9 Newsroom:Republican House and Senate leaders have agreed on a new state budget. It’s a $9.4 billion measure, a budget compromise that’s a $480 million increase in spending compared to last year. The new compromise bill includes $14 million in funding to raise pay for paraeducators. That’s an item House members say was part of last year’s compromise over rehauling the Area Education Associations; Senate Republicans initially opposed it in this year’s budget.

1 week ago | kxel.com | Jeff Stein

Eight Decades AgoIt was on this date in 1945 that the guns fell silent across Europe with the German surrender and the end of World War II on that continent. VE Day, or Victory in Europe Day. Given other events on the world stage, this anniversary does not seem to have the same attention being paid to it as perhaps it should. France marks this date as a public holiday every year; other nations in the region are far more subdued in noting this milestone anniversary, much less the annual date.

1 week ago | kxel.com | Jeff Stein

DES MOINES, Iowa (KCRG) – In a largely symbolic move, a state lawmaker in the Iowa Senate has introduced a resolution to end same-sex marriage. The resolution calls on the U.S. Supreme Court to reject Obergefell v. Hodges, the federal case that legalized same-sex marriage in 2015. It also argues Iowa has the right to regulate marriage for Iowa citizens.

1 week ago | kxel.com | Jeff Stein

Check Your WorkThe Trump Administration has been at odds with a variety of institutions of higher learning, threatening to withhold federal dollars if certain requirements are not met. Harvard is the latest. There are different ways this can all be accomplished. The administration can try to claw back money that was approved but not yet distributed. The government can try to revoke the university’s non-profit status, which the President has advocated.