DES MOINES, IOWA (November 21, 2019) — Barksdale's cookies have become synonymous with the Iowa State Fair. Each year, thousands of families get in line to get their cup or bucket of warm, fresh chocolate chip cookies. But, as Joe Barksdale reaches 92 years old, it is time to make sure that cookie tradition continues.

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS (November 20, 2019) — The Illinois Office of Tourism is releasing its annual Illinois Made Holiday Gift Guide featuring unique local businesses around the state — each offering an authentic Illinois experience for visitors along with one-of-a-kind gifts for the holiday season.

Annie Karni, Maggie Haberman, and Sheila Kaplan of the New York Times describe US President Donald Trump's proposed ban on flavored e-cigarette products as "a swift and bold reaction to a growing public health crisis affecting teenagers" that Trump backed away from "under pressure from his political advisers and lobbyists to factor in the potential pushback from his supporters." Maybe they're right about Trump's motivations, but they're wrong about pretty much everything else.

DUBUQUE, IOWA (November 20, 2019) — University of Dubuque will hold an Advent Worship Service and Tree Lighting at 4PM, Wednesday, December 4, in Blades Chapel and on the Quad.

Open to the public, the event will begin with an Advent Worship Service in Blades Chapel. The service will feature the preaching of Mark Ward, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty, as well as the musical talent of several students including the UD Chamber Singers.

“When a man unprincipled in private life[,] desperate in his fortune, bold in his temper . . .

According to an October Rasmussen poll, 38% of likely voters say they intend to vote for "someone other than President Trump or the Democratic presidential nominee" in the 2020 US presidential election. In a three-way presidential race, 38% constitutes a winning plurality, assuming it's distributed among the states such that the Electoral College outcome reflects it.

DES MOINES. IOWA (November 16, 2019) — Attorney General Tom Miller issued this statement regarding the Nov. 15 death of Iowa Chief Justice Mark Cady:

"I was shocked and devastated to learn about Chief Justice Cady’s passing. This is a terrible loss for the state and for the courts. The chief justice was a dedicated public servant and a fair-minded jurist.

WASHINGTON DC (November 14, 2019) — The Department of Homeland Security will publish a notice of proposed rulemaking in the 

US president Donald Trump "elevated his political interest above the national interest and demanded foreign interference in an American election," Peter Beinart asserts at The Atlantic. "What's received less attention is what the scandal reveals about Joe Biden: He showed poor judgment because his staff shielded him from hard truths. If that sounds faintly familiar, it's because that same tendency underlay Hillary Clinton's email woes in 2016."

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