Highlights in this edition:

• Midwest Economic Survey Points Downward Again in August
  • Leading the downward trend is Minnesota
• IDALS Secretary Naig Announces Grants for 137 Iowa Schools to Purchase Local Food
  • Local Food for Schools (LFS) pairs school lunch programs with a local food hub to connect to area farmers
• Minnesota Teaching Standards – Based on Merit or Ideological Indoctrination?
  • Standard 8: The teacher understands how ethnocentrism, eurocentrism, deficit-based learning, and white supremacy undermine pedagogical equity
• Iowa Ranks Second in Healthcare Competitiveness Index
  • This ranking is based on the state’s percent of residents privately insured, percent of residents with employer-provided insurance, spending per capita on Medicare and Medicaid, and number of active physicians per 100,000 residents
• Iowa Continues to Improve Pension Funding
  • Iowa overall ranks 13th with a funded ratio of 92% - while the City of Chicago’s pension fund faces $37.2 billion in unfunded liability

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