Too bad that Republican Zach Lahn dodged a forum last Thursday with Iowa City-Cedar Rapids business leaders to talk mundane things like budgets and taxes with his Democratic opponent for governor, …

It was the stuff of movies, the kind of thing that doesn’t happen in real life. Except that it did. The horse who seemed like a dud was running dead last, and then in the final stretch he began to …

Here we go again. If the University of Iowa and Iowa attorney general's office get their way, a legacy gift from a grateful and accomplished graduate will no longer help students like him. …

At least four important public policy questions keep rolling around in my head. Two deal with foreign policy, the other two with federal taxes. I’d like to see them ascend the priority scale of the …

“Freedom of conscience, of education, of speech, of assembly are among the very fundamentals of democracy and all of them would be nullified should freedom of the press ever be successfully …

Farm Bills are often loaded with “special interest” lard that favors, say, crop insurance companies, international grain merchandisers, meatpackers and other farm and food players looking for an …

Chris Jones fancied himself trolling for walleyes in the backwaters of the Upper Mississippi River near Lansing in his retirement. Instead, the 65-year-old found himself disembarking at …

You might have attracted as many people to a Unitarian Universalist fellowship hour in Sioux Center as to a Randy Feenstra rally in Sioux Rapids. Just about 40 people showed up for his gubernatorial …

Just because Montana is big doesn’t mean it merits sole bragging rights to big sky. I’ve been through Montana several times. They’ve got nothing on us; there’s big sky here, too. And that sky can …

Here’s betting District Judge Adria Kester does not read the Aspen Daily News. That Colorado newspaper’s front-page slogan declares, “If you don’t want it printed, don’t let it happen.” …

This is a trivial column. I turned 85 last Monday. Family saluted me with a birthday dinner, thoughtful gifts, and lots of well wishes. Many friends congratulated me as well. It all warmed my …

Remind me to never take commodity market or stock market advice from the current resident of the White House. Two days before President Donald Trump’s quick “beans, beef, and Boeing” trip …

Rob Sand called on Memorial Day as he drove home from a family weekend at Okoboji to catch up, he said, after having read my column about politicians swimming in money. Halfway through, he says …

A lot of us like to sing, right? We bellow with glee as little kids and it’s fun. Then, slowly we get told to dial down the volume. Eventually, some singers emerge as true vocal talent. They get …

My lunchtime conversation with an old friend recently never got to the Major League Baseball races, the WNBA or Caitlin Clark. We skipped over the weather and never got around to how corn and soybean …

Kathy and I were privileged to be on hand for a grandson’s high school commencement ceremony at Adel-De Soto-Minburn High School in Adel last Sunday. The event was hugely attended, impressive, and …

On April 22, the Department of Agriculture signed a $300 million “blanket purchase agreement” with Palantir Technologies Inc. to, as Palantir explained, “support the National Farm Security …

To the Cherokee community: as warmer weather draws us outdoors, our shared parks and green spaces help build stronger communities, but what's being sprayed on these spaces may be putting that same …

Rob Sand has $18 million cash on hand in his run for Iowa governor, but here is the crazy part: He’s a Democrat, and it is only May. Think what the Republicans can do with real money by …

April showers bring May flowers, but not enough to fill Storm Lake’s cup. Already the city is asking residents to conserve water with a dry spring, high demand and a system that has not kept pace. …