From the time I drove into Iowa when I moved here almost two years ago this coming August, I continually am reminded what the phrase “Iowa Nice” stands for. Then, as I was passing through …
Lost in the breathless reporting on the huge federal budget cuts and even more massive federal tax cuts just passed by the heel-clicking Congress was a report on just how rich America's mega-rich now …
Just to be clear: No amnesty, no sir, no how. That’s Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins after President Trump bopped into the Iowa State Fairgrounds to say this about undocumented ag …
President Trump came to the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines on July 3 ostensibly to set the stage for celebrating the USA’s 250th anniversary next July 4. Trump indicated that the Iowa …
Memory is a tricky thing for older folks. Sometimes we can remember specific people, places and events from decades earlier, while at the same time we can’t remember much about yesterday or …
From the fireworks to the waving American flags, the Fourth of July is all about patriotism. While this weekend is a time of celebration with backyard barbecues and hot dogs, we cannot forget that freedom is …
Reflecting on a very productive 2025 session of the 91st Iowa General Assembly, we accomplished a great deal! nnThis edition of the newsletter highlights some important legislation passed this year …
In 1976, looking for a summer job that would advance my career goals, I approached the director of the State Historical Society of Iowa to see if there were any special projects on the docket. As it …
With 2025 half gone, the cautious American ag economy, like the slowing U.S. economy, now tiptoes into its second half. Key U.S. ag markets quietly survived the raucous first half. For example, …
Rob Sand pines for the days when you could safely take a dip in the Upper Iowa River near Decorah. He is not so sure it is safe for his sons, 9 and 11, and that says a lot about the state of the …
Within a month, Iowans born in Storm Lake could have their birthright citizenship revoked, allowing the government to deport them anywhere it chooses. Iowa is among 28 states that did not join a …
The United States system of government is one of the most complicated such mechanisms in the world. It’s a blessing and a curse. A blessing, because it disperses power. That’s what …
Peggy Noonan has been a right-leaning columnist for The Wall Street Journal since leaving the Ronald Reagan Administration as his primary speechwriter. Five of Noonan’s books have been New York …
Six months into my first job as pup reporter in the last century, I pestered my boss to transfer me from the green fields of north central Iowa to the story-littered streets of Washington, D.C. to …
Brother John and I decided to see the USA in our Chevrolet, so we hopped in our Equinox EV and buzzed through the Great Plains and the Rockies and the Mojave Desert to Long Beach like generations of …
One of our visions of Hell involves Iowa PBS running programs about the British monarchy in a constant loop interspersed with episodes of Antiques Roadshow. We joke. We love public broadcasting. We …
Several dozen people gathered last Saturday in Monticello for a citizen workshop the Grassroots Iowa Network organized to get more everyday Iowans engaged in the political process. They spent …
I mowed the lawn last weekend. Temp was in the middle 90s, with heat index over 100. With a strong breeze, it really wasn’t so bad. But my mom would probably have said, “You don’t …
The United States Postal Service is on the brink of a self-induced collapse. The failed policies of the Delivering for America Plan have driven away customers through a combination of sky-high rate …
If you’re in charge of reversing American agriculture’s three-years-old-and-growing trade deficit, your list of options is as limited as it is unworkable. You can, for instance, …