Besides the ill-defined Iranian war, DOJ-FBI created Epstein file debacle, tariff fiasco, Venezuela, Ecuador, Greenland and Cuba interventions, special elections turning in Democrats’ favor and the …
Spring often just burst onto the southern Illinois farm of my youth. One morning you’d see a green blade of something peeking through the bare ground by the mailbox and by the time you got off the …
The 11th week of the legislative session means we have gotten through both funnel deadlines. We now will focus on any remaining legislation that will be considered in this legislative session. With …
Your typical dude avoids doctors and their probes because they would just find something wrong with him. Who needs that? Been there myself, for sure. Sometimes you’re forced to go and a blood …
Yo, nerd alert! I loved studying poetry and literature in college. nnI’m grateful to have been educated in an era when such things were valued. I work at Buena Vista University and in my job …
Tuesday of last week was St. Patrick’s Day, “the day when everyone’s Irish,” as the saying goes. I’ve always gone along with the celebration, wearing green and saying “top o’ the …
There’s a line spoken by Harry Potter, the literary creation of author J.K. Rowling, in the film “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” that many in U.S. agriculture can relate to: “I …
For over 250 years, Americans have relied on the United States Postal Service for timely processing of their mail, no matter the conditions. After we dropped it in a box or gave it to a letter …
The 10th week of the legislative session kicked off towards the last major legislative deadline. The final "funnel" deadline is this week, narrowing our focus on any legislation that will be …
Iowa Corn Growers Association and Iowa Renewable Fuels Association say that the landowners who are fighting the use of eminent domain for carbon oxide pipelines — who are fighting FOR property …
Storm Lake is a portal for refugees in pursuit of happiness, whatever that may be. Lao. Sudanese. Karen. It ain’t easy trying to be free. That’s an immediate impression after a sneak …
It’s not fair to put the blame for ballooning property taxes solely on the Iowa Legislature and Gov. Kim Reynolds. They are responsible. So are local government officials who don’t know what they …
NOTE: A few weeks ago, I wrote about how owning a reliable car is a privilege most of us take for granted. It is. Now I want to explore another kind of privilege. I grew up walking or …
City leaders in Des Moines are making it difficult to understand why they selected the new police chief, considering how they have imposed a code of silence about their recent $975,000 payout to one …
In times of war (and that’s what the U.S. is engaged in with Iran, regardless of what our government calls it), there is usually more than one cause. That’s true in spades for the current …
In the end, it usually comes down to numbers. Figures scrawled on the back of an envelope, say, or blinking numbers on a computer spreadsheet. Maybe even 58,281 names inscribed on two, long black …
This week was the ninth week of the legislative session, and it was filled with debate and subcommittee work as we continue to see bills coming over from the House. Next this upcoming week is …
This week we celebrate National Ag Week. Iowa Farm Bureau is commemorating America’s 250th birthday with the theme “Roots of Freedom: Growing America for 250 Years” for this year’s Ag Week …
Penpal David Yepsen senses a shift heading into the midterm elections: Rural folks are honked off and voting for change. The retired political columnist for The Des Moines Register and former …
Sure has been warm lately. Unseasonably so. Record-setting days every month in Des Moines. Above-normal, as they say. This week brought another record at 67 degrees. One day, one month, one year do …