Dear Editor: Where and Who is Watkins? It is a long-expected tradition in Iowa for voters to meet the candidate in person, shake the hand, look them in the eye, give them the Iowa look over. The …

Bob used to be a fireman for the City of Denver back in the fifties and sixties.  It was men only then.  He said that while on duty, they would get so drunk that he would actually pass out …

I shot a look over at a big screen television Friday night while at Riverside Casino waiting for the Bob and Tom Comedy tour to take stage in the Event Center. It’s weird how many people you …

Dear Editor; We have a Fort Madison native (who) is retiring Judy Burner. 35 of those years were in Ft. Madison. Her father ran Jerry's Cab and the pool hall at 18th and G. Judy worked at the …

A pillbox is a type of blockhouse, or concrete dug-in guard-post, often camouflaged, normally equipped with loopholes through which defenders can fire weapons, like on the beaches of Normandy.  …

Sometimes people just get put in our paths. Over the last five years through Feb. 20, fate, or God, or whatever force, entity, or being that may be in play, I’ve had people put in my path that …

I’m beginning to think an MRI is in my future. I hate the thought of that because I’m claustrophobic. I had some back issues a few years ago and a specialist said, “Well, we need to …

Like thieves in the night, Groundhogs were our enemy when growing up on the Maple Hill farm west of Monroe.  Those little pigs dug tunnels around the foundations of farm buildings and made quite a …

Fort Madison lost one of its true leaders this week. True in every sense of the word – as a lawmaker, as a spiritual leader, a financial advisor, a veteran, a volunteer, and above all else a …

I was in Eagle Grove last week. Like many travelers in Iowa, I stopped at Casey’s before leaving town. Eagle Grove is a meatpacking community, and many jobs are held by Hispanic men and women. …

I’m sitting here drinking my coffee with Brad Randolph-honey and avocado oil. It's a thing. Frankie and Jonny are out of their cage flying around the house, and I’ll be chasing them with …

Gov. Terry Branstad was frustrated eight years ago with what he believed was the inability of officials to tell the public why a government employee was fired or resigned under pressure When the …