Sometimes chasing a state championship opens up storylines other than the championship itself. I’ve seen one champion roll through Fort Madison in my 10 years covering high school sports. That was …

January ended with a notable week for federal courts because of the voices of its judges. Judges in Minnesota and Texas spoke with clarity in these troubled times. In between them, a longtime Iowa …

Climbing trees is something that I liked to do as a kid. I didn’t mind getting way up there 30, 40 feet. I remember my mom coming out in the backyard behind the trailer we lived in when I was …

There are three crosses on the hillside, above a pond, with crops of soybeans or corn in the background, and the rising sun if you should pass by early in the morning.  They're right at, …

Many historical milestones will dot the calendar this year as Americans look to celebrate the 250th anniversary of our nation’s independence on July the …

You know it’s cold when you’re cleaning your windows in the living room and the spray freezes on the glass. You also know it’s time to reseal the windows. You know it’s cold when you go to …

When I was in the throes of cancer treatment and so miserable with nausea and the lower GI's, I ran across this aphorism: “What Cancer Cannot Do!  Cancer is so limited...It cannot cripple …

I was literally hit with a metaphor this week. And just so I don’t bury the lede, the metaphor was about keeping my focus on what’s in front of me. Now, you can go all philosophical on that and …

The start of a new year always brings that familiar phrase: “New Year, New Me.” It’s the season when people reset routines, make healthier choices, and map out goals for the months ahead. For …

Vacations for farmers in the early 70's, especially dairy farmers, were few and far between.  Cows had to be milked twice a day, seven days a week.  But when Stan Helling, a dairy farmer on …

I took a 3-month Facebook break starting about Halloween. I kept getting messages that someone was trying to hack my account and it was always a chore to get the channel to come up on my phone. The …

We’re back! We’re back and facing a 2026 that seems to be full of energy and change. We try to run in big circles as a news organization and touch the lives of as many people as we can, while …