“Art washes from the soul the dust of everyday life.” – Pablo Picasso John Bloom’s exhibition, “Close to Home” was on display at the Figge Art Museum in Davenport. It was a Tuesday, a day [Read More…]
The voice on the phone was of an elderly man. I could hardly understand him. “My name is Tommy Sinnott. I’m from Nauvoo, Illinois. I read your column. Have you ever read the book, ‘The [Read More…]
BY CHUCK VANDENBERG PCC EDITOR FORT MADISON – Holy Trinity girls basketball coach Tony Johnson said the Crusaders still aren’t playing their best basketball, but Monday’s 60-43 win over Mt. Pleasant was pretty darned close. [Read More…]
Wondering what to do with yourself after retirement? Talk to Larry McKim of Ottumwa. He’s 72 years young, recently bought a bar for the first time in his life, although he doesn’t drink, and, oh, [Read More…]
PCC STAFF FORT MADISON – Senior Anna Kester led the Lady Hounds with 16 points as Fort Madison just missed getting their first win of the year Friday night in Southeast Conference girls high school [Read More…]
PCC STAFF MT. PLEASANT – You had to go back to Miles Wentzien’s senior year in 2015 to find a Fort Madison boys basketball win over Mt. Pleasant. And the streak almost continued Friday night, [Read More…]
Ginnie and I try to do things together on her days off. Often in the middle of the week, we go to movies, shop, and have lunch out. Since it might be a Tuesday or [Read More…]
PCC STAFF MT. PLEASANT – The Fort Madison eighth grade girls ‘A’ team fell to Mt. Pleasant 27-22 Thursday night on the road. Leading scorer for the Bloodhounds was Isabella Boeding with 10 points followed [Read More…]
PCC STAFF FORT MADISON – The Fort Madison Bloodhounds downed Mt. Pleasant 45-31 Thursday night prior to Friday and Saturday’s Fort Madison Invitational Tournament at FMHS. Senior Sam Hayes down the Tigers’ Trevor Wellington in [Read More…]
For some strange reason, Blossom only escapes from her pen when Ginnie and I are gone, like she knows we’re away and it’s time to romp. The first time she escaped was last summer when [Read More…]
PCC STAFF FORT MADISON – Fort Madison’s 8th grade girls downed Mt. Pleasant in a close game Tuesday night at FMMS. Fort Madison A-Team won 25-23. Leading scorers for the Bloodhounds were Molly Knipe and [Read More…]
Tim Smith, basketball coach of Sweet Springs High School in Missouri is a busy man. In addition to coaching both the girls and boys varsity basketball teams, he is also Athletic Director and Physical Education [Read More…]
Just in time for Christmas, I will be doing a book signing in Burlington at Burlington By the Books, 301 Jefferson St., on Saturday, December 15th, from 11:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Books will be [Read More…]
I read a lot. Most of my reading/writing is performed, orchestrated, conducted in the early morning hours when my mind is fresh, there are no interruptions, and I’m at the peak of creativity. To Ginnie’s [Read More…]
PCC STAFF MT. PLEASANT – Carson Rashid poured in 17 points in 47-36 FMMS loss to Mt. Pleasant Tuesday night. Hunter Cresswell had 12 points and seven board for Fort Madison’s ‘A’ team. Leif Boeding [Read More…]
I’m going to toss out four books for consideration or consumption, like tossing out bones for the canine to choose from—one, two, maybe three, or all of them? It’s going to be cold and the [Read More…]
BY BRIAN RIGGS FMAAA Director Annie Swarm Guldberg is the feature artist at Ft. Madison Area Arts Association this November bringing “Dreamlands and More” with her. This vibrant world of oil color and texture welcomes [Read More…]
November 3rd, 1989, 2:00 a.m., all alone, and blind drunk, I fell through the glass top of my coffee table, cut myself to smithereens, and almost bled to death. Like an Iowa tornado ripping through [Read More…]
Anyone traveling on US Highway 34, between Mt. Pleasant and Fairfield in the last few years, has no doubt noticed the political signs. They’re sort of belligerent, in your face, crude, and to be honest, [Read More…]
BY CHUCK VANDENBERG PCC STAFF FORT MADISON – It didn’t take long for Mt. Pleasant to set the tone Friday night in handing the Bloodhounds their sixth straight loss. The Panthers scored quick and often [Read More…]
BY CHUCK VANDENBERG PCC EDITOR FORT MADISON – Head coach Tony Shiffman, with the football season winding down, now wants the Fort Madison Bloodhounds to play to have fun and for their legacy. But tonight’s [Read More…]
National Dog Day, which was in late August, right around Ginnie’s birthday, found Buddy a little worse for wear. It has been a bummer summer for the ole Buddy Boy. First of all, in July, [Read More…]
BY PCC STAFF MT. PLEASANT – The Holy Trinity Crusaders breezed to a four-match sweep at the Mt. Pleasant Invitational volleyball tournament Saturday. HTC senior Emily Box dominated at the net in the tournament with [Read More…]
Brad Heald was still weed eating 45 minutes before his daughter’s wedding. He wanted everything to be perfect for his only daughter, Coral. To the wedding guests, everything was perfect. There was a beautiful display [Read More…]
Kimn Hassenfritz looked up from the breakfast table. “What is that awful noise?” she asked. There it was again. The noise sounded like a cross between an elk bugling and a sick goose. It was [Read More…]
BY PCC STAFF MT. PLEASANT – Fort Madison freshman Katie Dennis is quickly establishing herself as one of fastest girls cross country runner in the area. Dennis took 3rd place in the large class run [Read More…]
BY PCC STAFF MT. PLEASANT – The Fort Madison Bloodhound volleyball squad rebounded from a 2-2 performance at Monday night’s Holy Trinity Classic with a straight set win over Mt. Pleasant on the road Tuesday [Read More…]
BY CHUCK VANDENBERG PCC EDITOR MT. PLEASANT – Holy Trinity Catholic junior runner Matt Hellige took first place in the small class 5K at Mt. Pleasant Tuesday evening. Hellige’s 18:05.62 was the best time of [Read More…]
BY PCC STAFF MT. PLEASANT – Great River Regional Waste Authority (GRRWA) is bringing their Toxic Clean-Up Mobile Event to the city of Mt. Pleasant and rural areas. Residential household hazardous waste disposal will be [Read More…]
I’m going to recommend two books for fall-fest reading. One is “Vinegar Girl” by Anne Tyler, and the other is “Long Haul, A Trucker’s Tales of Life on the Road” by Finn Murphy. Anne Tyler [Read More…]
BY CHUCK VANDENBERG PCC EDITOR FORT MADISON – After a tough Saturday tournament where the FMHS girls volleyball team played six matches in one day, the Hounds looked fresh in a three-set win over Mt. [Read More…]
FORT MADISON – Tosha Nichols and Earl Griffin, Jr., of Mt. Pleasant, are proud to announce the birth of their son Kash Arthur Griffin on Aug. 22, 2018 at the Fort Madison Community Hospital. Kash [Read More…]
Dr. Joel Ryon was headed for Mt. Pleasant’s swimming pool for a workout. He is a triathlete having competed in Ironman triathlons and also the Boston Marathon. It was his day off from his busy [Read More…]
Ginnie came to me bright and early the day before my birthday. “There’s an issue with Buddy.” “Ah, oh.” I didn’t like the sound of the word ‘issue.’ “Oh, what’s that?” I asked, trying to [Read More…]
Ginnie told me to rent the metal detector again and search for the ring one more time before she bought me a new one. My 70th birthday was fast approaching (70!) and Ginnie was going [Read More…]
Ginnie and I are on a genuine, live, for-real vacation. And it feels like one! My mother’s side of the family, whom I don’t really know that well, has a reunion every other year. One [Read More…]
I’ve known for a long time that there were bones under our hen house. A year ago this spring, when I was patching up the floor of the shed, getting ready to turn the shed [Read More…]
MOUNT PLEASANT – Due to recent rains and anticipated rainfall, the planned closure of the roadway and bridge over the Skunk River on northbound U.S. 218 between Henry County Road J-20 (mile marker 33.68) and [Read More…]
I’m going to recommended a slew of books for this summer’s reading, starting with “Varina,” by Charles Frazier; “The Nix,” by Nathan Hill; and “Mrs. Fletcher,” by Tom Perrotta. All three of these books were [Read More…]
BY CHUCK VANDENBERG PCC EDITOR MT. PLEASANT – The Bloodhounds baseball team managed just three hits in two games as Mt. Pleasant pounded FMHS 16-1, 12-0 in a doubleheader Monday night on the road. Dayne [Read More…]
BY CHUCK VANDENBERG PCC EDITOR MT. PLEASANT – The Fort Madison Lady Hounds were swept by Mt. Pleasant in a doubleheader Monday to highlight girls softball action. Fort Madison’s Cassie Powers took the loss in [Read More…]
Blossom doesn’t particularly like her small pen. She runs from one end of the small enclosure to the other, kicking up her heels, letting us know that if she had a larger pasture she would [Read More…]
We moved Annie, along with her brother, to Mt. Pleasant from Colorado, completely against their will when they were teenagers. They thought we, the parents, had lost our marbles. They would attend a Christian school [Read More…]
Blossom doesn’t like being weaned. Not one bit. When I go in her pen to check her calf starter, hay, and water, she pesters me to no end, nose bumping me for milk and sucking [Read More…]
Yolanda Lee Cheek (Sam), age 80, of Mt. Pleasant Iowa, formerly of Fort Madison, passed away Friday June 1, surrounded by her loving family. She was born October 23, 1937 to Eugene Bruno and Wanda [Read More…]
The letter was addressed to “Buddy Swarm.” It was from 94-year old Wilbur Swindler, of Ottumwa. Wilbur was asking Buddy to come visit, and to “bring Curt and Ginnie.” Wilbur had just completed his patio [Read More…]
Linda Pohren of Mt. Pleasant, and her daughter, Tammy Mumme (pronounced “Mummy”), have always done things together. But, according to Linda, “This is ridiculous!” Both Linda and her daughter have breast cancer—Linda, Stage II, and [Read More…]
Randy Tebo was my friend. He was an American Indian of the Ho-Chunk Tribe. Like many people, I’d never heard of Ho-Chunk. Patiently, Randy explained that Ho-Chunk were originally from Wisconsin. Like most tribes, they [Read More…]
We had put this off for as long as possible. The hen house needed cleaned out bad. The hens were staging daily walkouts carrying signs: “Dirty straw, dirty eggs!” “How would u like to live [Read More…]
BY CHUCK VANDENBERG PCC EDITOR FAIRFIELD – Junior Lanie Kuntz, playing at No. 6 singles was part of two conference championships at Fairfield Monday as the Hounds took 2nd place at the Southeast Conference girls [Read More…]
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