The biggest story you’re not paying attention to
The biggest story we think you may not be paying attention to quietly got swept…
opinion
Mike Nelson: runner extraordinaire – Empty Nest by Curt Swarm
A lot of runners, myself included, are happy if they place in their age group….
Fate lends Stormy a hand – Empty Nest by Curt Swarm
Thursday, December 31, New Year’s Eve Day: The Vintage Raven in Mt. Pleasant posted on…
Games look the same, but they’re still different
Melrose Avenue is one of the main arteries into the area around Iowa’s Kinnick Stadium.For…
Merry Christmas Fort Madison – from You’re Friendly Neighborhood Reporter
We’re just seven days from ending what is undoubtedly the worst year generationally of our…
Hawkeyes staying the course to Music City
The cough, Kirk Ferentz said, wasn’t unusual.It was the end of the season, after all,…
“Superman in a Business Suit” – Empty Nest by Curt Swarm
During a blizzard in the late 70’s a city worker in Mt. Pleasant was driving…
Park area resident questions parking ban – Letter to the Editor
Editor: If the proposal to park on the North side of Avenue E is passed…….. …
Viruses, vaccines and snowball fights – Beside the Point
Not sure how were gonna tie this all together, but let’s give it a ride….
Partners urges everyone to help keep us safe – Letter to the Editor
Dear Editor: As we move forward into 2021 amid the COVID-19 shadow, we must do…
This tradition is really unlike any other – Beside the Point
Walking into New London High School Saturday morning, I forgot to put my mask on….
New WIU coach sees a work in progress
IOWA CITY — The reality of trying to build a college basketball program in the…
Murray may be fastest cop in U.S. – Empty Nest by Curt Swarm
On a summer afternoon you might see a 49-year old man running through the streets…
Things aren’t so different this year – Beside the Point
So… how are the leftovers? I read a lot before Thanksgiving about people celebrating in…
Around the Bible in 90 days – Empty Nest by Curt Swarm
It’s just 12 pages a day for 90 days. Anyone can read 12 pages a…
Failings with pie, et. al – Beside the Point
It’s late Saturday night and I’m stuck fighting that anxiety of the darkness… again. It’s…
Moving forward is better than alternative
I get it.If you’re the parent of a high school athlete, I understand if you’re…
He hates ‘mieces’ to pieces – Empty Nest by Curt Swarm
I was welding away on the last sculpture for my art show in Fort Madison….
My walks are my time – Beside the Point
I ventured up to the Canine Corral dog park just south of the Rodeo arena…
Letter: PAW president responds to Bengal cat issue
Letter to the Editor; On behalf of the Shelter, the board and I wanted to…
Monroe veteran carries strong memories of Vietnam
Soft music plays constantly in Rich and Pat Pendroy’s home in Monroe, and in his…
IGHSAU overrule may not be the best for Iowa Girls
A strategic goal of the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union is to represent the…
Swarm work to benefit FMAAA
Okay, folks, here’s your chance to get some genuine Curt Swarm junk, I mean art….
Walk/Rock-A-Thon committee thanks community for support
Letter to the Editor: We have just completed our Fort Madison Elementary Schools Walk/Rock A…
Chestnut Anniversary and Empty Nest Half Marathon
Jane and Mark McConeghey of Monroe, Iowa have always been innovative farmers, caring for their…
Miller’s touch felt in many bylines
The office looked like any editor’s office.Press releases and various correspondence piled on the desk.A…
From West Point to West Burlington – Empty Nest by Curt Swarm
Noble, friendly, protector, dog rescuer, ready smile, popular, motivated, giving, outgoing, receptive to feedback, empathetic,…
160 plows on 160 acres in Bloomfield – Empty Nest by Curt Swarm
Northeast of Bloomfield or Southeast of Floris is what might be considered an outdoor museum…
Iowa’s small barns disappearing – Empty Nest by Curt Swarm
You may have noticed the big, beautiful, red barn beside the highway. It’s just west…
Big Ten football won’t be perfect, but could be stunning
Gary Barta noticed it when he saw others as he was walking through Iowa’s football…
Letter to the Editor – The Kensington celebrates National Assisted Living Week
Dear Editor: Due to COVID-19, current social distancing rules and the inability of friends and…
Birthday ends in trip to Wall Street – Empty Nest by Curt Swarm
On August 27, the night before Ginnie’s birthday, the moon and Mars lined up side-by-side,…
Teacher sheds locks for cancer patients – Empty Nest, by Curt Swarm
“Nurtured and pampered by parents who didn’t want to make the mistakes of the previous…
“The Virus” is very real to area woman – Empty Nest, by Curt Swarm
Families gotta start back getting together for Sunday dinner and family reunions…not just funerals. –…
Unexpected gift yields good news – Empty Nest by Curt Swarm
Except when I was 13 and got a Winchester single shot, .22 rifle, this may…
Chaneys revive natural prairie by Skunk – Empty Nest, by Curt Swarm
Dog park, grooming, boarding, training, world class Yorkies, pigeons for dog training, wildlife habitat and…
Social media shows all sides of local pandemic response
Whew! The emotion of the COVID-19 pandemic certainly is playing out on social media. The…
COVID art didn’t jinx – Empty Nest by Curt Swarm
Ironically, I may have brought this on myself. Being an artist, I see beauty in…
Small privileges come to light during pandemic – By Katie Scoville
College is a time to spread your wings and move out of your comfort zone….
Detasseling was summer right of passage – Empty Nest, by Curt Swarm
My only goal was to keep up with Ray in the row beside me and…
Gardening and drinking from the hose – Empty Nest, by Curt Swarm
I made an uncanny observation the other day while watering our garden. Hose water tastes…
MP alum bouncing around the world – Empty Nest, by Curt Swarm
He’s 6’9” tall. When Bobby Quayle (pronounced “Quail”) was in grade school in Mt. Pleasant,…
This summer isn’t flawless, but the lights are on
I was leaving Iowa City, heading south as the sun was setting, when I saw…
Garden undergoes a Chipmunk funk – Empty Nest by Curt Swarm
I did not know that chipmunks, also known as “squinneys,” can destroy a garden. They’re…
Newspaper clipped by pandemic -Empty Nest by Curt Swarm
It’s worth a road trip to see. Located in Traer, Iowa, north of Tama, the…
Car points family in right direction – Empty Nest, by Curt Swarm
It was the spring of 1995 when my family and I decided to return to…
Memoir tells story of civil war brothers – Empty Nest by Curt Swarm
He was eight years old when he came west in a covered wagon from Ohio…
Finches say it’s time to put in the garden – Empty Nest by Curt Swarm
I tilled a pick-up load of composted sheep manure into our garden. I know I…
Ambulance service debates leave us saying – “WHAAAT?!”
If you haven’t been paying attention to the recent scramble for the county to find…
Letter to the Editor – County is turning its back on Lee County ambulance
Dear Editor, The speed at which this County turned its back on such a loyal…