As I sat during the Hy-Noon Kiwanis meeting Monday noon, I looked at the honor students from Storm Lake and St. Mary’s who were being recognized for their achievements, and I couldn’t help but …

It’s only April, and Buena Vista County has already experienced several tornado watches and warnings. So it’s time for my annual look back at my 15 minutes of fame — when I photographed the …

There’s a lot of concern these days about inflation. The cost of everything is going up. But there’s another type of inflation that bugs me too. It’s the length of movies. They’re …

Well, Trump really stepped in it when he trashed Pope Leo XIV last week. Da Pope from Chicago had the gall to say that war is bad and Jesus doesn’t like it. Trump went ballistic. He told Pope …

Been there. Done that. That’s the way I look at the Artemis II moon orbit that the United States launched last week. Oh, it’s exciting for the astronauts on the 10-day lunar fly-by …

Lord knows I’m no fashion plate, but a recent trend really bugs me. It’s men wearing tailored suits with sneakers. I’ve seen it a lot in the last year or two, on TV and even at formal …

More than 130 people braved gale-force winds Saturday afternoon to participate in a No Kings protest in Storm Lake against President Donald Trump. The march began at 1:30 p.m. at King’s …

Jaidyn Coon’s coronation last week as Iowa’s Mr. Basketball elevates him in the pantheon of the greatest Storm Lake prep basketball players. It was the capstone of a remarkable career, where …

I’ve heard that climate change is wreaking havoc on our planet, but it didn’t hit me until a couple weeks ago when the girls state basketball tournament was played without its customary blizzard. …

Green Bay, Wisc., home of the NFL Packers, may claim to be Title Town USA, but Newell-Fonda can call itself Iowa’s Title Town. The Mustangs won their fifth girls state basketball championship last …

The Iowa Legislature is at it again, trying to eliminate publication of legal notices in newspapers. And it will cost Iowa’s citizens way more money than it saves. Republican sponsors say it …

I had a big response to my column last week, “Scooping the loop,” from my high school days in the 1960s. I had a good vantage point to watch loop scoopers. Twice a week I perched high above …

Boomers who grew up in Storm Lake during the 1950s, 60s and 70s probably remember “Scooping the loop” when they were in high school here. For those of you from different generations, this …

During a visit to the Chicago area over the weekend we attended the opening day of the Chicago Auto Show on Saturday. My son-in-law Branden and I needed something to do while our wives went shopping. …

For the past 35 years I have written an annual accounting of the state of affairs of this newspaper. As I have noted each year, we do this to maintain the trust of our readers, since the founders of …

In 54 years in journalism I’ve met a lot of great people in law enforcement, from local police to county sheriffs to state police all the way to the FBI. Many became good friends. All of the …

If you have a cellphone — and just about everyone does — you’ve probably had to put up with innumerable attempts by scammers trying to steal your money: emails from Nigerian princes offering to …

With the college football championship ready to be settled Monday night, we’ll be rooting for Indiana University against the University of Miami. We have quite a few long-standing connections …

In 1997 the motion picture “Wag the Dog” focused on a President of the United States who was in big political trouble after having inappropriate relations with a minor girl. To quash the bad …

As we consider New Year’s resolutions this week, I’d like to suggest that in 2026 we all try to be more generous, not just financially, but spiritually as well. This came to me last week, …