Central Iowa is under mandatory water conservation orders because of high nitrate levels in the Raccoon and Des Moines rivers, the primary drinking water sources for Des Moines and its suburbs. A …

I never went to business school. I was a glorified English major in college. But I feel I’ve earned a PhD in economics running this small business for the past 35 years. My business …

One longtime truism of journalism is “Names make news.”  That shorthand stems from the fact people better understand the significance and context of news when they learn about …

The state of Iowa in 2013 approved its “Nutrient Reduction Strategy” for reducing nitrogen and phosphorus runoff into the state’s streams and rivers, and eventually downstream into …

Having received a monthly ad magazine from a grocery chain out of Colorado, I was intrigued by an article they included in the July edition. The title of the one page article was “Fighting …

Recently Jared Kushner ( JK) and his wife, Ivanka Trump acquired the island Sazan from Albania and plan to spend $1.4 billion developing it into a resort. Imagine the president paying a visit: …

From the time I drove into Iowa when I moved here almost two years ago this coming August, I continually am reminded what the phrase “Iowa Nice” stands for. Then, as I was passing through …

A unanimous Wisconsin Supreme Court gave the legislature a major victory in late June as it ruled against Governor Tony Evers’ partial veto of policy directives for a state literacy program. …

Lost in the breathless reporting on the huge federal budget cuts and even more massive federal tax cuts just passed by the heel-clicking Congress was a report on just how rich America's mega-rich now …

Just to be clear: No amnesty, no sir, no how. That’s Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins after President Trump bopped into the Iowa State Fairgrounds to say this about undocumented ag …

President Trump came to the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines on July 3 ostensibly to set the stage for celebrating the USA’s 250th anniversary next July 4. Trump indicated that the Iowa …

Last week we celebrated not only the Fourth of July but also the 35th anniversary of The Storm Lake Times. Our first edition came out just before the Fourth in 1990, and featured the upcoming …

When my daughter and I traveled to Italy in 2007, our guide told us that Italy had one of Europe’s lowest birth rates. Wait, what? Historically, Italy has been a very Catholic country — …

Memory is a tricky thing for older folks. Sometimes we can remember specific people, places and events from decades earlier, while at the same time we can’t remember much about yesterday or …

The photo of Poncho drew me to this story.  I was raised with two female German shepherds who were my sisters. When I started my family, we adopted mixed-breed dogs from shelters. Once …

Reflecting on a very productive 2025 session of the 91st Iowa General Assembly, we accomplished a great deal! nnThis edition of the newsletter highlights some important legislation passed this year …

Long before I went to work in a grocery store way back in 1943 we sang “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Many farms had orchards and often times if you did not own an apple tree you …

In 1976, looking for a summer job that would advance my career goals, I approached the director of the State Historical Society of Iowa to see if there were any special projects on the docket. As it …

Ivan Boesky, an Inside Trader, once opined, “Greed is all right... I think greed is healthy... You can be greedy and still feel good about yourself.” Really? In the same frame of …

With 2025 half gone, the cautious American ag economy, like the slowing U.S. economy, now tiptoes into its second half. Key U.S. ag markets quietly survived the raucous first half. For example, …