One of the frustrations of being a **former** newspaper editor is no longer having a few dozen reporters to pursue answers to questions going unasked and unanswered each day. Two of my go-to …

Do elected leaders grow to covet great power once in office, or do they assume power already coveting it? And what about those who resist the siren song of power, and instead choose to serve their …

If America were a couple, let’s call them the Unions — they would be filing for divorce about now and citing irreconcilable differences. The entrenchment of each spouse is so deep that no …

It makes no sense to be considering adding more demand to the city water supply. The city has voluntary water conservation measures in effect with the possibility of mandatory water conservation. The …

Some 40 years ago, my mother donated a 1915 landscape plan to the State Historical Society of Iowa’s library in Iowa City. The plan, a rare surviving hand-painted sketch by landscape architect …

In towns across America, the lights still turn on each morning thanks to a grid built decades ago, some of it dating back to the 1950s. But that aging infrastructure, once the envy of the world, is …

Five years ago I stopped a long tradition of turning this space over to readers who disagreed with me. Most of those columns, offered twice a year, featured correspondents who verbally took me to the …

Raising a family is no easy task, but it shouldn’t bankrupt you. As both a parent and grandparent, I’ve seen how much harder it is for Iowa families to afford housing, groceries, and …

When Kim Reynolds gave her big annual speech at the beginning of the year, she told Iowans that “the condition of our state is strong” and that “childcare has been a longstanding …

Chuck Grassley has a case of the fleas from sleeping with dogs. The senior Republican senator from Iowa intimated at a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting July 30 that President Trump had hurt …

Water quality and cancer are emerging as central issues in Iowa politics, and should lead the debate in the 2026 midterm elections. More people are paying attention to our polluted water and the fact …

Hats off to MidAmerican Energy for its response to power outages in the aftermath of all too many storms this summer. We were hit with another thunderstorm in the wee hours of Monday, which …

My family has called Davis County home for 185 years, all the way back to when William D. Evans and William Henson climbed down from their wagons in 1839 and 1840, a half-dozen years before Iowa …

I was in Cedar Falls for several days last week for Grand Two’s three-week early arrival. He’s doing great, thanks. All three humans (mom, dad, and baby) are doing great. The jury is …

French President Emmanuel Macron shook up world diplomatic circles last Thursday with his announcement that come September, France will recognize Palestine as an independent nation. How much …

Your house has been robbed. You can’t quite remember if there was an heirloom statue on that shelf or a treasured photo on that bookcase. You know you’ve lost something. You feel …

Secrecy is a hallmark of the Reynolds administration. Our governor routinely denies requests for public records. Media outlets have been charged exorbitant fees for emails from public officials …

On the doorway of the Midwest Power office is a tattered sign. The sign simply shows a young boy saying, “I know I’m somebody ‘cause God don’t make junk.” This poster …

Last December, we wrote about the debate unfolding in courtrooms and in Congress about the needs and rights of nursing home residents vs. the needs and rights of nursing home owners. The debate …

This session, the House and Senate advanced, and the governor signed, reform of Iowa’s pharmacy benefit managers with bipartisan support. More than 150 pharmacies have closed in Iowa in …