When I saw Mike Delaney’s apples in Iowa Letter to the Editor it brought back so many memories. I grew up on a small farm near Paton until I was 10 years old. By then I could milk cows, …

There was an interesting news piece by the BBC about our President saying that if the Republicans win both Houses in the mid-term elections, he would give every American $5,000. While it’s not …

Attorney General Brenna Bird recently traveled with the Quad City Back the Blue Flight to Washington, D.C., where participants visited the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. Bird rightly …

It’s so noisy out a fella can scarcely hear himself think. You may seek refuge in the back yard listening for the songbird, but the hedge trimmer has a job to do. The dog barks at the hedge …

Last week was tough for Zach Lahn, the Republican candidate for governor. The ground trembled a bit when the Iowa Farm Bureau political action committee did not endorse the self-described Belle …

Can you remember what you were doing when something historical happened in your lifetime? For each generation, there seems to be at least one date that, as President Franklin D. Roosevelt said …

Gloria Steinem died recently, and all sorts of writers and journalists memorialized her, which was fitting. One of the first things I thought, when I heard that she died, was to recall her trenchant, …

This week the United States and its people are soberly remembering the stunning terrorist attacks that weaponized jetliners to kill thousands of people in the American homeland on September 11, 2001. …

As another Iowa football season gets underway, local football fans have plenty of reasons to be excited. In recent years, Northwest Iowa has proudly watched athletes like Adam Timmerman and Cooper …

On Monday, Sept. 14 at 10 a.m., the Iowa Utilities Commission will hold a scheduling conference to set dates and locations for a hearing on Summit Pipeline’s permit request to construct a …

I have questions. Lots of questions. My biggest question is how in the world has humanity managed to last this long? Let me break it down for you. The Earth is 4.5 billion years old. Humans …

My favorite movies when growing up in Missouri Valley were the westerns. Cowboys and Indians were a must. It usually ended with cavalry soldiers chasing the Indians and the Indians were always the …

Last week Gov. Kim Reynolds held a press conference warning Iowans of the dangers of kratom and encouraging state action to combat this dangerous substance. Kratom is unknown to many, and while it …

Iowa’s midterm elections remind us that all politics is local as clean water and cancer emerge as prevailing issues, unique from other battleground states. Sure, stupid, it’s the economy. …

Reason and process prevailed when the Cherokee County Board of Supervisors last week reversed a moratorium on battery storage for renewable energy development. This will allow the Smith Brothers of …

The Advertising Guide, which has been published weekly for nearly six decades in the Storm Lake and Cherokee trade territory, is switching to a monthly schedule beginning now. This free …

I bank locally — except that’s not completely true, and it might not be true for you, either. I recently stopped at the bank during lunch, but after I left, the teller had a question and left …

In recent weeks, people from Cherokee, Des Moines and Ottumwa have contacted the Iowa Freedom of Information Council with concerns about the refusal of local officials to share documents distributed …

By the shores of Gitche Gumee, By the shining Big-Sea-Water, . . . — from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “The Song of Hiawatha” Kathy and I are spending a few days at the beautiful …

I very much appreciated Joan Zwagerman’s column in the July 31 Storm Lake Times Pilot regarding the status of women in the military and the disrespect for which current Defense Secretary Pete …