The Declaration of Independence states “that among these [unalienable rights] are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness…” Simple, straightforward, basic rights — correct? Yes, but …

The view to the northwest of the Iowa State Capitol is much different this summer, as the Wallace State Office Building no longer stands at the corner of East Ninth Street and Grand Avenue. While …

“I am apt to believe that [Independence Day] will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts …

Our region is attracting attention from renewable energy developers and opposition from suspicious neighbors. Cherokee County is trying to assemble an ordinance governing solar arrays and battery …

Normally we Cullens try to stay out of the news, but last week we made a little of it ourselves when a big thunderstorm ripped apart an ash tree in our front yard. Mary and I were pictured with the …

When my parents built a new home in the post-WWII housing heyday, they planted two apple trees and tilled a garden in the backyard. They dug an additional plot at the back of a second adjoining lot. …

As Americans celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday with parades, speeches, fireworks and other patriotic traditions, much attention will focus on familiar symbols of our history — monuments, …

In 17 months of President Trump’s second term of office, he is responsible for the U.S. government taking taxpayer money to purchase equity stakes in 14 private and 14 publicly held companies. …

I considered returning to Storm Lake to celebrate the Fourth of July this year but it seems wrong. Now the flag stands for protecting billionaire pedophiles, throwing children into concentration …

Back in the days of yore, after we moved to Storm Lake from Ute in the early 1950s and I don’t quite remember how old I was, I found myself perusing our Sears-Roebuck catalog, turning a page and …

My father had a unique sense of direction and geography. With GPS systems still 20-30 years into the future, dad could drive during one long day from Dalhart, Texas, to Storm Lake (which he did in …

As a fifth-generation Iowa farmer, I understand the importance of making decisions that sustain a farm for future generations. My family has been farming and raising pigs in central Iowa for more …

The June World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates from USDA contains a paradox policymakers might want to note: domestic stocks of unsold cotton continue to sit on the sluggish market while …

Back in January 2017, as Barack Obama was wrapping up his second term as President and preparing to hand the office over to Donald Trump, I wrote a column about why I was going to miss him. Last …

Two million Knicks fans reveled in lower Manhattan for a ticker-tape parade last Thursday morning as I skedaddled to LaGuardia for country roads to take me home. What an awful place, huh? Worse …

Republican senate candidate Ashley Hinson should pray that Allah moves the Iranians to a charitable end to a war with the United States and Israel if it isn’t already too late for the November …

I just saw a preview of a new movie coming out in mid-August, “The Brink of War.” It tells the story of the 1986 summit in Reykjavik, Iceland between President Ronald Reagan and Soviet President …

In the late 1980s, a group of Storm Lakers planned and built a recreational trail to extend  farther around the lake. A committee of over a dozen people worked to make the LakeTrail a reality. …

It has been a while since you heard a United States leader say, “The fault is mine alone.” If you visit Abilene, Kansas, the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Museum offers countless …

Poor Joe Biden. Out of office for 17 months and he’s still the reason for every Trump Administration failure, large or small. Take the latest screw-up the U.S. Department of Agriculture now …