While on the subject of hope, note that the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals (said to be the most conservative in the US) on Friday ruled that Texas must remove barriers placed in the Rio Grande River …

As we headed back home Sunday after celebrating Thanksgiving in Indiana, we stopped at the Iowa 80 Truckstop, the self-proclaimed “World’s Largest Truckstop,” near Walcott, midway between …

A group of senators is attempting to negotiate a bipartisan border security bill with the White House as part of a larger effort to fund wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. House Republicans insist …

A few months ago, I bumped into a former aide to Gov. Robert Ray. As we reminisced about the governor, our conversation turned to his nearly daily meetings with journalists. The aide said yes, those …

The Koch Network laid a stink bomb on the doorstep of Terrance Hill this week when it endorsed former South Carolina Governor and United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley for the Republican presidential …

Important decisions will be made in 2024. It starts here in Iowa and in Buena Vista County. Jan. 15 is the Iowa Caucus, the nation will be interested in what we decide. Your participation is …

No one likes war, but war happens. Israelis prefer war to peace terms Palestinians demand, and Palestinians prefer war to terms Israelis demand.   To see why, examine history.   The …

Just rolled out from Thanksgiving stupor as Black Friday dawns with the Iowa Republican Caucuses rolling in like a stiff wind out of the Dakotas. Come Jan. 15 all the shouting should be over. The way …

On top of the $2 billion in tax cuts approved last legislative session, Gov. Kim Reynolds is preparing another big round of tax reductions. She advocates eliminating the state income tax, with …

The Israel-Palestine conflict is among the world’s oldest, longest-lasting, and most intractable. Now officially 75 years old, dating from the creation of Israel in 1948, its actual origins predate …

We didn’t dream of a white Thanksgiving weekend but we got one. The lake looked foreboding as the snow fell. It officially locked us down for the winter — not going anywhere near I-35 & I-80 …

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. You get together with family and friends, share a good meal and watch football games on TV. As long as you don't discuss politics, everything works out …

“The Midwest is a major producer of a wide range of food and animal feed for national consumption and international trade. Increases in warm-season absolute humidity and precipitation have eroded …

This is my favorite time of the year. There is no late-night bombardment from infernal fireworks like there is with the Fourth of July. There is not the pressure of Christmas to choose just the right …

Revenues to the state of Iowa from legalized gambling are taking divergent paths in the new fiscal year. While casino gaming receipts are falling, sports wagering continues to grow. In October, …

The delayed federal farm bill should include increased public funding for cultivated-meat research. For those who aren’t familiar with the term, cultivated meat is grown from livestock cells, …

Polling continues to suggest that Trump could beat President Joe Biden. An especially disturbing poll by NBC News showed that Biden is losing support fast, especially among younger voters, over the …

Rooting for one political side or the other in America today increasingly resembles rooting for a sports team. They’re not the same thing. On the surface they do appear similar: the cheering …

It’s necessary to force a break from panic semi-annually and take stock in good fortune. The harvest was amazingly abundant. Storm Lake is chugging along. We will spend Thanksgiving with …

Storm Lake and Buena Vista County have engaged in settlement discussions over tax increment financing revenues that were allocated to the wrong taxing jurisdictions instead of to the city. We don’t …