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 …

Rob Sand pines for the days when you could safely take a dip in the Upper Iowa River near Decorah. He is not so sure it is safe for his sons, 9 and 11, and that says a lot about the state of the …

Within a month, Iowans born in Storm Lake could have their birthright citizenship revoked, allowing the government to deport them anywhere it chooses. Iowa is among 28 states that did not join a …

Brother John and I decided to see the USA in our Chevrolet, so we hopped in our Equinox EV and buzzed through the Great Plains and the Rockies and the Mojave Desert to Long Beach like generations of …

One of our visions of Hell involves Iowa PBS running programs about the British monarchy in a constant loop interspersed with episodes of Antiques Roadshow. We joke. We love public broadcasting. We …

Eminent scientists reported in the eminent journal Nature last week that a crop catastrophe is ahead thanks to a warming climate. No kidding. Can you hear an echo? Corn yields could drop by …

As rumors swirled last week that immigration agents would raid Storm Lake meatpacking plants, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins got on the horn to President Trump to call off the dogs. “She …

We’re on the road again with cinematographer Jerry Risius, not quite gypsies, trying to find out what grinds Iowa’s gears. Jerry and I toured the state from Alleman to Algona making …

Martial law was imposed last weekend on Los Angeles when President Trump ordered in the California National Guard to disband lawful protests over the deportation of Latino immigrants. The military …

The woman on the phone from the Mayo Clinic was growing exasperated as she ran through how to sweep up my medical records. “So, you got the CT scan in Storm Lake? And the hormone therapy …

Joni Ernst is a US senator because she understands Iowa voters and speaks their language, cynical as it is. She castrated pigs. Gonna make ’em squeal in DC. Roast and ride a hog. Wear bread …

“Not sure, we’ll have to wait and see” is a typically Midwestern way of declaring Hell No. What’s the weather have in store? Not sure, we’ll have to wait and see. …

Unless the senate steps in and imposes order, Congress is on track to cleave the coalition that has supported the farm bill and permanently weaken the crop safety net. The Big, Bad Bill passed the …

Round and round the circular conversation goes, right down the drain between my neighbor and me: “I like that DEI ban.” Okay, I can work with that. We can just call it something …

One must marvel at the incompetence that just gaveled to an untimely close in the capitol. With a stranglehold on all branches of government, Republicans failed to deliver on their priority — …

If Democrats only had taken Iowa’s counsel, Pete Buttigieg or Bernie Sanders probably would be president today. I mean, if Joe Biden could beat Donald Trump … “That thought …

Iowa senators proved sensitive to public pressure when they exempted private colleges from punishment for offering diversity programs. They had thought about pulling Iowa Tuition Grant funding from …

My buddy Walt Bradley of Algona asked me why we came back here from college in Minnesota over 45 years ago. That’s easy: Family. It’s the only reason. Walt was an art major who …

What a gorgeous Saturday in early May as Buena Vista University sent another class out into the world. Storm Lake was picture perfect. Most of these eager Beavers would like to burrow into a place …

Iowans do not like change. It might be our strongest attribute. Sen. Chuck Grassley has been in politics since 1959. Terry Branstad holds the national record for longest tenure as governor. A third …