One of baseball Hall-of-Famer Yogi Berra’s memorable quotes was “It’s like déjà vu all over again.” Yogi’s turn of phrase implied that something being experienced had been seen many times …

On the farm of my youth, our full-time field worker, Jackie, didn’t say much. When he did, however, he often offered creative euphemisms and descriptive epigrams. A favorite, for example, was if it …

After a mini-marathon, the 2026 Legislative Session has adjourned sine die — Latin for “without day.” We have adjourned without another day to reconvene this session. The job needed to get …

Gov. Kim Reynolds can put up her pointy-toe cowboy boots and reflect on 10 years of solid damage done under the golden dome. She might not be remembered as the worst. The Iowa History Journal …

Finally, after a late-night session, the US House voted 224-200 last week to approve a five-year farm bill just three years behind schedule under Republican control. The bill heads to the Senate, …

As I sat during the Hy-Noon Kiwanis meeting Monday noon, I looked at the honor students from Storm Lake and St. Mary’s who were being recognized for their achievements, and I couldn’t help but …

I. Years ago, poet Linda Pastan wrote: “Isn’t this what life could be: a walk before breakfast with the sea opening its chapters of water and light. . .” It …

Americans have rarely faced the facts about the role of national theft in the history of their nation. From the time of the first Europeans’ arrival in North America, the newcomers employed theft …

Paying an out-of-state vendor millions of dollars to do what the State Auditor’s Office can do at a fraction of the cost — literally about five cents on the dollar — isn’t efficient: It’s a …

“Never let a hyperbolic crisis go to waste,” said a clever Chicago pol. A few weeks ago, it was the Hindenburg. And now it’s millions dead!   The Hindenburg and mass …

The upcoming two days of May 25-26 mark exactly 42 years since my teammate and friend, Karl Stanley, and I prevailed in the Iowa High School 1984 Class 1-A State Tennis Doubles Tournament. We won …

You’d think that the three extra years Congress has taken to update the 2018 Farm Bill might mean it stumbled upon solutions to today’s falling farm income, sagging ag exports, the need for more …

A way for electric vehicles to contribute to the cost of Iowa’s roads has now been in full effect for two years, and tax and fee collections are picking up. Back in 2019, the Legislature …

Every morning a new horror hatches such that you forget the day before, or the year before, with its daily minor cataclysms. Trump is on the computer holding a machine gun warning Iran that they …

Buena Vista County Republicans noted with some disappointment the no-shows at a candidate forum the local party sponsored at Buena Vista University on Saturday, April 18: US Senate candidate Ashley …

It’s only April, and Buena Vista County has already experienced several tornado watches and warnings. So it’s time for my annual look back at my 15 minutes of fame — when I photographed the …

I finally met Byron of Byron’s fame. You know, the quirky music venue in Pomeroy, a sleepy northwest Iowa town, like so many others, towns that once supported their own school systems and sports …

I had a commentary on foreign policy on my mind for this week. I still do. But it can wait. The attempted attack at the White House Correspondents dinner in Washington last Saturday can’t. …

This morning, I happened to tune in a song from my past on the internet.   It was Neil Diamond “Song, Sung, Blue. While listening, my mind exploded with all of the music and memories that I …

What would we have said if Barack Obama’s family had stood to make millions from a conflict shaped by his own decisions? Would we have shrugged? We didn’t used to. A company backed by Donald …