I hang up the phone, and it hits me again. Even with certain limitations on my time and wallet, I enjoy a lot of privilege in life. The person I spoke with is an alumnus of my workplace, Buena …

F Bombs! Every time I hear one it’s like a bolt of lightning piercing every nerve throughout my body. The sound of one, almost anywhere, any situation, or from any human just shockingly …

We all need reminders now and then. Some of us believe there is only one correct way to think and speak and act in these United States of America. But that is not true. Americans are not …

After observing the City of Storm Lake’s clever machinations over the last few months, I have formed an inescapable conclusion: Our highly paid city hall apparatchiks are only consolidating and …

To public officials and political candidates of all stripes: enough already with the foul language. nnGovernment leaders since the founding of the United States have used off-color words. …

George Orwell’s 1984, a dystopian classic novel, is a staple in American high school English and social studies curriculums. 1984 is taught in 9th or 10th grade and used to introduce themes of …

House Ag Committee Chairman Glenn Thompson must not be a superstitious man. If he were, he would not have introduced the biggest bill of his congressional career, the “Farm, Food, and National …

The sixth week of the legislative session officially kicked off the rush toward the first major legislative deadline. The initial “funnel” deadline is this week, making it imperative to advance …

Funnel Week is always a busy time for House policy committees, and that certainly was the case for the House Transportation Committee as they moved a number of proposals to the House Floor. …

That damn socialist mayor out in New York threatened to hike property taxes by 9.5% unless he can ram through a wealth tax. Wait a New York minute: Property taxes on our humble metal shed along …

It will take an extraordinary amount of unity and discipline for Democrats to win an open US Senate seat in Iowa. Republican Ashley Hinson, a member of the House and former TV newscaster, will be a …

Boomers who grew up in Storm Lake during the 1950s, 60s and 70s probably remember “Scooping the loop” when they were in high school here. For those of you from different generations, this …

As a kid I used to watch ABC’s “Wide World of Sports” on winter Saturday afternoons. This was the era when stores were open long hours, the day of the week when farmers and their families came …

It’s funny how a government body can learn and teach an important civics lesson in the time it takes a student to go from kindergarten through 12th grade. In 2012, the Atlantic Community …

The works of William Shakespeare exist in the public domain. That means a writer can use, or copy, anything The Bard (1564-1616) wrote in his 39 plays, 154 sonnets, 3 long narrative poems, and other …

In Tom Cullen’s article on the Storm Lake Legislative Forum, “Crowd Spars with Evans on Vaccine Mandates,” those challenging a bill aimed at eliminating vaccine mandates for school children …

On Friday, Feb. 22, 1980, I was in eighth grade at Storm Lake Junior High School and 14 years old. We had a home wrestling dual meet that afternoon vs. Spencer, which must have been rescheduled from …

It was disturbing, frustrating and sickening. But it was not surprising. And it’s happened six years in a row.  Behind closed doors, secretively and quietly, Iowa’s …

As we read story after story of heartbreaking cases of anorexia, it brings back memories of the early years of my life. We did not have television then but we had Kodak cameras. Looking at some …

As the legislature pushes through to the first funnel deadline on Feb. 20, we are starting to have more in-depth conversations on the budget and tax reform. The House, Senate and Governor’s …