The ink was barely dry on our obituary for the Aurelia Star when President Trump last week ordered tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China (Iowa’s top ag export markets). We understand that will …

The teachers tying one on in the booth next to us were working up to Friday on a Thursday at Red’s in North Liberty. They howled and screeched. I could barely hear son Kieran and his wife Holly …

This year marks the centennial of the notorious Scopes trial. The trial played out in 1925 in Dayton, Tennessee, and addressed the question whether a state could ban the teaching of e - - - - - - - - …

Stubbornly high prices for heavy equipment, supplies, and technology continue to impact the budget of the Department of Transportation. This was the department’s message as it presented its …

Hugo Balta, executive editor of The Fulcrum, whose social media platform exhibits highly factual and credible ratings from Media Bias/Fact Check, wrote in his Jan. 25 op-ed “now is the time to …

I am the great-granddaughter of immigrants to this country. A vast majority of people who live in the United States are immigrants or descendants of immigrants. I am very happy to live in a …

The Cherokee County Board of Supervisors this week reaffirmed its earlier decision not to name the Aurelia Star an official county publication. The loss of revenue, about $8,000 annually, will throw …

Service clubs, which used to be the backbones of community service, are fading into obscurity. We’re talking about groups like Kiwanis, Rotary and Lions. Plus fraternal societies that were …

I was in Eagle Grove last week. Like many travelers in Iowa, I stopped at Casey’s before leaving town. Eagle Grove is a meatpacking community, and many jobs are held by Hispanic men and …

From the cheapest seats, far removed from the National Cathedral, the chatter on socials was all a-twitter (or would it be all an-X?), about Bishop Mariann Budde speaking to the re-president, aka …

So what if the City of Storm Lake took the $27,000 they spend on an outside retail consultant and instead, use it to promote and help small, home-owned, downtown businesses? They could offer …

It came with some relief Friday, capping a momentous week for immigrants, when Storm Lake Police Chief Chris Cole issued a statement saying that people will not be stopped and detained for being …

If you really wanted to clear out undocumented immigrants fast and send a ringing message, you would start around Omaha and Sioux City. They have thousands upon thousands of paperless Latinos waiting …

A Jan. 9 Iowa Appeals Court decision could bring a major change to the conduct of meetings by Iowa’s local government bodies, including county supervisors, city councils, and school boards. …

We climate science experts at the University of Iowa strongly advise Iowa’s Department of Education to maintain its existing educational standards on climate change. Climate change and human …

Last Tuesday I hosted a delegation representing the Spencer area at the Capitol. I was able to introduce the group on the House floor and share a little bit about the flood with the entire House …

The produce man in the grocery store smiled and nodded as the vendor walked past on Inauguration Day with the greeting: “Can’t you feel the freedom this morning?” We could mainly …

Last week we regretfully announced that at the end of this month, the Aurelia Star will cease publication. We never really made money on the Star since taking it over about five years ago, but …

Gov. Terry Branstad was frustrated eight years ago with what he believed was the inability of officials to tell the public why a government employee was fired or resigned under pressure When the …

If you knew the truth about someone’s murder but it could get others — or yourself — killed, what would you do? More to the point, if you belonged to a group responsible for that …