The four-page executive summary of the November-issued report on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) doesn’t predict when or how the hopefully-named “green” aircraft fuel will be …

The only certainties in life are death and promises by Republicans to do something about property taxes in Iowa. So it goes again this year. House Speaker Pat Grassley said it’s the top issue …

If Iowa, particularly our western region, wants to keep our young people home and attract new business, we have to embrace the electric vehicles that are transforming transportation and lifestyle, …

My parents owned and ran a small-town hardware store in tiny Hospers, Iowa, from the late 1940s to 2000. My grandfather, J.P. “Jake” Zwagerman, whose photo appears in this space, took …

As 2024 wraps up, I’m reflecting on the past 12 months. What memories did our family make, how did things go on the farm, and how are things going in my community and across the state? One …

Fast-moving mutation and spread of avian flu to humans should set off alarms and be met with an all-out effort to protect health and a reliable, safe food supply. Unfortunately, there is a prevailing …

If you’re reading this, there is no avoiding 2025. It can’t be that bad. 2024 wasn’t the greatest, may old acquaintance be forgot. People poking in indiscreet places, a lot of that, …

Each of us probably has a list of family members and friends to whom we give gifts at Christmastime (and sometimes on other special days as well, like birthdays). It’s a heartwarming tradition, …

Congress extended the farm bill for another year as part of a spending deal approved last weekend that avoided a government shutdown. The five-year farm bill should have been approved in 2023 but has …

Two of my favorite days happened this week: Dec. 25, Christmas; and Dec. 21, the Winter Solstice. The reason I like Christmas should be obvious. I like the Winter Solstice because it’s the …

When it comes to freedom of religion and the rights enshrined in the 45 words of the First Amendment, the devil is in the details in Iowa. Gov. Kim Reynolds’ administration recently …

Tis the season when professional and amateur theaters and drama clubs mount productions of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” Some may find the story overly wrought or too …

If you look under the tree, the gift of being plopped down in Storm Lake, Iowa, is readily apparent. Bear with me here, it’s Christmas you old grouch. It’s cold. For sure. …

This famous editorial, written by Francis P. Church, first appeared in The New York Sun on Sept. 21, 1897, in response to a letter to the editor from an 8-year-old girl. The Storm Lake Times Pilot is …

This is the story behind the “Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus” editorial, the most famous editorial in newspaper history. It is reprinted annually in the Storm Lake Times Pilot …

’Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. …

A share of Iowa’s Republican electorate appears ready to abandon Senator Joni Ernst in favor of a more Trumpian replacement in the 2026 Iowa Republican primary election. It’s yet another …

If you go to your doctor for an annual checkup and the doctor says your cholesterol is high, is that the end of discussion? That is the way Summit Carbon Solutions addresses the need for its …

Storm Lake is fortunate — blessed, if you will — that the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Dec. 12 takes such a prominent place in our holiday schedule. Mexicans, especially, venerate …

Professor Grammar will provide my column this week. Because it’s Christmastime, it concerns the proper use of the word “gift.” In the past couple of years, gift has …