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 …

On Jan. 13, the 91st General Assembly gaveled in for the official start of the 2025 legislative session. Throughout the first week, the leaders from both the House and Senate, as well as Gov. Kim …

This happened just last week: Cargill agreed to pay $32 million in a settlement over a lawsuit alleging price-fixing on turkey products. In a separate matter, meat processors JBS and Perdue agreed to …

For real, not joking, listen up: Joe Biden thinks that big money might be in charge. “I want to warn the country of some things that give me great concern. And this is a dangerous concern. …

I sent this letter to Senator Joni Ernst and a slightly edited version to Senator Chuck Grassley.   Ernst publicly said she would support Hegseth’s nomination, and Grassley sent me a reply …

What a year we had in 2024. There is so much to say — but no words can express what we have experienced. Our area saw horrific devastation, but also the best in humanity. Volunteers came …

On Jan. 7, the day after Congress certified Donald J. Trump’s election as the next president of the United States, the U.S. “Border Patrol conducted unannounced raids throughout …

Gov. Kim Reynolds took a small-bore approach to her Condition of the State address this week. The top issue identified by statehouse Republicans is property tax reform, which she barely noted. Its …

New York City began its new policy of congestion pricing this week, where motorists are charged a $9 toll to drive into Manhattan. The idea is to reduce the traffic that chokes the city’s …

If you’re of a certain age, you might, in the dim recesses of your mind, remember the Pixie and Dixie cartoons, created by the Hanna-Barbera animators. They were two sly mice who regularly …

The Iowa Department of Education quietly released a draft of the new K-12 Iowa Academic Science Standards (IASS) for public review on Jan. 3, 2025, with a deadline for comment coming quickly on Feb. …

Iowa is among the richest places in the world. We have the soil, the water and abundant energy generation. We should be first-rate, but we are not. We used to be the best. We were Number One in …

Come home, all you expatriated Iowans in Los Angeles before the wildfire consumes you! Flee to safety! Get real: Iowa is not that safe anymore. Check your home insurance bill, and wince …

I'm sure that there are some that won’t agree, but that doesn’t bother me. I certainly don’t agree with many of the editorials that John and Art Cullen write on several subjects, …

We lost a great one when Paul Struck died on Monday at age 78. Our sympathies go to his wife, Darla, and family. The editor of the Cherokee Chronicle Times will be missed dearly. He was a wit. A …

Jimmy Carter, who was President from 1977-1981, passed away Dec. 29 at the age of 100. His funeral was held Thursday. He was the longest living former President in the history of the United States. …

I have been kicking myself since being reminded that procrastination comes with a price. This lesson arrived the week before Christmas when I spotted a small obituary in the Bloomfield Democrat. …