On Tuesday, I was able to serve on my first subcommittee for this session where we discussed and passed HSB 2. This was the first among many subcommittees I will be taking part in this legislative … more

The Legislature wrote Iowa’s public records law 55 years ago, and one of the tenets of the statute was the belief people deserve to know how state and local governments spend their tax money. … more

Editor’s Note: With the start of the New Year, begins a new column with the help of Bancroft resident Jan Wolf.   Jan has been collecting articles over the   years and will be … more

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.   James 1:17 For some reason I chose to … more

Few people like being told what they must do. Lorie Smith is one of them. The suburban Denver, Colo., business owner, a devout Christian, builds websites for customers. She wants to expand her … more

A couple of generations ago, an up-and-coming Arkansas retailer was spreading out across America, and Kenneth Stone was inundated with requests to speak around Iowa and far beyond about the company. … more

Middle ground is not something that often is seen nowadays in Iowa government or our politics. These days, candidates, elected officials and community members often are seen as flawed if they … more

Don’t you just love living in the Midwest where we have the pleasure of enjoying all four seasons?   Fall is my favorite time of year with the beautiful changing colors of the trees … more

Growing up in Bloomfield in the 1950s and 1960s, I remember seeing empty coffee cans next to the cash registers in places like Ollie O’Briant’s drug store, Bill Tews’ coffee shop … more

These days, I stand in front of audiences and engage in what is politely called “public speaking” more often than even Mr. Gentry ever imagined when I showed up at his office door 55 … more

A few years ago I made a trip to Peru with some friends and visited Machu Picchu, the famed Incan ruins near Cuzco.   Because of the high number of tourists who visit the site, tour groups are … more