 What's the deal with the black & white saddle shoes?  Click here for the story of our farm in Greene County, Iowa. Here's looking at life at Simple Serenity Farm  We've had very little snow so far this winter. Saturday morning, January 14, brought a reminder of just how pretty a light snow can be. Just over an inch fell in the wee hours, and the countryside was beautiful at wake-up time. Click here for larger format Earlier photos in this series
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| Guest Columns ArchivesThe editor of Storm Lake Times has a colorful analysis of Chuck Offenburger’s political fuss By ART CULLEN January 28, 2012 STORM LAKE, IOWA The northwest Iowa newspaperman seems to be enjoying the dispute in which the Greene County Republican Central Committee is considering giving our columnist Offenburger the boot, for supporting Democrat Christie Vilsack in her campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives. ''Everyone should know that when something is on Offenburger’s mind, he tends to speak it in public,'' the editor wrote. He predicts ''the Jefferson honchos'' are trying to figure out a way to ''excise this ingrown toenail.'' Offenburger said this is the first time he has ever been called that!Fifty years later, many Iowans still remember the fierce “Christmas Blizzard” back in 1961 By KAY JARDON PALMCOOK December 22, 2011 VULCAN, MICHIGAN The storm raged for two days, just as families were gathering for Christmas. A good foot of snow fell across much of Iowa and northwest Missouri, and 40 mile per hour winds created huge drifts that stopped traffic throughout the region. At least 15 fatalities and dozens of injuries were blamed on the storm. Our Guest Columnist recalls how her family of 13 had packed their own farmhouse near Randolph in southwest Iowa. But they found a way to take-in seven others and a dog that were storm refugees. Her story is being aired as a holiday reminiscence by a public radio station in Michigan. And, in a sidebar, Chuck Offenburger recalls how his dad Herman was one of the storm’s victims, and how a Christmas cactus the family received back then still survives today as a continuing reminder of the love of family, friends and community.Celebrating with Turkey Valley High School and Nolan Milbrandt, “Turkey of the Year” By CHUCK OFFENBURGER November 24, 2011 JACKSON JUNCTION, IOWA Our columnist’s long relationship with the senior classes at this high school in northeast Iowa continues. The “Turkey of the Year” honor is one of the school’s oldest and most respected traditions. The winner doesn’t have to be the best student, or best athlete, or best anything. But he or she does have to be a generally “good gobbler,” a nice kid who is respected and admired by his classmates. And this year’s honoree has one of the most compelling stories of all those who’ve won since 1980, and you can read it right here.Iowa high school football, now completing another season, has a long & proud history By BUD LEGG November 4, 2011 BOONE, IOWA Nearly 23,000 participants make football the highest participation activity in the state's high schools. Many are unaware of all the changes that have been made in the game in the last 100-plus years, to make it safer, better and more popular. Plus, how many know that college football's first Heisman Trophy winner had played high school ball in Iowa, or that one of Notre Dame's ''Four Horsemen'' was also an Iowa prep? Our Guest Columnist gives a quick overview of the high school sport's fascinating history in Iowa.A special report from Chuck Offenburger So just how are the marching band programs doing now in our high schools across Iowa? By CHUCK OFFENBURGER October 4, 2011 COOPER, IOWA You’ve got to love the autumn, with the local bands performing at football games, in festivals and at state contests. But when our columnist saw a marching band that didn’t march and didn’t wear uniforms, he decided it was time to start asking some questions. Some of what he learned is a bummer, and some of it is hopeful. The best news, as one veteran director put it, is that “kids will still commit the time that’s required to be part of something that, first, is highly successful and, second, is really fun.”Putting up hay is quite an experience, especially the first time for a town kid By DEREK KELLISON July 21, 2011 SHENANDOAH, IOWA He sheepishly admits that he took his first haymaking job, thinking that farmers are still using pitchforks and horses. His farm boss got such a kick out of that, he gave him a pitchfork and let him try it. Then they went back tot he modernday mechanical methods, still worked their heads off and ended the day grateful that there wasn’t more hay to do right then. And that was before it really got hot!A reflection on what an epic challenge the Missouri River flood of 2011 is becoming By TOM CLARKSON July 10, 2011 OMAHA, NEBRASKA It is hard to imagine, but the fight against the rampaging Missouri River has already been going on for more than a month. And it is expected to continue for many more weeks, if not months. Here is a story that gives you some essential background in understanding what is happening in this disaster in the heartland of America, and specifically along Iowa’s western border.Jefferson, Iowa, prepares to honor the late Doreen Wilber,who stunned everybody by winning Olympics gold in archery in 1972 By JACQUE ANDREW June 2, 2011 JEFFERSON, IOWA The Wilber sports story is one that enchanted the world in 1972. She had learned archery from her husband ”Skeeter” Wilber, an auto mechanic and wood carver who was a bow hunting enthusiast. And when she won the Olympics gold medal, it gave the town in west central Iowa one of its all-time proudest moments. Two years after her death, a new ”Olympic Plaza” will be dedicated in a ceremony June 11.Broadcaster Ed May recently visited Cuba & sees it as a place where change is coming By ED MAY Jr. May 23, 2011 OMAHA, NEBRASKA The president of the company that owns radio station KMA in the southwest Iowa town of Shenandoah, was recently part of a delegation of business leaders who visited the island republic 90 miles off the U.S. coast. What he saw convinced him that the Cuba’s socialist economic system has worn out. Young Cubans aren’t satisfied to live the same way their parents and grandparents did. The business leaders came away feeling that the U.S. embargo on most trade to Cuba has outlived its usefulness, and that regime change might be accelerated if that embargo is lifted.Here is your personal invitation to celebrate Cinco de Mayo this weekend in Denison By LORENA LOPEZ April 26, 2011 DENISON, IOWA The celebration commemorates Mexico's military victory over the French in the 1862 Battle of Puebla. It is actually celebrated more now in Latino communities in the U.S. than it is in Mexico. One of those communities is in Denison in west central Iowa, where there is a coronation Friday night, the 29th, and then a full parade and festival starting at noon Saturday, the 30th, and continuing until 6 p.m.Here is a pal ''Ronn the Music King'' with a stroll down the memory lane of a long radio career By RONN KING March 16, 2011 SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA The author has been a friend of Chuck Offenburger since boyhood in the southwest Iowa town of Shenandoah. In the late 1950s, King started hanging out at the radio station in Maryville, Missouri, where he was going to college. And that launched his 44-year career that carried him to stations from the Midwest to Texas and back. He says he was playing today's ''oldies'' and ''classic rock'' when they were ''newsies'' and ''current rock''!When your small town is getting its butt kicked by the U.S. Postal Service, here’s how to win -- a little By CHUCK OFFENBURGER February 28, 2011 COOPER, IOWA The Des Moines Register reported over the weekend that the U.S. Postal Service, trying to ease its budget problems, is closing lots of Post Offices in Iowa’s smallest towns. That happened to us in Cooper (pop. 30) four years ago right now. Here is our story from back then, telling how when we knew we were going to lose, we still managed to win on a couple of things -- including geting postal “suites” right here in Cooper!Want to get a good hold on just how big a deal Iowa's state high school wrestling tourney is? By BUD LEGG February 14, 2011 DES MOINES, IOWA The tournament, which will be held this week at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, is the toughest ticket to get for high school sports championships. More than 77,000 fans will attend, and Saturday's finale is a sell-out for the 22nd year. The information director for the sponsoring Iowa High School Athletic Association has just issued his ''media notes'' which will help give you a feel for the magnitude and popularity of the sport in this state.A writer recalls how Simon Estes changed 40 young South Africans’ lives in 1998-’99 By VISTA KALIPA February 3, 2011 JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA Estes, the Iowa native and opera great, met the students when their school choir sang to welcome him on his first performance trip in South Africa in 1995. He was highly impressed with their talent for singing, and he was deeply depressed about the poverty in which they were living. He decided to bring as many as he could to Iowa for a year in host homes and in our high schools. And he also established his own high school in the Cape Town area. One of those students who came to Iowa now reflects on what that experience has meant to him and the others.Snowmobilers help Jefferson’s Ann Shackelford accomplish an adventure from her “bucket list” By JIM WYCKOFF January 20, 2011 JEFFERSON, IOWA The 69-year-old woman is battling cancer, and since a reoccurrence last spring, she decided to start pursuing some of her dreams. There was a hot air balloon ride last summer. There’ve been some special trips. And the latest -- a snowmobile ride on a cold January 17th on the frozen North Raccoon River!A boyhood pal recalls Chuck O’s early start in journalism in their hometown of Shenandoah By STEVE SAWYER September 24, 2010 ATLANTA, GEORGIA This Guest Columnist, a pro journalist, says our leader at Offenburger.com was “one of those do-gooder suck-ups who always did his homework, got good grades, sweet-talked teachers and never got caught playing tricks on any other kids.” But maybe that’s how he learned to “charm his sources”!His grumpiness, the Storm Lake Times editor, is definitely not “indifferent” to RAGBRAI By ART CULLEN July 26, 2010 STORM LAKE, IOWA The Des Moines Register’s big cross-state bicycle ride just made an overnight stop in the delightful northwest Iowa town on the lakeshore. The writer stuck his column in the spokes of the big event, and let the air out of its tires.The things you wonder about when you turn 63 years old: How will the stories all end? By DOUGLAS T. BATES III June 29, 2010 CENTERVILLE, TENNESSEE As his father said, you start to get up in years, you pretty well know what your own life story is. But you do start pondering how will it be for the sons and daughters, and especially for those grandchildren who are now so new on the scene?Charlie Nettles not only shaped the DM Register; he also helped shape one of its columnists By CHUCK OFFENBURGER May 31, 2010 DES MOINES, IOWA Nettles, who died at 79, was the copy editor who handled most of our columnist's work for 20 years at the Register; he was a grand character who, among several eccentricities, loved semicolons; he believed every good column should have several of them.Those weren't rusted wrecks in those sheds. A 1937 Cord and other classics were treasures! By ALLEN HALL March 20, 2010 MALVERN, IOWA This southwest Iowa town suddenly came to the attention of car buffs all over everywhere. That’s the drawing power of a 1937 Cord Phaeton convertible and some of the other old autos that the late Delmar McConkey had stored. Most local people had forgotten about them. But the auction of those cars sure made for a memorable Saturday last December.He wants just one thing from the legislature: Let us vote on the same-sex marriage issue By ANDY UPAH February 25, 2010 WEST DES MOINES, IOWA This young Iowan comes to this matter as a Catholic who studies scripture. He sees homosexuality as a sin, and contends that state government has no jurisdiction for re-defining marriage. His is a conservative view, one he knows many in his own generation do not share. But he feels confident that Iowans, if given a chance to vote, would reject gay marriage.Need big help? Call on former U.S. presidents. It's amazing how they can rally Americans By TIMOTHY WALCH February 6, 2010 WEST BRANCH, IOWA President Obama recently asked former presidents Clinton and Bush to help raise funds for Haiti. That’s a practice that got started after World War II during the presidency of Harry Truman. He called on native Iowan and former president Herbert Hoover, to help end the post-war famine.He certainly won’t forget his first look at the skyline of Spokane, that’s for sure! By RONN KING January 25, 2010 SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA The writer & his wife were on an Amtrak sleeper, which made a stop in Spokane in the middle of the night so the train could be split for different destinations. He woke up, decided to get off the train for a look around and, what ho! He missed “All aboard!”So when she seeks ''Peace on Earth,'' she knows a place where she can find some By ROSE WELCHANS December 24, 2009 FARRAGUT, IOWA Conception Abbey in northwest Missouri, home to Catholic monks since 1873, is a serene place – again. Most remember the shocking shootings that happened there in 2002. Our writer here tells how she has been making get-away trips to the monastery and its seminary for 15 years, and says it was and is a place of forgiveness, peace and quiet inspiration.Bateses have been to another of America's big college football rivalries & here is their report By DOUGLAS T. BATES III December 15, 2009 ATLANTA, GEORGIA Our Guest Columnist and his son, of Centerville, Tennessee, have traveled the nation over the past 18 years, taking in 11 of the biggest and most fun “Big Games.” This year, it was Georgia vs. Georgia Tech in Atlanta in a rivlary nicknamed “Clean Old-Fashioned Hate.” But it turned out the biggest moment of the whole weekend was not at all about football or hate. It happened on Sunday morning in one of the nation’s most historic churches.A short poem about how Iowa feeds the world while seeking no acclaim for this noble work By PAM WATSON KORBEL October 30, 2009 GREENWOOD VILLAGE, COLORADO The author is an experienced writer, business coach, organizer and entrepreneur in Colorado. She decided recently to take a creative writing course, and got a quick assignment to write a poem about where she was raised.A big moment in Iowa’s hog industry just happened and most of us probably didn’t even notice By ART CULLEN October 1, 2009 STORM LAKE, IOWA My, oh my, how things have changed in pork production (and ownership) over the last 30 years or so. And a recent legal agreement between Tyson Fresh Meats and the Iowa Attorney General marks a red letter day in the evolution. An editor in rural Iowa explains that the ''vertical integration'' of the industry is now concluded.Norman Borlaug indeed believed his early sports lessons in Iowa served him well in his long life By CHUCK OFFENBURGER September 14, 2009 COOPER, IOWA The Nobel Peace Prize winner, who grew up near Cresco in northeast Iowa, was a good high school and intercollegiate wrestler. In a 2004 interview, he told our columnist he was still using his wrestling experiences 70 years later, to help save the lives of hungry people around the world.Recalling a visit Eunice Shriver made in tribute to the memory of Iowa’s own Herbert Hoover By TIMOTHY WALCH August 25, 2009 WEST BRANCH, IOWA The famous Kennedy sister, who died earlier this month, surprised the Hoover Presidential Library staff back in 1998 when she came to West Branch. They were even more surprised when Shriver told them the story the great admiration between her father Ambassador Joseph Kennedy and President Hoover. That admiration was carried on by subsequent generations of Kennedys.Oh, those wild long-ago races to church, ''Dad driving like a bat out of hell, Mom screaming the rosary!'' By MIMI JOHNSON July 27, 2009 CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA Getting to Sunday mass at St. Mary’s in Shenandoah on time was a constant challenge for the family of Wes and Irene Johnson, who lived 10 miles away outside Essex. “My dad just couldn’t understand why moving a family of seven out the door and into the car in a timely fashion was so difficult,” our Guest Columnist writes. So he’d speed, while his wife led the family in a not-so-serene recitation of the rosary.There's no thrill quite like your first grandchild being born -- an affirmation that life is so good! By BUD LEGG July 13, 2009 BOONE, IOWA Little Sloane Ann Brees has made Bud and Marge Legg among the proudest grandparents in all of Iowa. Sloane’s parents Anne and John Brees were outstanding athletes at Central College. And Grampa Bud, one of Iowa’s leading authorities on sports, was able to tell the new parents right there in the hospital when little Sloane’s national letter of intent signing day would be in the year 2026!Student intern, hosted at farm by O’burgers, lived free but had to make several dinners By RYAN RUGGLES July 3, 2009 COOPER, IOWA Ryan Ruggles, a senior pharmacy student at Drake University was interning at the Greene County Medical Center in Jefferson. Pharmacists there asked hospital staff to consider giving the young fellow a place to stay for a month. Carla and Chuck Offenburger said yes, and were especially pleased to learn the guy could really cook!A great lesson from Grandma, but he didn't understand then that it wasn't just about birds By ROD WILLIAMSON June 24, 2009 NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE Grandma Williamson, back on the farm outside Parkersburg, Iowa, had gone stone deaf. Once, while her grandson was studying a magazine-spread of bird photographs she had tacked up on the wall of her porch, Grandma said she really wished she’d taken time to listen to the birds singing earlier in life, when she could have heard them. That grown-up grandson’s backyard in Tennessee is now filled with bird feeders.First Hispanic justice on U.S. Supreme Court, you say? What about Hoover's choice in '32? By TIMOTHY WALCH June 4, 2009 WEST BRANCH, IOWA Back then, the President from Iowa nominated Benjamin Nathan Cardozo, of Portuguese heritage, and he was quickly confirmed by the Senate. Portugal, like Spain, is on the Iberian Peninsula. Doesn't that mean Cardozo was Hispanic?Methodist pastor on retreat with New Melleray’s monks finds joy in their rigorous spirituality & life By REV. DON MORRIS May 19, 2009 PEOSTA, IOWA After being introduced through friends to the Catholic monks in Iowa, this Methodist leader from Tennessee spent hours with Father Jim O’Connor, and with reading the book “The Rule of St. Benedict.” In deep conversation, and hearty laughter, he came to understand that even though life at the monastery seems “a continuous Lent,” it is also deeply satisfying, meaningful and even fun.All Tony Pina knew about Coon Rapids IA was his heart was pulling him this direction By ALYSSA JACKSON April 21, 2009 COON RAPIDS, IOWA So 20 years ago, the native of Mexico who spoke no English caught a bus in San Antonio, carrying a piece of paper with a Coon Rapids address scribbled on it. After his $72 taxi ride from Des Moines and some fast talking, Margie Sanchez decided he might be O.K. to have around. Now the Pinas are a favorite Coon Rapids family.The phone rings with calls from two area codes, numbers alike but messages very different By ROD WILLIAMSON February 23, 2009 NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE This columnist suddenly realized that in his recent conversations with his family, some living in area code 931 and others in 319, he is experiencing the full story of life. There is new life and old life, and there's a whole lot of love in all of it.David Yepsen is leaving Iowa, so we re-tell the story of how he became a top U.S. journalist By JARED STRONG February 8, 2009 JEFFERSON, IOWA In 2005, a young reporter interning with us at Offenburger.com wrote a full profile story on Yepsen, who was born and reared here in Greene County. Since Yepsen is leaving the Des Moines Register to direct a public affairs institute in Illinois, we republish that 2005 story to remind all of Yepsen’s own inspiring career story.A surprising link among former U.S. presidents: An engraving of Abe Lincoln inspired Iowa's Herbert Hoover By TIMOTHY WALCH January 30, 2009 WEST BRANCH, IOWA A historic portrayal of President Lincoln finalizing the emancipation, hung in Hoover's boyhood cabin. And Hoover kept it on display everywhere he lived, the rest of his long life, including in the White House. A historian speculates Hoover probably studied it and asked, “What would Lincoln do?”Want to read more in 2009? Well, then take this ''challenge'' from Brad and his pal Christina By BRADLEY MARISKA January 5, 2009 PINE CITY, MINNESOTA Know about President Bush & Karl Rove having their “Reading Challenges” – who can read the most books in a year? Two young friends have challenged each other, and you can join their contest & online discussions. Carla Offenburger was first to sign up!Continuing their “Big Game” tour of college football, the Bateses experience WVU at Pitt in the 101st playing of the “Backyard Brawl” By DOUGLAS T. BATES III December 30, 2008 PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA The rivalry is called the “Backyard Brawl,” with the two legendary powerhouse programs coming from cities only an hour apart. This year’s game in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, proved indeed to be a brawl, with Pitt winning 19-16 in a real heart stopper. Since 1992, when they did Harvard vs. Yale, the Bates father and son have traveled most falls from their home in Centerville, Tennessee, to experience the grandest football rivalries in the college ranks. This year, they were hosted again by Judy Cole, who was working at Yale in ’92 and coordinated their trip there, but who is now working at Carnegie Mellon University, also located in Pittsburgh. The Bateses say they have roamed to Big Games from Connecticut to California to Texas to Florida, and they’ve found “Judy Coles” everywhere they’ve visited. So they refer to her as “the mother of It all.You want that Christmas gift you're giving to be the perfect thing for that special person By KATE FISCHER December 24, 2008 DUBUQUE, IOWA And, oh! So many gifts have gone awry over the years, provoking that dreaded response from the recipient, through gritted teeth: ''Oh, it's JUST what I wanted!'' In case all else fails, remember Fort Apache!IHSAA's Iowa Hall of Pride at 4 years old is an attraction that is always evolving in new features By JACK LASHIER December 9, 2009 DES MOINES, IOWA The director of this highly interactive showcase of the Iowa high school experience, located in downtown Des Moines, talks about the new exhibits and video interviews added in recent months. Featured right now: The actual Heisman Trophy.He took a turn ringing a bell for Salvation Army donations, and what a gift he received! By BUD LEGG December 3, 2008 BOONE, IOWA He realized again that when you volunteer for a good cause, you come away with “hope for the people with whom we share this planet, and a strong dose of faith in the Almighty that all things will get better.”Thanksgiving! It's the best of holidays, isn't it? Well, she loves it, even if teens think it ''boring.'' By REBECCA CHRISTIAN November 17, 2008 DES MOINES, IOWA Our late November feast day is a “Horn of Plenty” not just of food and produce, but also of feelings and traditions. It doesn’t have the “emotional undertows” of Christmas, our Guest Columnist argues, but instead comes at us “smooth and calm.” This is excerpted from a new book we’re recommending.Tough reminder that politics can be a real thrill, but it can also flat-out break your heart, too By GARY SCHMIDT November 10, 2008 ANKENY, IOWA This Guest Columnist is a veteran of Democratic politics in Iowa. This go ’round, he helped a 23-year-old candidate for the Iowa House. The young fellow “worked his buns off” but came up just short. Life goes on. The old pol says he’d do it all over again. He says you should get involved, too!A young Iowan decides his vote on one issue is more important than any other issue this time By ANDY UPAH October 22, 2008 WEST DES MOINES, IOWA The holocaust of abortion must stop, this writer believes, and he wants to be sure that pro-life justices are being nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court. He says it’s high time that we take a stand to defend the defenseless.Farm radio broadcaster Ken Root takes us along for the 20th annual Great Anamosa Pumpkinfest & Weigh-Off! By KEN ROOT October 10, 2008 ANAMOSA, IOWA It was the 20th annual showcase of some “Midwest Whoppers” on Saturday, October 4, in the northeast Iowa town. Broadcaster Root, whom you hear doing the farm shows on WHO Radio in Des Moines and other Clear Channel stations across Iowa, is fascinated by the big pumpkins – or maybe “awed” is a better word. A 1,354-pounder is a whole lot of pumpkin, that’s for sure! In this special report, Root gives us the story in words, 14 colorful photos and an audio version of the story he did on WMT Radio in Cedar Rapids.This student at Iowa State U. is a ''techie,'' like nearly all are, but she wants a newspaper, too! By KATHRYN STROTHER October 1, 2008 AMES, IOWA She was shocked recently hearing that half the students in a large lecture class never even read the Iowa State Daily, the student newspaper. She worries how little research and real reporting goes into the blogs, TV rants and other electronic info offerings so many young people rely on for news.She married a Cubs fan, not realizing what zaniness that'd bring into their family life By AMY CALHOUN September 15, 2008 MONTGOMERY, ILLINOIS In the Knott-Calhoun family of suburban Chicago, they have gone so far as naming two generations of boys after Cubs catchers. So you can imagine what kind of intense baseball season this has been for them, with the Cubs leading the National League Central Division nearly the whole season.Declaration of Independence: A precious icon we Americans nearlly allowed to fade away By TIMOTHY WALCH July 3, 2008 WEST BRANCH, IOWA As we celebrate another 4th of July in the U.S., it’s a good time to learn what has happened through the years to the founding document of our nation, ratified back in 1776. Turns out we nearly loved it to death.Since no one really reads the Bible now, let’s re-write it so that it fits our lifestyle better By DOUGLAS T. BATES III June 6, 2008 CENTERVILLE, TENNESSEE We can’t imagine many guest preachers having enough nerve to deliver the sermon that our Tennessee pal Doug Bates gave recently at the rural Campground Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Hickman County there. Read what he said in this Guest Column.In Parkersburg, first came the F5 tornado then a few days later, the Cyclones arrived By ROD WILLIAMSON June 5, 2008 NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE Rod Williamson, who lives and works in Nashville, Tennessee, was on a trip to Florida when he got the first call about what had happened in his hometown in northeast Iowa. Imagine his fright when he couldn’t reach his family members there and began hearing about a death toll that eventually reached eight. As the hours of worry dragged by, he learned that his nephew had lost his entire home, but all in the family were fine. Then he started hearing the other great stories about the “angels of mercy” that have been showing up in Parkersburg to help – like the Iowa State Cyclones football players and coaches who came to town unannounced and went to work.Well, don’t you agree that we all need a little direction now and then in our busy lives? By REV. ART SEAMAN May 19, 2008 KITTANNING, PENNSYLVANIA All of us who are married frequently receive, uh, suggestions from our spouses. But if you are married to a teacher, like this columnist is, then those suggestions can be given to you in that gentle but firm “Teacher Voice” that can bend steel and crack rock.A humble Iowa broadcast exec leaves $35M to eastern Iowa institutions after dying in August By TIMOTHY WALCH March 31, 2008 WEST BRANCH, IOWA One of Bill Quarton’s beneficiaries is the Hoover Library and Museum in West Branch, which he gave $1.75 million, the largest gift in its history. The Hoover director says in his column here all in eastern Iowa are astonished at the generosity.''Mart'' Flahive had two rules on Good Friday: Go to church & burn off the garden stubble By SANDRA FLAHIVE March 21, 2008 DES MOINES, IOWA We are re-publishing this classic column by Sandra Flahive. In it, she recalls the panic she felt every Good Friday as a kid in southern Iowa, knowing the garden burning was going to happen regardless of the wind. Sometimes more than just the garden burned!'Chicken Littles' are stirring fear about bio-fuels causing hunger. One Iowa editor says 'Hogwash!' By ART CULLEN March 10, 2008 STORM LAKE, IOWA The editor of the Storm Lake Times in northwest Iowa knows his agriculture. And he’s been reading all the sermonizing going on in such publications as the New York Times and Washington Post, about corn ethanol and other bio-fuels leading to mass starvation. He says his big city journalistic brethren are being duped.''Garbage in, garbage out'' was no longer cutting it with his music tastes (or his soul) By ANDY UPAH February 19, 2008 WEST DES MOINES, IOWA He grew up listening to heavy metal, pop, country or rap. Then with a little direction from his dad, he began to see where pop culture was leading him. He moved on down the dial to Christian music stations, and some amazing things started to happen. Consider this column his Lenten reflection.Now that she is 20 years old, she wonders just when all the wisdom is going to kick in By KATHRYN STROTHER February 4, 2008 AMES, IOWA Some college students most look forward to their 21st birthday. But when you are the last among your close friends still to be a “teeny-bopper,” the 20th is a big deal. Our Guest Columnist has noticed some changes. “While I don’t have a curfew, I’m lucky if I can stay awake past midnight on the weekends,” she writes.Think winter is pretty tough now? Here’s how folks handled it back in the 1920s By LIZ LYNCH January 21, 2008 DUBUQUE, IOWA This writer, nearing her 100th birthday, takes us back to when cars “hibernated” for the winters, with their wheels stored in cellars and their batteries used to power radios in homes. And, oh, the food preparation! This is her fun reminder of the way things were.A grid rivalry can’t get much bigger than the “Iron Bowl” when Alabama plays at Auburn By DOUGLAS T. BATES III December 24, 2007 AUBURN, ALABAMA Our ol’ pal from Tennessee & his son continue their tradition of going to the biggest or most interesting college football battles in the U.S. This year they went to Auburn and took along their wives, one an alumnna. And, “War Eagle!” Her team won!This mom won’t forget the year a special Santa (her little Santa) was found to have head lice! By SANDRA FLAHIVE December 17, 2007 DES MOINES, IOWA Actually, her daughter, playing Santa in the grade school Christmas pageant, didn’t think the lousy problem was that big a deal, and nobody else did, either. My-my, the columnist thought, how different from her own childhood when lice meant a brain scrub!Farm Bureau’s call to global service while “doing right” in revitalizing rural Iowa, too By CRAIG LANG December 11, 2007 DES MOINES, IOWA The president of the largest and most influential farm organization reminds us of one Iowa farmer’s role in calming tensions between the super powers during the Cold War. It’s time to do that again, while also helping our countryside & small towns once again become great places to live.Are you tired of the hysteria and attacks on the newcomers who are filling jobs we won’t take? By ART CULLEN November 29, 2007 STORM LAKE, IOWA The editor of the Storm Lake Times, a great newspaper in one of Iowa’s most diverse towns, says many of the political ads about illegal immigrants make it seem like the old “Know Nothing Party” has been reborn. Here are the thoughts of this journalist who knows and lives the truth of the situation.Not to be a turkey about it, but we have really stretched the story of the 1st Thanksgiving By TIMOTHY WALCH November 20, 2007 WEST BRANCH, IOWA Myths have grown up around this American holiday, says a noted historian in Iowa. He has some educated hunches about what the first Thanksgiving was probably like in 1621, when the Plymouth Colonists celebrated with the Wampanoag Indians.The place to be in November in Iowa: UNI-Dome for high school football playoffs action By ANDY UPAH November 9, 2007 CEDAR FALLS, IOWA This fan’s team is South Tama County High School’s Trojans, who reached the Class 3A semifinals. The action is often amazing, like when you see three touchdowns in 17 seconds! The championships are November 16-17.You may argue but here's a fan who thinks this college football season is just about perfect! By REV. ART SEAMAN October 24, 2007 KITTANNING, PENNSYLVANIA The clincher for him was on Saturday, October 20, when the Vanderbilt Commodores beat the No. 6-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks, a team coached by ever-arrogant Steve Spurrier, a man we all love to hate. Who knew that the ivy's leaves at Wrigley Field turn colors in October? Cubs don't play then By ANDY UPAH October 10, 2007 CHICAGO, ILLINOIS This young Iowan was among the 42,000 in the stands when Chicago bowed out on October 6. We had all been so hopeful but, well, 100 is a nice round number of years. The story in words & 11 great photos.Bobcats? Fine. Mountain lions? Well, we can be wary of them. But wild boars? What’s up here! By SANDRA FLAHIVE September 11, 2007 DES MOINES, IOWA For people like our Guest Columnist who’ve had places in rural Iowa for years, the variety of critters around them has taken a nasty turn recently. They used to think it daring if they could hear coyotes howling. Now there are reports of wild boars roaming. Oh my!A 99-year-old’s memoir of the windmills that powered and inspired all who lived on farms By LIZ LYNCH August 30, 2007 DUBUQUE, IOWA This Dubuque writer, whom Chuck Offenburger first met when she enrolled at age 90 in a writing course he was teaching to a class of mostly-young students at Loras College, is still churning out wonderful columns.How does your ol' hometown stack up after you've spent a year in the city at a university? By KATHRYN STROTHER August 16, 2007 UNION, IOWA Actually, the town of Union and the small neighboring towns seemed to have a new warm glow about them, this college journalist figured out. The towns hadn’t really changed, but she had. She had a whole new appreciation for the people.Ladies of the club, please be served, and yes, she will be glad to share the recipe with you By SANDRA FLAHIVE July 17, 2007 DES MOINES, IOWA Her “Snowflake Pudding with Ebony Raspberry Sauce” looked like the most magnificent dessert ever – perfect for the “Summer Solstice Gathering” of the town’s Progressive Club. Then something in it moved. “Please, God,” she prayed, “don’t let it be a bug!”How a triathlon drew him back to Iowa for a chance to mix old memories with new ones By MARK PHILLIPS July 2, 2007 DENVER, COLORADO This young guy is about as Iowan as anybody can be. But for now he and his wife, also an Iowan, are enjoying new experiences in Denver, Colorado. One new experience is competing in triathlon races, and it recently brought him home.A young Iowan finds her way quite nicely, thank you, in the hubbub of New York City By TARA ELY June 19,2007 NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. She has spent the spring and early summer as an intern, meeting people from around the world, working in and visiting glamorous places around the city. And she has gained new perspective on her home state, too.Statistics prove most of us are too absorbed in our own stuff to appreciate sudden beauty By KATHRYN STROTHER June 5, 2007 UNION, IOWA Like, would you stop and listen if one of the world's finest violinists, casually dressed, suddenly was playing right in front of you in a subway station? Most in Washington, D.C., didn't. Our columnist says that teaches her how not to be.That first year of college? It turns out to be a real rush of learning, and some of it’s even in class! By KATHRYN STROTHER May 17, 2007 UNION, IOWA She graduated from a small high school a year ago, then joined 26,000 students at Iowa State U. And now she reflects on how she not only survived it, but thrived in the experience. Oh there were challenges, to be sure, but she met them and is ready for more.Tell a tale of high school sports in Iowa: Big moments our athletes have given us By BUD LEGG May 7, 2007 BOONE, IOWA Here is a collection of special “nuggets” the author has collected in his work of researching and reconstructing Iowa’s high school sports records. They’ll provide great fodder for your coffee conversations!Big streetscape project helping Carroll business get into a major new mode of growth, vitality By DOUGLAS BURNS April 19, 2007 CARROLL, IOWA The former mayor often said the west central Iowa town of 10,106 ''should be a place with small-town values and suburban amenities - that isn't attached to a big city.'' And that's what it is becoming.Close houses, close friends -- that's how it generally goes in small towns like Jefferson By BEN TEUSCH March 27, 2007 JEFFERSON, IOWA A high school junior takes us back through childhood adventures with the neighbor kids -- and it will take many of you back that way, too. It's a time in our lives when simple experiences somehow make memories that will stay with us forever.This says it all about what the snowbirds miss by being away from Iowa when spring sneaks in By SANDRA FLAHIVE March 19, 2007 DES MOINES, IOWA The most magical moments come sometime in March. Winter cracks, some sunshine hits you, you see a swift white cloud moving across a brilliant blue sky, you hear a bird you haven’t heard for months and, what ho! Your body starts thawing, your spirit soars.Loras College's old and classic Fieldhouse has hosted its last intercollegiate basketball By CHUCK ISENHART March 5, 2007 DUBUQUE, IOWA The Duhawks’ move out of the venerable Fieldhouse is stirring all kinds of memories, like those of our Guest Columnist. Oh, what a hold it has had on the heart of all Lorians!A requiem for a boyhood hero, Barry Stevens, the Iowa State basketball star of the mid '80s By NATE OLSON February 23, 2007 LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS After Stevens’ shocking death last week from a heart attack at age 43, this sports columnist writes that the former player will always be a college senior, and the writer will always be the little boy who was his biggest fan.Barack Obama phenomenon is a siren call to a new generation that their time has now arrived By DOUGLAS BURNS February 13, 2007 SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS A younger Iowa political columnist, watching the Illinois senator launch his presidential campaign in a historic setting, writes, “Those of us of a certain age hear someone speaking our language.”A poetic salute for the 100th birthday of a grand Iowan, our mother Anna O’burger By CHRIS WALSH January 27, 2007 SHENANDOAH, IOWA She died in 1996, but the family all thought so much of her that when her 100th rolled around in early 2007, we gathered for a birthday party. One daughter wrote a poem to commemorate the occasion.Doc Blackwell, a renaissance man, lived in ways and on levels few of us ever experience By DOUGLAS T. BATES III January 14, 2007 CENTERVILLE, TENNESSEE He was a humble small-town dentist in Tennessee, but daily devotionals in the pre-dawn hours and long runs through the countryside – even in his advanced years – gave James Church Blackwell real depth.The inside story what it was like for one family in the blizzard hitting Colorado at Christmastime By the KORBEL FAMILY December 26, 2006 ENGLEWOOD, COLORADO Are you thinking there just don't seem to be any big snowstorms at Christmastime, like there used to be? Well, this family's fun report on the Colorado Blizzard of '06 will put you right in the middle of a major storm!There’s nothing like becoming a 1st-time dad to make you ask if you really have what it takes By CASEY PELZER December 18, 2006 ATLANTIC, IOWA When the writer held his infant daughter Gracey the first time, “the sense of responsibility was so overwhelming that I had to quickly hand her back before I passed out.” Now he feels guidance from the Father of us all.As he prepares to leave Iraq, one American gets a view of Saddam Hussein facing justice By TOM CLARKSON December 11, 2006 BAGHDAD, IRAQ Our friend, who has deep military roots, has worked nearly two years as a civilian media specialist with the Army Corps of Engineers in the reconstruction of Iraq. He spent a recent day at the trial of the former Iraqi president.NCAA football's ''purest peals'' ring from a bell that's the trophy when Wabash plays DePauw By DOUGLAS T. BATES III November 23, 2006 CENTERVILLE, TENNESSEE A “small college” game in Indiana is one of the best rivalries in America. Among 11,000 fans at this fall’s renewal were the Bateses – father & son – from Tennessee, whose hobby is experiencing the nation’s classic grid rivalries.A 700-mile trip around Iowa is confirmation that things are humming again in this state By JAY WAGNER November 8, 2006 DES MOINES, IOWA After the political candidates nearly convinced us all that Iowa is a mess, a writer and his young son hit the road for a long weekend. They found things are more vibrant and hopeful than they’ve been in at least 20 years.Kate Fischer, a real favorite of readers here, offers a sample from her book, just published By KATE FISCHER October 31, 2006 DUBUQUE, IOWA The Dubuque writer is becoming nationally recognized for her flowing essays that capture the essence of life along the Mississippi River. This excerpt is from the book that's titled “Dreaming the Mississippi.”A big weekend in Elkader will show off the Opera House and help save ''Motor Mill'' By LARRY STONE October 9, 2006 ELKADER, IOWA There's a concert Saturday in the 103-year-old restored Opera House in the NE Iowa town. And you can visit and help with re-development of the 140-year-old mill into a very special historic, natural and recreational site.Iowa columnist on vacation in New York City, is odd sightseer, takes in a Mafia murder trial By DOUGLAS BURNS OCTOBER 2, 2006 BROOKLYN, NEW YORK The noted writer from the Carroll Daily Times Herald writer knows a good story when he hears one. He heard several about the Colombo Family in a federal courtroom. His conclusion: This is not just movie stuff.One of the best traditions in all college football happens again this weekend in little Rippey, Ia. By LARRY HAPPEL September 13, 2006 PELLA, IOWA Since 1986, when the Central College football team from Pella plays Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, the Central team has stopped for supper on the way back to Pella at the home church of a former player and team manager.Why this rush by all of us to end our summer? She offers tips for extending the season By KATE FISCHER August 28, 2006 DUBUQUE, IOWA If you’re around Dubuque and hear a woman belting out that old classic “Hot Town, Summer in the City” – even deep into September – well, you’ll know what’s going on! Enough of this Fast Forward living, already.P.T. Barnum would love this: One young lad's entrepreneurial, smart (and tart) business idea By SANDRA FLAHIVE August 7, 2006 DES MOINES, IOWA It’s pretty hard to get much juice out of a grapefruit at a curbside stand, but it’s pretty easy for a six-year-old salesman to get a buck out of an adult. Our columnist recounts the squeezing and dribbling, realizing she’s what was really getting squeezed.Get out those Iowa roadmaps and take a tour of our towns with delightfully quirky names By REBECCA CHRISTIAN July 28, 2006 DES MOINES, IOWA Say 'em: Hiawatha, Eldora, Batavia, Aurora, Rubio and Moravia. They dance off the tongue, don’t they? And how many people have had dopey looking photos of themselves taken at the town sign in Stone City?Love happens at the oddest times & places, like during a hot and filthy river clean-up! By CHARLIE NIXON July 13, 2006 COON RAPIDS, IOWA That’s when Greg Beisker and Jill Watrous met, a year ago, helping tidy up the Middle Raccoon River in west central Iowa. They returned this July 15 to get married near the river bank – and for another clean-up effort.So much of the hip & new today is like, groovy, you know? She is sure she saw & lived it before By KATE FISCHER July 4, 2006 DUBUQUE, IOWA It is proving her mother was correct when she always said, “There’s nothing new under the sun.” But with all these throwbacks to the 1960s, our writer wants to draw the line at a couple of things we will NOT repeat.The pride and teamwork that helped start an Iowa classic, Decorah's big ''Nordic Fest'' By DAWN SVENSON HOLLAND June 19, 2006 DECORAH, IOWA As the NE Iowa town gets ready for the 40th edition of the festival, the daughter of one of its founders tells how it came to be. Gary Svenson died last summer, but a big part of him lives on in this fun, colorful and tasty event.Iowa's political candidates are generally not big celebrities. Let's all give a hurrah for that! By KATE FISCHER June 5, 2006 DUBUQUE, IOWA When the famous run for office, you’re not sure what kind of person you're getting. Movie star Ronald Reagan worked out O.K. as president. But rock star Ted Nugent as governor of Michigan? Whew!Ever heard of the newspaper maxim that everybody out there has a story to tell? By LARRY LEHMER May 15, 2006 URBANDALE, IOWA Former Des Moines Register editor Larry Lehmer, a gifted researcher and writer, has started a small company to help people get those stories written and preserved. Once done, the stories become family keepsakes.When it comes to redeveloping our small towns, here are 4 rules & 7 components to be successful By CHUCK OFFENBURGER April 24, 2006 COOPER, IOWA My late brother Dan Offenburger, pictured here, used these in adding 1,100 full-time and 700 part-time jobs in Shenandoah, Iowa, our hometown of 5,500. I’m glad that before he died, I asked him how they did it.''Mart'' Flahive had two rules on Good Friday: Go to church & burn off the garden stubble By SANDRA FLAHIVE April 12, 2006 DES MOINES, IOWA Sandra Flahive recalls the panic she felt every Good Friday as a kid in southern Iowa, knowing the garden burning was going to happen regardless of the wind. Sometimes more than just the garden burned!From Chicago to the Iowa countryside, the Wilbecks are now living their rural dream By KEVIN WILBECK March 20, 2006 RIPPEY, IOWA Kevin and Chris Wilbeck are native Iowans who, after doing the young professional thing in Chicago, realized they wanted to get out of the city. Four years later the're loving their “farmhouse life” in Greene County.A presidential museum that is embracing the challenge of attracting visitors today By TIMOTHY WALCH March 9, 2006 WEST BRANCH, IOWA Life is so hectic, many think, “Who has time for museums?” Attendance is down nationwide. But at Iowa's Hoover Museum, new exhibits and fun programs are making history come alive. Bet on crowds responding.The importance of a return to ''Iowa studies'' in our schools seems so clear to many of us By CHUCK OFFENBURGER February 27, 2006 DES MOINES, IOWA The Iowa Legislature is considering legislation for new state standards for K-12 public education. A key one: Do our kids know their own state? Very few do, actually. Why? We're not teaching them about it. Is this heaven? Yanks discover that Kurdistan in northern Iraq is a real relief, after Baghdad By TOM CLARKSON February 9, 2006 DAHUK, KURDISTAN, NORTHERN IRAQ Our friend Tom Clarkson, a civilian doing media work for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, reflects on an inspection tour of Reconstruction projects in Kurdistan. Put it on your list of post-war “places to visit,” he says.Living in Iowa? Others enjoy milder weather, better scenery, near perfection. Here, we don't! By REV. DeLANE WRIGHT January 16, 2006 WEST LIBERTY, IOWA You can’t find weather like ours just any place, you know. Was it a dozen times we shoveled in December? People elsewhere wonder why we Iowans stay put. Maybe, just maybe, we know something they don’t.This soldier's idea for R&R was to stay in Iraq and visit pals patrolling in harm's way By MAJOR JIM HAWKINS January 9, 2006 BAGHDAD, IRAQ Go to Kuwait or Qatar like others do on breaks? Nope, said a 40-year-old officer doing staff work in Baghdad. He opted to go out with troops and says “the young soldiers were marvelous.” An unusual look inside the war.It's very hard when death starts taking that ol' gang you went to college with By BRUCE JOHNSON January 2, 2006 VAN HORNE, IOWA Five young men met in Shaw House dorm at the University of Northern Iowa in the early 1970s. They remained great friends ever after. But now two have passed, and the other ''Shawmen'' miss them badly.At Grambling, ''everybody is somebody,'' even the visitor who marches with the band By DOUGLAS T. BATES III December 20, 2005 CENTERVILLE, TENNESSEE Our Guest Columnist takes us to Grambling State University, in northern Louisiana, which is famous for its football. He also finds lots of great people, pride and grace -- and the very hot Tiger Marching Band.The anguish of church leaders as they try to decide whether to have services this Sunday By Rev. Art Seaman December 19, 2005 KITTANNING, PENNSYLVANIA It'll be Christmas Day, you know. Nearly all of them will have had services Christmas Eve. Do they want to interrupt families' activities the next morning for Sunday services? What's this holiday all about, anyway?If your school doesn't have some ''church music'' being taught, kids are being cheated By BRADLEY MARISKA December 12, 2005 PINE CITY, MINNESOTA Directing ''Godspell'' at his high school, our Guest Columnist was asked how he could be doing ''a religious musical'' in a public school. Ignoring spiritually-inspired music would be an educational crime, he argues.She's now trying to control her ''Inner Scrooge'' while insisting that gift giving ''be meaningful'' By KATE FISCHER December 5, 2005 DUBUQUE, IOWA A column of commiseration with all of you who 1) really don't like holiday shopping all that much, 2) know you have to do it and 3) have some painful history of giving just the wrong gift. Here's an idea: Let's tidy up the names of Iowa's towns, and then the tourists will flock to us By DAVID SWINTON October 24, 2005 HARLAN, IOWA This Methodist pastor, who has seen a whole lot of Iowa, offers ''a modest proposal'' for stirring up new tourism and development for our communities. It has seemed to work in Colorado and California.Herbert Hoover to the rescue: The echoes of a disaster in the Gulf States generations ago By TIMOTHY WALCH September 21, 2005 WEST BRANCH, IOWA Read the numbers here about just how vast the devastation was from the Flood of 1927. You'll be shocked. A year after he led the recovery effort, native Iowan Hoover was elected U.S. president. Then what happened?1,000 miles upriver on the Mississippi, she's ''keeping the light on'' for New Orleans By KATE FISCHER September 12, 2005 DUBUQUE, IOWA Those who live all along the mighty river, like this writer in Dubuque, have especially strong empathy and sympathy for the people whose lives, homes and businesses have been ravaged in their sister city to the south.Our young pal from So. Africa never dreamed he would live in such fear here in America By VISTA KALIPA September 6, 2005 BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA An intern at Offenburger.com in 2003, the writer is now in graduate school at Louisiana State University, and thus has been an eyewitness to the horror of Hurricane Katrina.His mother told him long ago, “Do your best and then some more,” and he's tried to live that By BUD LEGG August 29, 2005 BOONE, IA And Mom also told the Legg kids always to say ''thank you'' to those who gave them help. So Bud is using this Guest Column to say that again to the people who've made a difference in his life. We all ought to do that.Telling strangers your pet peeves and your prime passions will usually stir some conversation! By KATE FISCHER August 23, 2005 DUBUQUE, IOWA It was the way this college professor always opened her classes, an ice-breaker for all her new students. Her own peeves and passions were never part of those discussions, but she doesn't mind sharing them with us!How four Iowa teens think the proliferation of the Internet is impacting life now and ahead By ASHLEY LATHRUM August 8, 2005 SAINT CHARLES, IOWA Internet provider netINS, Inc., asked graduating high school seniors for essays on the topic in a scholarship competition. We're sharing the four winners with you here. They realize what an exciting tool the 'Net provides.Iowa farmer Alan Henderson and his gentle little war with 'coons raiding his sweet corn By ALAN HENDERSON July 25, 2005 MILTON, IOWA He tried blasting them with loud rock 'n' roll music, but that only worked for a while. Now he's putting the animals in the ''CRP'' -- that's his ''Coon Relocation Program.'' Others use guns -- and even human urine.Things to do during the slow crossings of the Mississippi River bridges during this repair time By KATE FISCHER July 14, 2005 DUBUQUE, IOWA She had to come up with some tasks to pass the three hours a day she is spending in her car on the Julien Dubuque Bridge. Construction workers get real busy on Iowa's river bridges this time of year.''Oh, we will fight, fight, fight for Iowa State, and may her colors ever fly'' ...oh, whatever By JARED STRONG June 30, 2005 COOPER, IOWA The ISU intern @ Offenburger.com will soon be departing Simple Serenity Farm. But to complete the summer internship, which is required for graduation, this student must learn his school’s fight song and sing it – in tune!Marrying into a family which was heavily impacted by Iowa's 1980s Farm Crisis By JARED STRONG June 27, 2005 ATLANTIC, IOWA The Jordans’ story, in fact, became nationally known when the family’s plight was featured in the acclaimed 1996 documentary “Troublesome Creek: A Midwestern.” It's the story of way too many Iowa farm families. ANOTHER BIG DAY IS SET IN LITTLE COOPER, IOWA: You can march with the Hawkeye Marching Band's drum major & Golden Girl, eat a steak sandwich and famous baked beans, then enjoy ''Celebration Iowa'' By OFFENBURGER.COM STAFF June 27, 2005 COOPER, IOWA It’s “Super Cooper Day” on Saturday, July 2, the first real community celebration in our little town in 24 years. And we hope you’ll come with your band instruments, floats, appetites and lawn chairs. Click here to read about the 4 p.m. parade, a 5 p.m. cookout supper and then the free concert at 7 p.m. by the “Celebration Iowa Singers & Jazz Band.”Learning from David Yepsen how an icon of journalism and politics got his start in Iowa By JARED STRONG June 23, 2005 JEFFERSON, IOWA The nationally-known political columnist of the Des Moines Register is a native of Jefferson, Iowa, our county seat town, which has an unusually strong heritage in journalism. So, our young reporter did a roots check.A high school reunion ended as a learning experience, not a trip down memory lane By JARED STRONG June 21, 2005 ATLANTIC, IOWA At reunions, people catch-up with friends and reminisce. But this trip back home to Atlantic, Iowa, afforded a unique opportunity to learn about a classmate’s past, which was unknown to many who spent years with him.It seems like ol' Dad was always working for the future -- ours instead of his own -- and not until years later did we really understand that By BRUCE JOHNSON June 19, 2005 VAN HORNE, IOWA Bruce Johnson shares a Father’s Day reflection in poetry about all that our dads do for us.A first-year Dem from Muscatine sheds light on the trials and tribulations of legislating By JARED STRONG June 16, 2005 COOPER, IOWA Nathan Reichert is the first Democrat in 40 years to be elected to the State Legislature from his district. He comes from a long line of Muscatine Democrats, and learned some valuable lessons in his first year at Iowa’s Capitol.One man's trash is another man's treasure. But at what point does a car become a piece of trash? By JARED STRONG June 13, 2005 COOPER, IOWA This 1988 Honda Civic has been reincarnated twice now, brought back from the dead by a faithful owner. But this begs the question of how many more times it should be revived before being taken to the junk yard.XBox warriors are crashing this year's Bell Tower Festival. But don't worry, they'll play nice. By JARED STRONG June 9, 2005 JEFFERSON, IOWA Those looking for a different avenue for adventure at this year’s Bell Tower Festival in Jefferson will be able to compete in a futuristic “Capture the Flag” game. Grab the flag and get it to your base, but don’t get shot, bludgeoned or blown up.Tim Gallagher, a rising star as a SC Journal columnist, has 'em all talking in ''Siouxland'' By JARED STRONG June 6, 2005 MOVILLE, IOWA It’s a fascinating and sometimes frantic life for Gallagher, as he balances the demands of the job with being a devoted husband and father of five busy kids. At work, he has become the face of the Journal.A recent rip to Germany connects the generations, countries and cultures in a profound and personal way By Douglas T. Bates III June 6, 2005 CENTERVILLE, TENNESSEE Douglas T. Bates III takes us to Germany for a personal exploration of the reasons that country has such an unusual hold on on the hearts of his Tennessee family. His father fought the Germans and then wound up defending them in war crimes trials at the end of World War II. His son has been based in Germany while serving as an artillery officer in Iraq. There are some uncanny connections through the generations of the Bates family, as you will read here.One small town, a giant rooster, talkative folks: A good place for a young reporter to learn a lot By JARED STRONG June 2, 2005 GLIDDEN, IOWA Our journalism intern finds out how being curious can open a whole new world of reporting in a small Iowa town, like Glidden. Community newspapering, he now realizes, could be as satisfying as the Big Time.He's discovering what role the groom plays in the planning & preparations for the big wedding By JARED STRONG May 30, 2005 ATLANTIC, IOWA His automatic response each time he’s asked his opinion: “That’s a good idea.” After saying that the other day, he then learned he had just said yes to lavendar bathroom décor – not that there’s anything wrong with that!A review of Cooper, Iowa (pop. 30) by a 16-year-old city kid who attended our ''Cooper High School Prom'' -- and had a ball! By TAYLOR HAHN May 30, 2005 WATERLOO, IOWA ''I have never been to a place quite like Cooper,'' writes Taylor Hahn, a sophomore in high school in the Waterloo metro area.The noise, dirt, skill (and beer) are all part of the spectacle of car racing on Iowa dirt tracks By JARED STRONG May 26, 2005 BOONE, IOWA It may still be viewed by some as a redneck sport, but racing is packing-in the crowds at about 50 tracks around the state for 100 mph fun. In the pits & shops, high technology has turned mechanics into absolute wizards.Five years at Iowa State U., and I just now find out about the nude run across campus? By JARED STRONG May 23, 2005 AMES, IOWA Nearing graduation, I decided to take stock of all the Cyclone student traditions, and wow! I’ve missed or botched a bunch of them. One tip for incoming ISU frosh: Don't wear an Iowa Hawkeye T-shirt to class.A head-turning new business ''catches people like flies'' in the small Iowa town of Churdan By JARED STRONG May 19, 2005 CHURDAN, IOWA We’ve all loved hot rods at some point in our lives, and you can now see a lot of them on display in this west central town (pop. 420). An entrepreneur has moved in from Hawaii with his love of hot cars and Iowa’s cool people.My afternoon at the Methodist Friendship Tea in little Cooper was a real slice of Iowa life By JARED STRONG May 16, 2005 COOPER, IOWA In a tradition that stretches back 50 years or more, the crowd – mostly women – gather for friendship, food and fun. And no one got ''antsy.'' This is an Iowa that not many my age have experienced.Is there any hope for my generation? Or, are we a sorry bunch of belly-achers? By JARED STRONG May 12, 2005 COOPER, IOWA For the current generation of young Americans, the perks of growing up in a time of great economic prosperity may have some unforseen consequences. But, is this generation all that much different from previous ones? His unusual path into journalism now brings an Iowa State U. reporter to us @ O'burger.com By JARED STRONG May 9, 2005 COOPER, IOWA He thought he'd be spending life as a computer geek until he started writing letters to the editor of the Iowa State Daily. Then he graduated to op-ed columns and, before he knew it, what ho! He was hooked!''Not all of us want all the advance information we’re subjected to. Surprise and anticipation are still two elements that make life worth living. Some of us still want to experience the unexpected. By Sandra Flahive April 25, 2005 DES MOINES, IOWA Sandra Flahive has had just about enough of ''allowing strangers to rob me of too many moments in my life because of expectations they plant in my mind ahead of the reality.'' So you critics, reviewers, prognosticators and advice-givers -- could you put a lid on it, already?Weston Noble, recognized around the world as one of the masters of choral music, is nearing retirement at Luther College, and a huge crowd turned out on the campus in northeast Iowa to honor him By Jerry Johnson April 20, 2005 DECORAH, IOWA Weston Noble, retiring this spring after 57 years as choral music director at Luther College in Iowa, is recognized as one of the best anywhere. A huge crowd of alumni returned to campus on a recent weekend to say thanks for all he's done for them and their school.Conjugally speaking, ''loss of consortium'' sometimes goes away after it is alleged in lawsuits. And when consortium is found again, the result can be a cute little member of the next generation. By Sandra Flahive April 11, 2005 DES MOINES, IOWA Sandra Flahive remembers the time after an auto accident when she was sued because the fellow in the other car apparently suffered ''loss of consortium'' with his wife. But the lawsuit went nowhere. Then guess what? The fellow magically rediscovered consortium with the Mrs., and there was living, breathing proof of that!Life has taken her a long way from Cooper, Iowa -- all the way to South Africa, in fact. But she's never forgotten Cooper High School's last prom, in 1959, or the great life she had as a kid here. By Marty Gilmore Klinzman March 28, 2005 EMMARENTIA, SOUTH AFRICA Marty Gilmore Klinzman, who grew up in Cooper, Iowa, and is now a writer in South Africa, recalls the 1959 Cooper High School prom -- and what life was like back then in our small community.Only old college buddies could laugh their way through an emergency landing of their small airplane in a farm field By Bruce Johnson March 21, 2005 VAN HORNE, IOWA Bruce Johnson and his old college pals have had 30-plus years of kidding, fun and fellowship. Here he shares a humor-filled report of a recent caper that came too close to ending in tragedy. We wonder how he managed not to wet his pants!The 2005 Iowa girls' state basketball tournament gave us more great, competitive games and more fun entertainment than this writer can ever remember at the tourneys By Carla Offenburger March 16, 2005 COOPER, IOWA Carla Offenburger says the 2005 Iowa girls' state basketball tournament was one of the best, and she tells you why -- including some fashion cautions and the unusual cheering of the Cedar Rapids Xavier fans.One of my favorite memories of the Iowa girls' state basketball tournaments in ''The Barn'' -- Vets Auditorium in Des Moines By Chuck Offenburger March 11, 2005 COOPER, IOWA The Des Moines Register asked several people who have seen a lot of the girls' state basketball tournaments at Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Des Moines for their favorite memories from the tourneys in the 50-year-old arena. Here is Chuck Offenburger's reflection.Taking us all along to Punxsutawney to experience first-hand western Pennsylvania’s rite of February – Ground Hog Day By Rev. Art Seaman February 14, 2005 KITTANNING, PENNSYLVANIA Former Iowan Rev. Art Seaman figured as long as he's living in western Pennsylvania, he just had to go over to neighboring Punxsutawney and experience ''Ground Hoggism'' up close and personal. His trip produced a delightful tale for us here.Everything's up to date in little Cooper, Iowa, or so it seems to this ''hard-core post-modern urbanite'' from Kansas City By Christopher Klinzman February 7, 2005 KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI Christopher Klinzman sees a lot of places in his work in TV and filmmaking, for which he bases in Kansas City. And he says the more he sees, the better life looks in -- are you ready for this? -- Cooper, Iowa!The day U.S. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt asked a young soldier from Iowa who had flooded his Army truck if, once he got it started, he'd drive her to remote troop outposts on Oahu Island, Hawaii By Mick McCarville January 24, 2005 ANKENY, IOWA Mick McCarville tells a great story from World War II: How U.S. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt once asked his father Bud McCarville, a PFC from Rockwell City, Iowa, to drive her around Oahu Island in Hawaii in his Army truck for an unscheduled inspection of our troop positions!You readers respond to the recent outburst here by Carla Offenburger about the word ''guys'' being used to refer to women or girls. Someone sure needed to say it, and Carla stepped up! By Carla Offenburger January 17, 2005 COOPER, IOWA Carla Offenburger's red-hot Guest Column last week about people using the word ''guys'' to refer to women and girls, stirred up a whole lot of reaction -- from all over Iowa, across the nation and beyond. She shares it with us in this new offering.Enough is enough: She is not a guy and you by God better stop calling her one! By Carla Offenburger January 10, 2005 COOPER, IOWA Carla Offenburger is mad as hell and she's not going to take it anymore: She is not a guy, and you by God better stop calling her one. She writes about the ridiculous use of ''guys'' to refer to girls and women, how widespread it has become and how, deep down, it's a way of subjugating females. Stop it now!So, just how long has it been since your focus has been on something you really need instead of something you really want? By Tammie Amsbaugh December 23, 2004 DES MOINES, IOWA Tammie Amsbaugh decided to ''adopt a family'' for gifts this Christmas, and it really stretched her financially and emotionally when she was assigned a homeless family made up of a mother and six kids. But it got her back in touch with what we all really need. A classic Christmas story: Baby Jesus was in the underwear drawer at home instead of in the author's young arms during a high ceremony at Midnight Mass. Then a ''miracle'' happened. By Sandra Flahive December 20, 2004 DES MOINES, IOWA Sandra Flahive tells a Christmas story that is destined to become a classic -- and it's true: A ''miracle'' happened after her major blunder as a 9-year-old at Midnight Mass.Army vs. Navy: For 60 minutes on a cold, brisk December Saturday, the players, coaches, fans, administrators, bands and students go all out for bragging rights. It is college football at its best. By Chris Forman December 13, 2004 ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND Chris Forman says after experiencing the Army-Navy football game for the first time, he now realizes why everybody calls it the nation's best rivalry -- and a model for what sports should really be.The recommended apparel for your party? Would that be Holiday Casual or Casually Swank? Thank God for ''Old Black,'' the dress that will go anywhere -- and has! By Sandra Flahive December 6, 2004 DES MOINES, IOWA Sandy Flahive says these holiday party invitations are coming with TMI -- too much information -- trying to help us deciding what to wear. She has conducted her own delightful fashion protest, even though the party hosts often ''didn't get it.''The future of steaks & chops: “Carrolliowameats.com”? By Douglas Burns November 30, 2004 CARROLL, IOWA Doug Burns, a newspaper columnist from Carroll, Iowa, says we should be identifying excellent Iowa products -- like specialty meats from Carroll County -- and marketing them to high-end consumers across the U.S. and beyond. This is an idea that needs to happen, now!An Iowa family's Thanksgiving feast of all-Iowa produce (except for the Kentucky bourbon in the sweet potatoes) was a high point of their year of eating exclusively food grown in this state By Jay Wagner November 22, 2004 DES MOINES, IOWA So what if you wanted to make your Thanksgiving meal an all-Iowa feast, including only food grown or raised here in this state? Jay Wagner, a food writer from Des Moines, tells how his family did it.''We Gather Together'' concert will feature five church choirs, brass quintet, massed choir and some very unusual ''commercials'' By the Committee for a Super Cooper November 19, 2004 COOPER, IOWA A big time in little Cooper, Iowa, this coming Sunday afternoon, November 21. Two of Iowa's top musical directors are leading ''We Gather Together,'' a concert featuring church choirs, a massed choir, brass and more -- like free pie and coffee!Dennis Darling, one of Iowa's best-known musicians, to conduct mass choir in Cooper concert Nov. 21, featuring local church choirs, the First Christian choir from Des Moines and a brass quintet. By the Committee for a Super Cooper November 8, 2004 COOPER, IOWA So, what are you -- and possibly your choir -- doing on the Sunday afternoon before Thanksgiving? You might want to come join us in Cooper, Iowa, where one of Iowa's best-known musicians will be directing a mass choir, doing some holiday favorites.“We Cub fans have seen so much disappointment that we thrive on it. It defines us, somewhere deep down we need it!” By Toby Walsh November 1, 2004 JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA Toby Walsh, lifelong fan of the Chicago Cubs, is happy that the Boston Red Sox won the World Series championship. Why? Now, there is no longer any confusion about who the most lovable losers are.Two young Iowa natives reflect on their recent decision to leave their home state to try life elsewhere, in their case, Las Vegas. It's a story way too common. By Carolyn Kresser October 17, 2004 LAS VEGAS, NEVADA Carolyn Kresser and Tim Walsh, two young Iowa natives who've recently left their home state to move to Las Vegas, reflect on how they made their decisions -- and how they're happy now they did. Will they be back?An invitation back to ''youth'' arrives in the mail. She studies the lines on her face, recalls what caused them and then ponders whether to live with them -- or give 'em a shot of Botox! By Sandra Flahive October 11, 2004 DES MOINES, IOWA Sandra Flahive was startled recently to open an invitation to a party -- a Botox party! Oh, it's a new era when we get invited to come live it up over brie, pate and cheese, sip a little wine, hobnob with other guests about the weather – and then get your face shot up.The Federated Women's Clubs wanted to know the story of Simple Serenity Farm, and this is the bottom line on what Carla told them: ''I've found that the 'country quiet' is good for the soul'' By Carla Offenburger October 4, 2004 COOPER, IOWA The Federated Women's Clubs around Jefferson, Iowa, summoned Carla Offenburger to find out just what is going on out there at Simple Serenity Farm in the southern part of Greene County. This is what Carla told them.Stranded in an Iowa woods by a late-summer thunderstorm, she discovers it's not just the woods that has been cleansed of dust and film -- so have her mind and spirit By Sandra Flahive September 27, 2004 WOODBURN, IOWA Sandra Flahive had planned a mad dash of a trip to her cabin in a southern Iowa woods, just to re-stock groceries and then get back to town. She got caught there by a sudden late-summer thunderstorm -- and is she ever glad she did!A one-day charter bus trip to study the trail-inspired economic development and tourism in southeast Minnesota By Chuck Offenburger September 20, 2004 COOPER, IOWA We think the recreational trails of west central Iowa could become one of Iowa's top cycling destinations. On October 2, we're taking a bus group to a place where we can learn how to make it happen -- the Root River Trail of southeast Minnesota.So how has this presidential campaign been for young voters? We asked one, and got some very interesting reflections, including this one: All the fussing is a total turn-off. By Andy Upah September 6, 2004 DES MOINES, IOWA Andy Upah, 22, answers our question to him on what young voters must be thinking about this race for the presidency, as we go into September. And, did all the talk about the Vietnam War make any sense? Or did it seem like ancient history?An ''Old Teacher'' helps us salute the start of another school year with some memories, maybe some wisdom and a poem she's put together from all her experiences By Chris Walsh August 30, 2004 CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA Veteran middle school teacher Chris Walsh of Cedar Rapids gets another school year started off, with some fun reflections from her long career in the classroom.She's been getting into trouble for reading fairy tales since she was in 9th grade. Still is, too, 35 years later. Why? Truth is, a lot of readers today just don't ''get it'' when they read them. By Kathleen Kisner August 23, 2004 DES MOINES, IOWA Kathleen Kisner, a widely-published writer and book reviewer making her debut on our site, tells you about her lifetime love of classic fairy tales. Alas, they are falling out of favor in our modern era. Too many people think the stories are not politically correct.We're now longing for the times at the Iowa State Fair when we'd guiltlessly lift a corn dog or turkey leg into the air and say to our fellow Iowans, ''Here's to ya!'' By Sandra Flahive August 16, 2004 DES MOINES, IOWA Sandy Flahive is moaning that at the Iowa State Fair, which is underway now in Des Moines, it was a ''wicked'' decision by someone to let the Food Police get involved. She'd prefer going back to the times when no one questioned eating all the fat, fried and powdered goodies, and when it was perfectly proper to wash 'er down ''with sugared lemonade or tea or a cold Bud.''This threesome -- “a mall manager’s demographic dream’’ -- does opening day at Iowa's new mega-mall and finds it to be a grand get-away. By Barb Watson August 9, 2004 DES MOINES, IOWA We're grateful that Barb Watson, Chuck Offenburger's niece who is a shopper's shopper, volunteered to go review the new Jordan Creek Town Center mega-mall in West Des Moines -- so that we didn't have to. She reports in now with this Guest Column.This baseball fan has been taking herself out to the ball game, all right -- at every Major League Baseball stadium. Three ballparks to go and she will have seen them all! By Sue Burt August 2, 2004 DES MOINES, IOWA Sue Burt of Des Moines is on a baseball odyssey -- visiting every Major League Baseball stadium. She has only three more to go! Here she shares some great tales from her trips, not only to the ballparks in recent years, but also her lifelong journey in becoming a great fan of the grand old game.A small college sports guy from Iowa spent a year in the big time, helping do media relations for the University of Tennessee ''Vols'' He's home now with more good lines than a bad country music song. By Larry Happel July 26, 2004 PELLA, IOWA Larry Happel, well-known sports information director at Central College in Pella, Iowa, just spent a year in the big time of college athletics -- assisting in media relations for the University of Tennessee Vols. He has come home with great tales of all he saw and experienced there on Rocky Top and around the South.It was the early '70s era when ''free love'' was the talk of the nation. Everybody was into it. So Archibishop Fulton J. Sheen might naturally use it as a speech topic. Wouldn't he? By Monsignor Francis Friedl July 19, 2004 DUBUQUE, IOWA Monsignor Francis Friedl recalls an embarrassing but hilarious moment when he was president of Loras College in Dubuque, and the famous Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen -- the first and most legitimate of the televangelists -- came to campus to speak.They were on a baseball odyssey to some of the sport's most hallowed places, but the rec league softball games they happened on to in New York City's Central Park were as much or more fun By Brent Hardin July 12, 2004 IOWA CITY, IOWA Baseball buff Brent Hardin and a pal went on a recent trip to games in Yankee Stadium and other great shrines in the East. But they were surprised that some rec league softball games they found in Central Park were just as spirited -- and maybe more fun.A young American soldier's farewell to Iraq: When he's fishing Swan Creek again in Tennessee, he will pause to remember his moments with an older Iraqi friend, looking out over the Tigris River By 1st Lt. Douglas T. Bates IV June 30, 2004 ENROUTE OUT OF IRAQ 1st Lt. Douglas T. Bates IV shares his letter to friends and family, written as his First Armored Division was leaving Iraq. It is one of the most profound things we have read anywhere about the war, and actually it's one of the most hopeful things, too.''Moore'' to the story: A closer look at ''Fahrenheit 9/11'' reveals that acclaimed ''documentary'' maker Michael Moore is really just ''an opportunist with 20/20 hindsight.'' By Bradley Mariska June 28, 2004 COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND Brad Mariska went to see Michael Moore's controversial new movie ''Fahrenheit 9/11'' and comes away feeling more than a little manipulated. But it will definitely stir the political dialogue -- and passions.Renewing an 18-year, 3-generation Upah family tradition: The ''old guys'' and the ''new guys'' take time for a fishing getaway around Father's Day. And who really cares if you catch any fish? By Andy Upah June 20, 2004 DES MOINES, IOWA Andy Upah shares an 18-year tradition that his family in east central Iowa observes every year around Father's Day. The Upah ''old guys'' and ''new guys'' all get together for several days of fishing, food, cards and other foolishness.MEMORIAL DAY: “We remember those soldiers and countless others – some who lost their lives and did not return, some who lost their lives and did return.” By Douglas T. Bates III May 31, 2004 LOBELVILLE, TENNESSEE Doug Bates was asked to deliver the homily in a Methodist Church in little Lobelville, Tennessee, on this Memorial Day weekend. He told them that remembering anything goes against the popular grain. ''Our language, our marketing, our nostrums are full of Now, Now, Now.'' Fact is, we all owe a debt of unpayable gratitude to those who have served and fallen in our defense. That debt is due today and forevermore.She's spent her entire life living on streets with boring names (and they seem to be getting worse!) By Sandra Flahive May 11, 2004 DES MOINES, IOWA Sandy Flahive says street names were getting bland enough already, and now the ''911'' crime alert system has mandated all streets be numbered. So, farewell ''Old Metier Road.'' We'll wince every time we now hear you called ''338th Street N.W.''Laissez les bon temps rouler! Or, how a corn-fed Iowan becomes enamored with French Louisiana By David Harrenstein May 3, 2004 LANESBORO, MINNESOTA Our bicycling pal David Harrenstein is just back from what may be the best bike ride he's ever experienced around the U.S. -- ''Cycle Zydeco'' through Cajun French Louisiana in the springtime. He says you can't beat the food, music, people or bicycling in beautiful country that is ''flat, flatter and flattest.''Sam Walton meets Iowa schools, and now the same squeeze our locally-owned retailers felt is threatening our public education system By Bill Morain April 23, 2004 LAMONI, IOWA Bill Morain argues that what is happening to public education in Iowa right now is the same thing that Wal-Mart has done to small town retail stores, and asks: How many abandoned schools are we willing to accept alongside those abandoned storefronts?''Mart'' Flahive had two rules about what you do on Good Friday. You go to church, for sure, but only after you burn off the garden -- no matter how windy the day! By Sandra Flahive April 6, 2004 DES MOINES, IOWA Sandra Flahive recalls the panic she felt every Good Friday as a kid in southern Iowa. Her father ''Mart'' Flahive believed that was the day when the garden's stubble had to be burned off, no matter the weather. So sometimes he wound up burning more than just the garden!There's a glorious ball game in Heaven, and it's perfect, and come to think of it, the ones here on Earth aren't bad, either By Brian Roder April 1, 2004 KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI Brian Roder, who grew up playing baseball in Remsen, Iowa, tells in a poem how the grand old game taught him about life -- both here and in the hereafter.As spring comes on, farm boys grown old find their thoughts returning to raising chickens, grinding feed for the hogs and, one time, grinding a chicken, too! By Don Poggensee March 8, 2004 IDA GROVE, IOWA Time was when every spring, most farms had big boxes of little chicks arriving by U.S. Mail. That would soon mean more chores for Iowa farm boys, like our Don Poggensee, who takes you back to his youth on a small farm in Crawford County.So, just what do you imagine Iowa's future to be? Here is an opportunity for people across the state and nation, and around the world, to help shape it. We especially want to involve young people. By IOWANS FOR A BETTER FUTURE March 2, 2004 DES MOINES, IOWA Here is a quick facts sheet on an Iowa project you'll be hearing a lot more about in coming weeks -- the Imagine Iowa's Future tour. It will be the biggest public discussion in at least five years of the state's current condition and future possibilities.''This is the year''? ''Hope springs eternal''? Not for this Chicago Cubs fan, who says last fall's collapse was too much: ''My spirit snapped.'' By Andrew Offenburger January 30, 2004 CORRIENTES, ARGENTINA Andrew Offenburger, lifetime fan of the Chicago Cubs, says he has had enough. He withstood Garvey in '84, the heartbreak of '89 and the embarrassment of '98. But in that collapse last fall, ''my spirit snapped.'' He's not going to take it any more.Viewing the Iowa political caucuses as just another form of the 1925 ''monkey trial'' that brought fame (and notoriety) to his home state of Tennessee By Douglas T. Bates III January 26, 2004 CENTERVILLE, TENNESSEE Doug Bates gives us a view of the Iowa political caucuses we haven't heard before -- how they resemble the 1925 ''Scopes monkey trial'' in Dayton, Tennessee. He also rips Iowa's Catholic Democrats and our U.S. Senator Tom Harkin. Click here to read Bates' unusual political analysis.Amazing! A fan's interest in an exhibition in Iowa by the legendary Babe Ruth 64 years ago leads to the long-overdue induction of a former high school pitcher into the state's baseball hall of fame By Charles Nixon January 12, 2004 COON RAPIDS, IOWA Charles Nixon knows good baseball stories have no season. He's got a dandy here about a high school pitcher from more than 60 years ago who is just now being inducted into Iowa's baseball hall of fame -- with an assist from the legendary Babe Ruth!A Nebraska fan's lament: ''We're told that the option play is a false god, that our red sea in Lincoln no longer awes our opponents. If we must change, well, we've done it before.'' By Dan Piller January 5, 2004 FORT WORTH, TEXAS Dan Piller, long a fan of Nebraska Cornhuskers football, brings his perspective on the brouhaha that is happening now in a program that is ''as basic to the Nebraska mindset as a Willa Cather novel.''An unremarkable pair of scrawny pines, initially no match for the grandeur of the towering oaks and hickories, eventually became ''the prettiest trees in the timber'' By Sandra Flahive December 22, 2003 DES MOINES, IOWA You're going to enjoy this holiday trip into the dense woods around essayist Sandra Flahive's cabin in southern Iowa. It's the story of two scrawny pines growing up to become ''the prettiest trees in the timber.''Come on, baby, light my fire! Those fake fingernails are so glamorous, but if you have to light any candles, beware your thumbnails turning into torches! By Sandra Flahive December 15, 2003 DES MOINES, IOWA Essayist Sandra Flahive had been noticing how many women are wearing those long, glamorous fake fingernails. So she blew a kiss at practicality, and tried some herself. It was a disaster.Confessions of a costumed kamikaze /or/ The time in 1981 when a big, gawky, orange bird stole the show at an Iowa Hawkeye football game By Fred Gratzon December 8, 2003 MAHARISHI VEDIC CITY, IOWA The whole state is excited about the bowl-bound Iowa Hawkeyes football team. Fred Gratzon, the well-known entrepreneur and author from southeast Iowa, has a confession to make about a promotional stunt he pulled at a Hawkeye football game in 1981. Do not miss this hilarious Guest Column.What are we going to do about Iowa? Hopefully answers will come clear next spring when the ''Imagine Iowa's Future'' tour goes barnstorming around the state By Iowans for a Better Future December 1, 2003 DES MOINES, IOWA Let's ask a real basic question here: Just what are we going to do about Iowa? The group ''Iowans for a Better Future'' is going to re-engage a huge public discussion of that question and then urge everybody to take action -- at home, at work, in our communities, in government and well beyond it.One family's Thanksgiving feast of all-Iowa produce (except for a couple of shots of Kentucky bourbon in the sweet potatoes!) is a high-point in a year of eating exclusively Iowa-grown food By Jay Wagner November 24, 2003 DES MOINES, IOWA Jay Wagner writes how his family in Des Moines -- which is trying to eat only Iowa products for a whole year -- will have a carefully-planned all-Iowa Thanksgiving feast.A school girl's account of what it was like in little Fonda, Iowa, the day World War I ended in Europe -- 85 years ago -- or, as she titled it back then, ''How I celebrated Peace Day'' By Evangeline Mullen November, 1918 FONDA, IOWA Evangeline Mullen was a sophomore in high school in 1918 in Fonda, Iowa, when she wrote this essay about how they celebrated when word arrived that World War I had finally ended.One more R.I.P. on the Chicago Cubs' latest season of heartbreak: The pain of Cubs ''expatriates,'' like the team's fans living in Iowa, could be felt as far away as Texas By Dan Piller October 27, 2003 FORT WORTH, TEXAS Dan Piller, a former Iowa newspaperman now living and working in Texas, writes that when the Chicago Cubs folded up this fall, he knew there'd be a whole lot of sorrow among their fans in Iowa. He commiserates, then ponders, ''Will the misery never end?'' Read this column for his answer.The way of all flesh: First, gluttony and lust lure you into the blackberry patch, then you have a devil of a time with poison ivy By Sandra Flahive October 21, 2003 DES MOINES, IOWA Sandy Flahive writes that no matter how hard she tries to avoid it, poison ivy always seems to find her: ''Lord, how it loves me!''He got out Grampa Upah's old Chicago Cubs hat, made the long drive to Wrigley Field with four college friends, cuddled against the cold -- and it was worth every effort, mile and penny By Andrew Upah October 6, 2003 STORM LAKE, IOWA Andy Upah, a Buena Vista University student, reminds us there is nothing like a college road trip -- especially if you are a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan heading to Wrigley Field with your pals for a game in the playoffs.We asked for your reaction and advice after our news last week that we Offenburgers bought an Iowa farmstead -- and dozens of you have responded By All of You September 29, 2003 STORM LAKE, IOWA The reactions and advice you've given us Offenburgers -- after we told you that we'll be moving to an Iowa farmstead with a 100-year-old house and barn on it.A Wesley Clark vs. George W. Bush presidential race? It'd be the general vs. the prince, performance vs. privilege By Douglas Burns September 18, 2003 CARROLL, IOWA Doug Burns, the respected political columnist from Carroll in western Iowa, weighs in on what a race between General Wesley Clark and President George W. Bush would be like.Grandma Koester was a grand Iowa character who understood ''sufficiency,'' which is all she wanted for herself, and ''superfluity,'' which she lavished on everybody else By Bruce Johnson September 11, 2003 VAN HORNE, IOWA Bruce Johnson remembers Grandma Eleonora Koester, who died in August at 100. To know her was to understand what the great spirit of Iowa's pioneers must have been like.The last of the kids now away at college? Got those empty-nest-syndrome blues? Here's an antidote -- go watch the panic of back-to-school shopping! By Sandra Flahive September 1, 2003 DES MOINES, IOWA Sandra Flahive shares her secret of how to overcome the empty-nest-syndrome blues: Go watch the frantic back-to-school shopping in one of the big box stores. There you'll rejoice that your years of chasing little ''Jason'' away from pricey backpacks are over!Looked recently at the boys of summer and what they're wearing now? How do they keep those gigantic shorts from sliding off their skinny little hips? And what about those low-riding crotches? By Sandra Flahive August 4, 2003 DES MOINES, IOWA Sandy Flahive has a simple question for today's boys, 10 to 18 years old: Just how can they stand wearing the crotch so low in those 'hideously baggy shorts' they all seem to favor?A razzle-dazzle night in Iowa: ''All those naysayers who complain there's no nightlife in the state simply haven't been awake to it, haven't stayed up far into the night in the thick of a woods.'' By Sandra Flahive July 28, 2003 DES MOINES, IOWA Sandy Flahive listens in the dark outside her cabin in the woods and reminds us that ''an Iowa night is full of glitter and glimmer, of intrigue and suspense, that the sound of nocturnal revelry can be earsplitting, and that party animals by the dozens romp and stomp into every summer tomorrow.''A former baseball player and ump reflects on his hero A. Bartlett Giamatti, the late commissioner, and how as Giamatti put it, ''Our character and our culture are reflected in this grand game.'' By Rick Roder July 14, 2003 REMSEN, IOWA Rick Roder, a former baseball player and professional umpire, gives a mid-season salute to the grand old game and one of its most interesting leaders, the late A. Bartlett Giamatti.She's proud to be an Iowan, but Georgia will always be on her mind after she found ''the true heart and soul'' of that state By Krysta Nibe June 30, 2003 AMES, IOWA Krysta Nibe is glad to be back home in Iowa for grad school, but after two years in Georgia, that state will always be on her mind.There's no place like home, and sometimes we in Iowa need to be reminded just how unique our home here is By Molly C. Heim June 25, 2003 HARLAN, IOWA Molly Heim, who just graduated from Harlan High School, reminded her classmates and the rest of us just how unique Iowa is.A pastor's farewell to Glenn Leggett, the Grinnell College president through the tumultuous late 1960s and early '70s By Rev. Bob Molsberry June 15, 2003 GRINNELL, IOWA Rev. Bob Molsberry shares his remarks from the memorial service for Glenn Leggett, the sharp-witted and sharp-penned Renaissance man who guided Grinnell College through the stormy late 1960s and early '70s.Like the Irish, generations ago, the Hispanics could now become a major force in presidential politics -- starting right here in Iowa By Douglas Burns June 8, 2003 CARROLL, IOWA Western Iowa political columnist Doug Burns writes that for the army of Democratic presidential candidates now working the state before the precinct caucuses, ''campaigning aggressively in Iowa’s Hispanic enclaves could be a winning strategy''Living in Harmony: ''I've always been surrounded by music and prayer -- at home, school and in church'' By Vista Kalipa June 4, 2003 INDIANOLA, IOWA Unusual tune for a college student today -- our Vista Kalipa writes about the importance of music, prayer and church in his life.Newspaper ''stringers'' have long done the legwork on major news stories -- like the great Imogene, Iowa, watermelon fight of the 1970s By Stephen Buttry June 1, 2003 OMAHA, NEBRASKA Veteran Omaha reporter Steve Buttry says the New York Times' crackdown on use of ''stringers'' is calling to question a practice long used by a whole lot of good reporters and newspapers.An Iowan abroad finds that most Brits now seem to have favored the war effort in Iraq. But as for their leader Tony Blair? Oooo: ''You can have 'im, love.'' By Lee Gingery May 29, 2003 SHENANDOAH, IOWA A lively sampling of British public opinion by a visitor from Iowa, Lee Gingery of Shenandoah.''Count Your Blessing, Not Your Problems,'' the sign said. They did, after a proud but frightening weekend in Indiana By Bruce Johnson May 25, 2003 VAN HORNE, IOWA A holiday weekend doubleheader of Guest Columns: Bruce Johnson counts his ''Blessing'' after a nerve-racking trip for a college graduation in Indiana. David Harrenstein takes us to a ''Stand Still Parade'' in little Whalan, Minnesota.Living in Harmony: How a young South African views his home country today -- and what he thinks its future will be By Vista Kalipa May 19, 2003 INDIANOLA, IOWA Our college intern Vista Kalipa tells us what his home country of South Africa is like today, and why he thinks its future is very promising.Living in Harmony: ''College life is sometimes just crazy over here -- and also very interesting.'' It's also an opportunity that many young people around the world don't experience By Vista Kalipa May 15, 2003 STORM LAKE, IOWA Vista Kalipa compares college life here in Iowa and back home in South Africa.Living in Harmony: In one afternoon and evening in Iowa, he experienced the world, without having to cross the Atlantic or Pacific. Heck, he didn't even have to go all the way across town By Vista Kalipa May 11, 2003 STORM LAKE, IOWA Vista Kalipa, our college intern from South Africa, writes of his surprise in finding how diverse the people are in such Iowa towns as Storm Lake and Fairfield. And he reminds us what a treasure that is.Living in Harmony: A personal memory of the magical moment when Nelson Mandela was released from prison and South Africa became free By Vista Kalipa May 7, 2003 STORM LAKE, IOWA Vista Kalipa, our college intern columnist, was 10 years old when one of the biggest moments in world history happened in his home country of South AfricaLiving in Harmony: “I’m experiencing this most crucial time of my youth in a place that is rich in love and amity” – Iowa By Vista Kalipa May 4, 2003 STORM LAKE, IOWA Vista Kalipa, a young South African interning in journalism with us, tells how he came to Iowa for a year of high school and now his college education -- with the help of opera great Simon Estes.He loves the ''simple'' life in rural Iowa, but we need to be aggressive about the future -- to ''get after it like we're killing snakes!'' By Bryce Pringle April 24, 2003 SHENANDOAH, IOWA Bryce Pringle, a business leader in Shenandoah, says we need to be aggressive about the future if we want to continue to be able to enjoy the ''simple'' life in rural Iowa.Is there anything left uncomplicated in this world? Not even the dullest of transactions -- buying a clothes dryer -- seems to be easy By Sandy Flahive April 13, 2003 DES MOINES, IOWA Why, laments our pal Sandy Flahive, is everything such a hassle? Even the dullest transaction -- buying a clothes dryer -- has become an ordeal. For a time she rebelled by putting up a clothes line outdoors.Life on Minnesota's Root River State Trail: ''The most exhilarating cycling environment I had ever experienced'' By David Harrenstein April 6, 2003 WAVERLY, IOWA David Harrenstein recalls how he once lived and owned a business right on the great Root River State Trail in southeastern Minnesota, one of those we'll ride on our ''Happy Trails Tour'' in AugustThe roads less traveled can give you new perspective, both on the distant future that seems clear and the surprise that's just around the corner By Hector Velez March 30, 2003 STORM LAKE, IOWA Hector Velez of Storm Lake says it may sound silly, but driving the twisting roads of North Carolina led him into an epiphany about the future.An old soldier, his son carrying orders for Iraq, has a chat with God, asking for guidance in how to feel about the war By Douglas T. Bates III March 23, 2003 CENTERVILLE, TENN. Our pal Douglas T. Bates III, a Vietnam veteran, has a heartfelt chat with God about this war in Iraq -- and about his son now being ordered there -- and asks for guidance.The saint of saints! An Irish lass ''endured many an hour listening to all the palaver of my kith and kin as they pontificated about St. Patrick,'' and she believed all of it -- at least for a time! By Sandy Flahive March 17, 2003 DES MOINES, IOWA Our Irish pal Sandy Flahive says she had a hard time separating truth and blarney about St. Patrick when she was growing up in her huge Catholic family in south central Iowa.The summer of ''Butch'' -- when a young Iowa guy wound up playing slow-pitch softball next to a former major league baseball star By J. Heathcote March 12, 2003 DES MOINES, IOWA Think spring! J. Heathcote, a young writer who was one of our favorite Buena Vista U. athletes, shares a story about a season of slow-pitch softball when he played next to a former major league baseball star.It's improbable, sure, but not impossible: What if Saddam ''wins''? How could it happen? Well, imagine that... By Scott Cawelti March 9, 2003 CEDAR FALLS, IOWA Scott Cawelti, a University of Northern Iowa professor and longtime columnist, ponders what everybody else seems to regard as the unthinkable: What if Saddam Hussein ''wins''? It's worth thinking aboutA 29-year-old Iowan is ''glad to see some people are waking up to the problems'' in the state By Travis Waldstein March 2, 2003 SHELBY, IOWA A young Iowan, Travis Waldstein, 29, tells us why so many in his generation leave our state.Between Iraq and a hard place: ''The clergy are not called to speak softly, but boldly about moral issues such as war'' By Rev. Art Seaman February 23, 2003 KITTANNING, PENNSYLVANIA Rev. Art Seaman gives us a clergyman's soul-stirring analysis of the U.S. position on the looming war with Iraq''The Music Man'' marches on: Maybe the successful new TV remake of the Meredith Willson classic heralds the return of the grand movie musicals By Bradley Mariska February 20, 2003 COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND Brad Mariska writes that the new TV ''Music Man'' was a smash success in introducing the Iowa story to a new generationYoung Doug Soyer delivered newspapers to people, not addresses, and he made a significant difference in their lives By Douglas Burns February 11, 2003 CARROLL, IOWA Columnist Doug Burns writes how after a tragedy, he and his town of Carroll, Iowa, have realized the important role of young newspaper carriersA cultural treasure: The Des Moines Art Center offers an international fusion of artwork in the heart of Iowa By Drea Milobar February 4, 2003 DES MOINES, IA. Drea Milobar offers an interesting look at the Des Moines Art Center.Christmas seemed to be so much simpler years ago By Don Poggensee December 13, 2002 IDA GROVE, IA. Don Poggensee shares a Christmas of 50 years ago when he learned you can have so much when you have so little.Heartfelt harvest: A well-known farm broadcaster learns how neighbors rallied around his family By Von Ketelsen November 25, 2002 CEDAR RAPIDS, IA. Von Ketelsen writes that his family experienced one of the best things about farm life in Iowa -- neighbors helping neighbors.Thankful for this little face By Dick Hakes November 18, 2002 STORM LAKE, IA. Dick Hakes, another writer here on the lakeshore in northwest Iowa, gives us a warm reflection on ''one of those life-changing moments'' -- becoming a grandfather for the first time.''The way I felt walking into a shopping center must be like life in general in Israel'' By Sarah Bates October 23, 2002 FREDERICKSBURG, VIRGINIA First person: The fear and anger, especially of the young, as the sniper continues to kill in the area of Washington, D.C. This must be ''like life in general in Israel,'' our friend says.A personal pilgrimage to St. Patrick's-on-the-Lizard, a formative spot for Catholicism in NW Iowa By Rick Roder October 15, 2002 CLARE, IA. Rick Roder, an expert on Catholic history in northwest Iowa, takes us to the beautiful site of one of the founding parishes, St. Patrick's-on-the-Lizard.You can still visit Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam and Mao Zedong in China, but the experience is chilling By Jean Arnold October 6, 2002 LINCOLN, NEB. Globetrotting teacher Jean Arnold, back in the Midwest briefly from Vietnam and China, guides us on visits with Ho Chi Minh and Mao Zedong -- in the flesh, so to speak.A word to Dad: ''Now is the time to come back fully into your child's life'' By Joe Seehusen September 6, 2002 FAIRFIELD, IA. New contributor Joe Seehusen says the commemoration of the horrors of September 11, 2001,require some special attention from Dads.An eye-opener: ''God have mercy on a small town kid in the city'' By Bradley Mariska August 26, 2002 COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND Midwesterner Brad Mariska's thoughts as he starts graduate school and a new life in the metro area around the University of Maryland.There's a hunting lesson here: If you try to out-wit your wife, you are what will get bagged By Don Poggensee May 19, 2002 IDA GROVE, IA. Don Poggensee reminds us that it is peak mushroom hunting season -- which means it is also peak story-telling time. Here is his story with a morel.It's amazing what a young baseball player will do for a Bubble Pop By Pam Watson-Korbel May 12, 2002 DENVER, COLO. This mom has been head coach of her son's little league baseball team in Colorado and has developed management strategies far different than most male coaches use. But she still seeks your best baseball tips for her team.Discovering the essence of Iowa – four years too late By Bradley Mariska May 5, 2002 VENTURA, IA. A new young teacher from out of state discovers, to his amazement, that Iowa is full of quiet, quaint and fascinating places to visit, but he's getting ready to move on. Could we hold him here?Get ready, 'Aunt Iowa,' your nephew from Tennessee is on his way to see you again By Douglas T. Bates III April 10, 2002 CENTERVILLE, TENN. A Tennessean reflects on how he came to think of Iowa as his 'aunt' and looks forward to his upcoming visit hereA night with the sandhill cranes on Nebraska's Platte River is this photographer's rite of spring By Don Poggensee March 18, 2002 IDA GROVE, IA. Don Poggensee, one of Iowa's most adventurous photographers, welcomes spring by spending all night in a Platte River duck blind in Nebraska, shooting photos at close range of thousands of migrating sandhill cranes.We don't miss cigarettes but, oh! To see that ' cigarette ashtray art' again! By Dick Hakes March 6, 2002 STORM LAKE, IA. Dick Hakes, another writer here on the lakeshore, recalls the awful times when nearly everybody smoked cigarettes -- and we all had those great ashtrays in every room. His column will take you on a mental visit back to your own family homes.Wearing fake deer heads, fish jumping right into boats and other amazing outdoor tales from Iowans By Don Muhm February 25, 2002 WEST DES MOINES, IA. Don Muhm, one of Iowa's top newspapermen and an avid hunter and fisherman,tells about a new book he has co-authored with his pal Keith Kirkpatrick. It's a collection of favorite outdoors adventures that Iowa folks have had,including some bizarre ones. Has a fish jumped into your boat lately?Swimming with humpback whales (and British royalty, ta-ta!) off the coast of the Dominican Republic By Art Seaman February 19, 2002 NOVATO, CALIF. Adventurous Art Seaman, our peripatetic Presbyterian minister friend,takes us snorkeling with humpback whales off the coast of the Dominican Republic.The 25th annual 'BRR' bicycle ride is officially over: Larry Purcell completes it (three days late) By Larry Purcell February 8, 2002 FORT DODGE, IA. A dedicated bicyclist from Fort Dodge couldn't join 4,000 cyclists on last Saturday's 'BRR' ride in Perry, Ia., because of a funeral -- so he rode it all alone on Tuesday. Check his fun road report, including a store clerk wondering if he was just finishing the ride after a four-day drunk.O, Tannenbomb! The hilarious old tale of the Beck family's uncooperative Christmas tree By Robert K. Beck December 23, 2001 CENTERVILLE, IA. Legendary Iowa newspaperman Robert K. Beck, of Centerville,tells a story that has become a favorite of his readers -- how a huge flocked Christmas tree and his 12-year-old daughter humbled him back in 1964.Hearing 'the rustle of angel wings,' an old preacher says fear fades with trust in the Lord By Douglas T. Bates III December 16, 2001 CENTERVILLE, TENN. Douglas T. Bates III introduces us to a a Tennessee preacher we need to know, and the preacher reminds us where we can find help when we face fear -- even fear of death.Our pastor pal does a Hollywood TV game show and 'wins some of Ben Stein's Money' By Art Seaman DECEMBER 11, 2001 NOVATO, CALIF. Rev. Art Seaman, a Presbyterian minister friend of ours, goes on a Hollywood TV game show, wins $1,150 in a battle of wits but nearly wilts at a tough Bible question that comes his way.A young Notre Dame fan in Iowa joins a growing chorus of Irish fans: Davie must go By Joe Cullen NOVEMBER 25, 2001 STORM LAKE, IA. Joe Cullen, a 13-year-old Notre Dame fan in Storm Lake, Ia., is fed up with Bob Davie as head coach of the Irish and says 'the guy must go.' And Joe tells how his 'jaw about dropped' when he recently attended a Notre Dame pep rally and game on the campus in South Bend.A college football odyssey continues: It's Oklahoma-Texas, then on to legendary little 'Sewanee' By Douglas T. Bates III NOVEMBER 15, 2001 CENTERVILLE, TENN. Sharing the renewal of a fascinating father-son adventure -- taking in America's greatest football rivalries. The latest: A trip to the Oklahoma-Texas game played in the middle of the Texas State Fair.A Veterans Day reflection: Crewing on a B-17 bomber over Germany back when bombs weren't so 'smart' By Lee E. Gingery November 12, 2001 SHENANDOAH, IA. A salute to all veterans, as Lee Gingery, a radio operator on a B-17 in World War II,shares a frightful story of having to wrestle a bomb out of the belly of a plane over GermanyIf baseball is quitting on the Minnesota Twins, he swears, then he is quitting baseball By Jay Wagner NOVEMBER 7, 2001 DES MOINES, IA. Jay Wagner, of Des Moines, a Minnesota Twins fan since his boyhood in Sibley, Ia., can't believe that Major League Baseball is about ready to dump his ball club.They couldn't believe what they were watching, but the Musco team knew it was time to light the way By Diane Crookham-Johnson OCTOBER 27, 2001 OSKALOOSA, IA. A reflection on how Musco Lighting, the Iowa company known around the world for providing temporary lighting of big events, mobilized without being asked to help the rescue workers at the World Trade Center and Pentagon.A letter from 'paradise,' among the golden aspen and snow-dusted mountains of Colorado By Pat Kobe October 15, 2001 NATHROP, COLO. Sending 'good vibrations' from an eye-popping Colorado mountain valley, to remind the world that there are still beautiful places where one can feel good!How college students in Vietnam look at the new war America is fighting By Jean Arnold October 11, 2001 HANOI, VIETNAM It is challenging right now to be overseas teaching students of international relations in a country that remembers an earlier American war.Explaining Sept. 11 to a grandson By John Skipper of The Globe Gazette Sept. 21, 2001 MASON CITY, IA A veteran Mason City, Ia., newsman's explanation of the horror of last week to his young grandson.
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