Author
Iowa landowners in pipeline’s path ask: ‘We’re supposed to take one for the team?’
Here we go again! Once again, we’re talking about putting pipelines across Iowa – and a private company is pursuing Iowa’s eminent domain power. Here in Boone County in 2015, we went through this with an oil pipeline — the Dakota Access Pipeline; it runs only a quarter mile from our farm. Now Summit Carbon […]
Growing a carnival in a cornfield
Americans today spend 6,259 hours annually mesmerized by their screens: phones, laptops, and TVs. They enter virtual worlds, seek out virtual experiences, and create alternate personas. But who needs the meta universe or an avatar when you can escape your workaday world, or ignore societal expectations for an evening filled with the unique sights, bright […]
Farm life, and loss, in Iowa’s Loess Hills
It’s been decades since I had walked those hills. Formed by southwesterly winds during the last Ice Age, erosion chiseled and carved these majestically rounded mounds and ruggedly steep cliffs. The only other place in the world that you’ll find loess soils rivalling these 60- to 200-feet Iowa hills is northern China. Growing up on […]
No sanctuary for secular conflicts in United Methodist Church
The newest occupant making its home on Main Street in a former car dealership is the Global Methodist Church. No doubt you read or heard the recent news about the schism afflicting the United Methodist Church. It came to a head in 2016, with the crux of the conflict being the issue of performing same-sex […]
Overall heroes: One WWII veteran’s memories
Memorial Day! The first three-day weekend of summer unleashes all kinds of pent-up plans for outdoor family fun and recreation. An estimated 42 million people are expected to travel more than 50 miles from home, up 7% from 2022. News outlets are saturated with ideas for enjoying our three-day federal holiday weekend. Buried beneath all […]
Disasters happen when businesses put profits above people
My heart goes out to the people of East Palestine, Ohio. Their world was upended last month when 11 Norfolk Southern Railway cars containing hazardous chemicals careened off the track. A controlled venting created a toxic gas plume threatening the health and safety of its population of 4,700. This past week, the Bipartisan Railway Safety […]
Proposed child labor law change would put kids in harm’s way
They’re just kids. But now I see that we’re going to solve Iowa’s workforce shortage on the backs of our high school students. Senate File 167 by Sen. Jason Schultz, R-Schleswig, would allow teens to work longer hours and more types of jobs. The legislation would allow: 14- and 15-year-olds to work evening work shifts […]
Emergency medical services in Iowa are operating without a net
I still can hear the phone ringing. It was a continuous shrill ring, clearly distinct from an ordinary call. No matter the time of day, my heart would begin to race. When I picked up the receiver, I’d hear worried — and sometimes frantic — voices asking for help. It wasn’t a wrong number — […]