There are times when life just has to be put in perspective. Yes, today is windy … but the sun is shining and 54 degrees is not so bad for April in Iowa. The front page of the Daily Freeman for August 8, 1963, has a main story about 20 to 30 men robbing a train in England and getting away ...

When I grew up outside of Minneapolis, I learned of the military heritage that is the Midwest, especially Iowa and Minnesota. The blending of the two, in a way, culminated in the 34th Infantry Division, formerly the Sandstorm and now the Red Bull Division. Later, working at the Owatonna Post ...

One of the joys of my career was the fascinating people I had an opportunity to get to know. My years in newspaper advertising sales in Sioux City gave me opportunities I never dreamed of as a country kid in rural Iowa. When Cindy and I moved to Sioux City in 1974 we became aware of a chain ...

The historic grain elevator site of Stonega east of Webster City is still burning. Not in the spectacular conflagration that greeted the 15 fire departments called to the scene very early Sunday morning. This is a slow burn, fueled by grain and whipped by the winds that seem to have decided ...

With a neighborhood as large as ours, it’s not all that easy finding someone to write about. Sometimes a walk leads me to someone interesting, other walks seem to lead nowhere in particular; yet they are all enjoyable. With the wind blowing so hard this past week, my mind wandered to how ...

America’s eating habits have changed drastically over recent decades. The Norman Rockwell version of the family meal is increasingly rare. Beyond that, many folks have little knowledge of the origin of their food. There are millions of Americans who have never snapped a green bean, pulled a ...