The 20th annual Project AWARE was held on the Iowa River July 9-14, 2023. AWARE is an acronym for A Watershed Awareness River Expedition. For each of the past 20 years a section of stream in this state has been cleaned through this project. This year, 315 volunteers cleaned 58 miles of ...
One of life’s little annoyances is a braggart! I read a story about one of these egotistical narcissists. There was a sightseeing bus making its rounds through Washington, D.C., and the driver was pointing out the high points of the city. Passing the Pentagon building, the driver ...
Last week, I attended a children theater camp production titled “The Secret of the Sphinx” put on by Footliters Traveling Playhouse’s and hosted by the Wieting Theater. What an amazing opportunity for so many young people in our community. As I grew up and became the person I am ...
Weddings are entertaining! Each is different from the other. And the inevitable seems to always occur. I went to a friend’s wedding where lit candles were placed on the floor at the end of each row. The problem was that the candles kept getting bumped and tipped over with ensuing ...
Everyone seems to take summer vacations. I know people that have been all over the country this summer and a few that have been out of it, all in the name of summer vacations. My summer vacation was Tuesday. It started when I woke up at noon, but that's nothing abnormal. Me and my Ma got ...
In the early sixties, summers in Chelsea were pretty much like those summers in Tama, Toledo, Montour and other little places around Tama County. For a pre-teen kid, they could get kinda boring. Swimming lessons were over, (thank God), Little League was finishing up, (gonna miss that) ...
This piece is not just a cheap way to get a few birthday shoutouts, although appreciated! I want to fully appreciate this milestone and bring back more focus and intention to my life. So often I’ve noticed myself dwelling on the past or worrying about the future, not relishing the ...
Well, the time has come. In this piece I will be exposing myself and the double life I have been living since the beginning of April. By now most everyone knows me as one of the dedicated local reporters, however I feel it’s time to expose myself. Here it goes… When I’m not manning a ...
I’m “pro-life,” you could say. I was reared in a strictly Catholic household at 216 Geneseo St., and sent to St. Mary’s School in Storm Lake where that regimen was reinforced. I matriculated to an all-men’s college run by priests in the Twin Cities, where I was fully schooled in ...
Opposites, man, yin and yang, cats and dogs, cookies and lettuce, they are some funny things. The counterpart or the thing that completely contradicts an item. I've known mine my entire life. My sister. See, there is a way that we are opposite already. I don't mind writing about myself or ...