The premier of "Avengers: Endgame" will be a bittersweet moment for many fans of the Marvel cinematic universe. I am excited to see how 10 years of storyline cross pollination is melded and where the company decides to go from here. After expecting the studio to run its course and deliver lower quality films for years, I have stopped doubting its creators and believe the movie will present a satisfying ending for the characters and its fans...

It’s tough when you can’t take a rain check. I remember being a kid and hearing my Catholic priest explain the Holy Days of Obligation, saying “You gotta show up on Christmas and Easter.” It seemed pretty simple to me as a kid, I wouldn’t be busy on those days, as far as I could tell...

Is there anything better than the feeling of walking barefoot on your lawn on the first truly spring-like weekend of the year? Like many of you, I took advantage of Mother Nature's benevolence for some outdoor therapy, soaking in as much vitamin D as I could. ...

The weather has been sunny and enjoyable. I know farmers are chomping at the bit to get started with planting. Fingers crossed the next week or so is dry, so spring planting can begin. The 4-H year (in Clay County is September to September) is already over half over. Goal setting is an important part of 4-H. Now is the time, if you haven’t started already, to reflect upon comments judges gave you last year and begin thinking about skills you want to gain and improve upon for this year...

This week the House passed a framework for autonomous vehicles in Iowa. SF 302 outlines the parameters for the operation of autonomous vehicles including insurance requirements and accident liability. Autonomous vehicles must follow existing traffic laws and will be regulated by the Department of Transportation...

Regardless of whether you take the story of Easter literally, figuratively or don't believe it at all, the holiday is a celebration of what was once thought impossible. More than that, it created a fork in the road. It's a crux at which members of the human race either choose to believe in the biblical account of Christ's resurrection and do their best to live accordingly, or deny it happened and live as they desire. ...

Sunday, I celebrated Easter with an amazing morning Mass with family, then ventured to Holstein to enjoy an Easter meal with my wife’s side of the family. Several of them live in Holstein so it just makes for a convenient location to get together. As a family we laughed, shared stories, enjoyed a great meal comprised of dishes brought by everyone and basically we fellowshipped. ...

Traditionally Christians held Easter Sunrise service in a church cemetery. That is right, in the cemetery itself, and there are good reasons for holding it there. After all, the first Easter took place in a graveyard where the Lord of life rose to defeat the shackles of death...

President Donald Trump uses vinegar to get what he wants but rarely any sugar. He is more inclined to use a sledgehammer to beat what he wants from whom he wants it from, and then if they resist, he beats them again. That is why agriculture and ethanol groups are afraid to challenge Trump in spite of his having the most damaging RFS and trade policy for the agriculture sector in modern history. ...

As the kids entered the room single file, some chatted with the friend behind them, a few listened closely trying to decipher the words set to a melody of music from a distant land — a couple even tried to cut in line. Some of the students asked questions just to ask. Others wondered why I was there from the beginning and what was going on...

Created way back in 2008, Record Store Day has been an interesting addition to my annual holidays. It caught on when I was in high school and was eager to widen my interest in music. Unlike other regions where record stores have gone the way of other cool local places like roller rinks or drive-in theaters, I think music fans and vinyl collectors in Iowa are very lucky to have the record stores that continue to serve our quest to find our next favorite LP...

America loves a comeback story. We love the tale of folks who hit rock bottom, overcome incredible odds, and climb to a mountaintop. We saw a pretty great one on Sunday as Tiger Woods captured the Master’s green jacket — his fifth. While I was traveling and didn't get to enjoy a favorite April Sunday tradition, lounging on my couch watching Sunday at Augusta, I followed Tiger Woods' move up the leader board through radio updates. ...

Often when we talk about politics, we groan and roll our eyes. We are fatigued with the topic, avoid it at all costs and grow weary of the never-ending and what seems like unwinable debates. Saturday however we experienced the best of politics at Eggs and Issues in Spencer. ...

In less than a week's time, the public in northwest Iowa went from being surprised by the sudden closing of addiction treatment center Compass Pointe, to wondering what society will do with the hundreds of clients who were suddenly dumped, to a twinge of relief as Seasons Center for Behavioral Health took steps to pick up the slack. ...

This week the House Ways and Means Committee unanimously passed House File 227. This bill doubles the income limitation for the Iowa child and dependent care tax credit. This is a credit that supports working Iowa families who spend large portions of their paychecks on childcare...

When is the last time you were desperate? When is the last time you found yourself at your wit’s end no matter how hard you worked or how much effort you put in? While it is hard to admit, desperation is a part of being human. We aren’t all-powerful, we aren’t all-knowing, and so when things outside of our control occur, it is a great (though very painful!) reminder that we are not as powerful as we have deluded ourselves into thinking we are...

One characteristic of the Donald Trump presidency has been the challenge of American institutions in some of the most heretofore bedrock ways that they operate. I am not a guardian of the status quo when they find something better, but that is not what has been challenged. ...

Make every occasion special by designing and growing containers for summer holidays, weddings, anniversary parties or other special celebrations. Pick a color scheme appropriate for the occasion or a variety of colors and shapes sure to add a festive touch...

Intriguing numbers were released last week in a survey of Americans and our attitudes toward social media and technology. A survey conducted by NBC News and the Wall Street Journal indicate that, while we know it's bad for us, Americans just can't quit the dangerous habit of social media...

Hip-hop as a music genre has had plenty of pioneers who took great chances in their careers to create what is America’s most sonically versatile genre today. This includes Run-DMC covering Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way,” Snoop Dogg’s brief stint in reggae as Snoop Lion and the most famous crossover of all time is probably Jay-Z and Linkin Park’s “Collision Course” EP from the aughts...

Despite my strong desire to address the ludicrous nature of supposed cancer-causing sound waves emanating from wind turbines, I can't get the situation surrounding former Vice President Joe Biden out of my mind. It's not simply because he's now been labeled "Creepy Uncle Joe," rather it's because I believe our response to the accusations surrounding the last administration's VP will have some widespread implications for political discourse moving forward...

So here's your chance. Next Saturday morning elected officials at the state and federal level will gather together in Spencer to participate in a community forum where constituents are afforded a first-hand opportunity to speak to their elected officials...

Last week, Gov. Kim Reynolds and the Department of Human Services announced that negotiations with UnitedHealthcare have ceased. Reynolds cited UnitedHealthcare's demand for more money for less accountability as the reason for the breakdown. Reynolds fought for Iowans. I applaud her leadership skills in knowing when to walk away...

Who in your household monopolizes the TV remote control? Whoever holds it is able to quickly change channels during this active season of basketball playoffs, they can quickly fast-forward through movies, or they are able to flip between weather and news with a simple touch of a button...

Percentages can be misleading. Talk of 500 farm bankruptcies, a 90% increase from last year, attracted attention but there were over 11 times that many annually during the worst of the Farm Crisis of the 1980s. It wouldn't sound so bad if they said that farm bankruptcies in 2018 were just 8.6% of 1987 levels. ...

Let’s get the obvious things out of the way first. Of course my bracket is terrible. Yours probably is too. I got one team in the Final Four (Texas Tech), and I picked them to lose to Duke. On the plus side, Duke got knocked out by a B1G team. The B1G in general has looked like the best conference in college basketball. ...

I thought I had beat the system and avoided looking foolhardy on the first day of the fourth month. With each passing moment I became more convinced my attempt to circumvent the yearly tribute to the senseless, daft and harebrained may have plunged me deeper in its midst...

Alcohol Free Weekend April 5-7 The Facing Addiction and the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence has since 1987 designated April as Alcohol Awareness Month. To bring attention to alcohol use in this country, the two organizations are inviting all Americans to participate in the “Alcohol Free Weekend” April 5-7. ...

Nothing is more frustrating than investing time, money and energy in planting and growing tomatoes only to watch them succumb to disease. We can’t change the weather conditions that support disease problems, but we can tweak our growing strategies to reduce this risk...

There are days I feel every single one of my 56 years old. There are days when fighting the constant drumbeats of a chief executive who calls those in my profession “Crazed lunatics” that have “given up on the truth,” and has dismissed what we produce as “fake news,” is enough to make me wave the white flag. I just don’t have the strength to enumerate the ways those statements are incorrect, dangerous and threaten our democracy...

In the late 2000s, SDR’s youngest staff writer — yours truly — was pretty entrenched in all things video games. At that time it had only been recently that online console gaming, specifically the competitive variety, became widely available to the masses. Many midnights were spent camping outside my high school workplace of GameStop with my friends, awaiting the release of the next big game to play together...

I watched through tear-filled eyes for close to two hours as a former clinical director at Planned Parenthood told the story of her work and how she was transformed to stand alongside the anti-abortion advocates who once stood outside her gates in prayer...

The founding fathers created something both intriguingly beneficial and strangely difficult when they wrote the First Amendment. When they penned both free speech and religion (and let's not forget the press) as freedoms on that parchment, it created a sort of tightrope for the future. No doubt that was something of the intent, but the public universities walking that high wire are getting sort of shaky in their steps these days...

I was told by a director of the Iowa Corn Growers that at a meeting they discussed my recent reports where I had noted that the National Corn Growers Association is dropping the ball in pushing back against President Donald Trump personally on renewable identification number waivers. ...

When I was young, Lent was the time of year our family ate fish sandwiches more frequently than usual — we weren't Catholic, they were just on sale. When I grew older, like many still do, I began intentionally giving up things for the six weeks ahead of Easter. I'd deny myself things like TV, soda and even arguing with my wife (best Lenten discipline ever by the way)...

I’ve been organizing my record collection lately, a few LPs at a time. Some of them are in mint condition, and others have had a rough life. Even though they might be more likely to be beaten up, I’ve always enjoyed picking up records at second hand stores because sometimes there are odd items tucked away. ...

I've watched the college admissions scandal unfolding in the media with equal parts revulsion and a resigned understanding of how it could happen. How money and influence can open doors closed to the more deserving but less flush with cash. How parents, overly invested in the optics of how their children look to the outside world, break the rules to ensure a picture-perfect family...

Gambling addiction is real March is Problem Gambling Awareness Month. The event correlates with the NCAA Tournament. While the Super Bowl is the most bet on game of the year. The NCAA Tournament is the most bet on event of the year. Most Americans who gamble are social gamblers. ...

Abolishing the Electoral College would be devastating to Iowa When I hear politicians talk about abolishing the Electoral College, it immediately makes me think about the impact on the state of Iowa. It would be devastating. The ripple effects would render Iowans’ voices moot in the general election and bring an end to Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucus status...

The House Labor Committee passed HF 666 requiring the State Government Efficiency Committee to review every occupational license in the state over a six-year period of time and send a report to the General Assembly on which it must vote. This bill also requires licensing boards to inform individuals with a criminal record whether or not they would be eligible for a license...

I'm not going to utilize a great deal of space for this week's column for a couple of reasons. First I don't want to give Twitter trolls too much to hate on ― I mean c'mon last week's column was a call for a civil approach from all elected officials and citizenry as a whole and they found a problem with that. But you know what they say, haters gotta hate...

This week I ran across a poem by Ruth Harms Calkin, which always challenges and inspires me. I’d like to share it with you. “You know Lord how I serve you With great emotional fervor in the limelight. You know how eagerly I speak for you At the women’s club...

I heard an interview with New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio where, referring to wealth disparity in the U.S., he said “There was plenty of money ... It was just in the wrong hands." That is a pretty categorically strong statement that if you have wealth somehow you hadn't earned it, and it was wrong you had it while others did not. That is a profound statement of socialism...

(This article was initially published on March 13, 2019) Sunshine Week will be observed across the nation this week. The week shines a spotlight on the important role open government and citizen accountability play in our democracy. Open meetings and open records are the tools that enable the public to know what their government is doing, or not doing, in the name of the people...

For many people, welcoming the warmer temperatures and greening of spring means decluttering their closet, and sometimes, shaking up their daily lives. It is almost as if the changes in the air become palatable to all of the senses. The scent of flowers fill the breeze, and the limits of winter melt away with the possibilities unique to the season...

Ahhh, we’ve finally made it to one of sport’s most sacred holidays. March Madness is a glorious combination of joy and heartbreak set to repeat with dreams constantly coming true and crashing to earth while Bill Raftery repeatedly yells the final three words of every sentence he says. (Or one word in the case of, “Onions!” which is indisputably his greatest colloquialism, and people that try to say it’s inappropriate for TV should move to Amish country.)...

It turns out the adage of “everything posted online lasts forever” is not entirely true. All of the content prior to 2016 on Myspace has disappeared into oblivion due to a server migration error. For some, that may bring a sigh of relief, however I think we’ve lost quite a bit of cultural treasure with the site’s inadvertent destruction...

Folks who know me well understand I do love my holidays. Christmas, Easter, Halloween, March Madness. Yes, for this unabashed college basketball junkie, we are rolling into the most wonderful week of the year — the first rounds of the NCAA men's basketball tournament. I love the excitement. I love the hoopla. I love the story lines...

One of the things that I'm most proud of related to Coffee with the Editor on Friday mornings is the ability to have opposing views sitting around a table, all hopped up on super-charged caffeine, conversing with one another in a civilized fashion on matters which frequently divide both sides of the aisle in Washington, D.C., Des Moines and on cable television news shows nightly...

Last week was "funnel week." This is where the Legislature's focus is narrowed to bills that have passed out of at least one committee in one chamber and are eligible to be debated on the floor and signed into law. If a bill fails to advance through a committee, it is considered "dead" for the session and is tabled. Oftentimes, a bill is not moved forward because it lacks support or needs improvement over the interim. The funnel does not apply to appropriations or ways and means bills...