Your Sunday Roundup

...gloves, birds, eminent domain, anti-woke moves, a sports story, and remembering an Eagle Scout

Mar 05, 2023

man in brown jacket and black pants standing on snow covered ground during daytime — Photo by Sam Battaglieri on Unsplash

Compiling the Sunday Roundup for the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative is what my mother would call a labor of love.

Each columnist makes a significant contribution to all of us here in Iowa. Some raise issues in unique ways, making us think. Others make us laugh. And some are such damn fine writers they can make us fall in love with a lost glove or understand why the words ‘thank you’ don’t exist in the culture of some of our Iowa neighbors.

Stories can bring awareness and understanding of others we would not comprehend without them.

Your stories, our stories, and their stories connect us in powerful ways.

We have exemplary reporters in our ranks, covering the shenanigans of the Iowa Legislature and Congress in important ways. Come to think of it, ‘shenanigan’ is too kind a word. Feel free to fill in the blank.

Savor each of the pieces below, and while you’re at it, understand they are doing this out of a commitment to provide commentary in what is becoming an opinion desert in some parts of the state. If you can, please support these writers individually by becoming paid subscribers. And share their columns. Together, we are making a difference by connecting readers and writers directly. This content comes to you now, without advertising, and results from folks taking the time to write for you.

Cheryl Tevis, for example, schools us on the hazards of the past, current, and potential transportation of toxins through Iowa. Her column is a must-read. Heck, all of the columns listed today are important reads.

Enjoy.

Julie Gammack

CHERYL TEVIS

Unfinished Business

Putting Profits Ahead of 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 4,70…

2 years ago · 2 likes · 1 comment · Cheryl Tevis

MARY SWANDER

Mary Swander takes us into the otherwise secret world of neighbors who live among us yet don’t share the majority culture.

Mary Swander’s Buggy Land

A Call from the Phone Shack

“What are you doing this afternoon?” a man’s voice came over the line on the telephone. I didn’t know if I were being harassed or this was someone friendly. He sounded friendly, but a harasser can sound that way, too. …

2 years ago · 7 likes · 4 comments · Mary Swander

DAVE BUSIEK

Do facts even matter to Fox viewers?

Dave Busiek on Media

Suspending All Rational Thought

The big question to come out of the long list of stories about Dominion Voting System’s lawsuit against Fox News is, will it make any difference to their viewers? The stunning revelations would seem to cause any viewer to question whether they trust anything Fox News says on air…

2 years ago · 1 like · Dave Busiek

KURT MEYER

There is a difference between birding and birdwatching. Our columnist from St Ansgar writes a delightful piece about his wife’s path to becoming a bird watcher.

Showing Up

For the birds!

On a shelf above her desk, Paula displays a decorative, plaster paperweight, shaped like a layer cake, a fake frosting rose on top. Alongside, is a plump creature with antennae, having taken several bites of cake, yet hardly making a dent. A small sign reads, “Always take on more than you can possibly handle, or you’ll never do all you can do…

2 years ago · 1 like · Kurtis Meyer

ROBERT LEONARD

The oh-so-talented Robert Leonard takes us on a walk in the woods, discovering a lost object. He weaves the tale in with personal reflections and leaves us thinking.

Deep Midwest: Politics and Culture

Hello, Friend...

”Hello, friend,” I said as the full moon peeked over my shoulder hours before dawn during my daily morning walk in the timber. “Are you lost? How did you get here?” “Did you fall from someone’s pocket? Your human’s pocket? Tell me, how did you get here, so far from anywhere, alone in the woods, laying on the cold, hard, ground amongst the leaves? You loo…

2 years ago · 10 likes · 15 comments · Robert Leonard

MACEY SPENSLEY

Macey reviews the performance and mission offered through the Des Moines Community Playhouse by the Pyramid Theatre Company.

…I felt that if I were to walk on the stage, I would walk straight back in time. Macey Spensley

The Midwest Creative

The Illumination of Art

The Pyramid Theatre Company’s vision is one of captivation. “The ancient pyramids were often polished in order to reflect the light from the sun and moon. This reflection could be seen from miles away. Adherence to these principles will establish and sustain Pyramid Theatre Company as a well-polished company that attracts audiences from miles away…

2 years ago · 4 likes · 1 comment · Macey Spensley

ED TIBBETTS

What’s the opposite of the word ‘progress’? Our columnist in the Quad Cities discusses two area legislators working toward turning back the clock on same-sex marriage.

Along the Mississippi

QC lawmakers seek same-sex marriage ban

Two state legislators from the Iowa Quad-Cities are among a handful of Republicans seeking to turn back the clock on same-sex marriage in Iowa. State Reps. Luana Stoltenberg, R-Davenport, and Mark Cisneros, R-Muscatine have joined six other legislators in introducing a…

2 years ago · 3 likes · 1 comment · Ed Tibbetts

Along the Mississippi

The woke war on your 401(k)

First, they came for your kid’s school. Now, it’s your retirement money. The woke mob, it seems, is everywhere. Luckily, Republicans are manning the ramparts. The latest battlefield was Congress, where last week the GOP came to the defense of your 401(k) by mounting a courageous attack against the US Department of Labor’s radi…

2 years ago · Ed Tibbetts

PAT KINNEY

Our Waterloo-based columnist writes about a granddaughter’s quest to honor her Eagle Scout ancestor:

There were 32 all-Black Boy Scout troops nationally, and seven were from Iowa, including two troops in Waterloo which eventually consolidated. Others were formed within the Boy Scout councils based in Burlington, Davenport, Clinton and Des Moines.

View from the Cedar Valley

On their honor, say their names

2 years ago · 1 like · Pat Kinney

JULIE GAMMACK

Julie highlights reader engagement through her weekly Zoom conversations. This coming Monday, an internationally renowned ‘futurist’ joins the call. Subscribe (free or otherwise) to be a part of the call.