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Columnists

Chasing likes, not scholarship, elevates ‘6–7’ to Word of the Year

People made a terrible fuss when Dictionary.com named “6–7” its word of the year. Brain rot, people said. Language has gone to hell, others decried. Our children are illiterate, still more wailed. (My gripe is that “6–7” feels more like an idiom than a single word.) But ...

There are times to put down cellphones. Lots of times

The year opened with what could be one of the most horrifying videos of 2026. At 1:30 a.m. in a basement bar at a Swiss ski resort, flames started dancing on the ceiling. Instead of rushing upstairs to flee the room, many celebrants lifted their cellphones toward the blaze, eager to record the ...

Police video case is wrapped in important legal principles

It was Christmas Eve. The gifts were laid beneath the Christmas tree at the home of Merlin and Nelda Powers in Urbandale. But the family’s holiday celebration ended abruptly that day in 1968 when the Powerses’ 10-year-old daughter Pamela disappeared from the YMCA in downtown Des Moines ...

Forgetting those things which are behind

The year 2025 passed pretty quickly, almost in the blink of an eye. It began with tragedy as soon as January hit, with 14 people being killed in New Orleans when a driver rammed his truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street. A similar deadly incident happened in Las Vegas when an active-duty U.S. ...

Delivering high-quality, affordable healthcare for Iowans

As a father of four and former volunteer EMT for 15 years in my hometown of Hull, I know the vital importance of affordable and accessible healthcare for Iowa families, particularly our neighbors in rural Iowa. Traveling across our district, I’ve had countless conversations with Iowans about ...

It’s time to take care of yourself

The holidays are over. Are you feeling worn out and stretched thin? Well, it’s time to make sure you are looking at your own needs before others’. Looking after yourself (self-care) will get you feeling refreshed and ready to tackle whatever comes your way. Self-care means taking care of ...