More questions than answers educates no one
I spoke to two groups in recent weeks, and people at both gatherings wanted to know about the work of the organization I lead, the Iowa Freedom of Information Council. [...]
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Posted September 30, 2025in Stray Thoughts
Posted September 09, 2025in Stray Thoughts
A man you’ve never met had advice you should never forget
During decades as a journalist, I had countless conversations with interesting people — future presidents, wannabe leaders, governors, business executives, religious thinkers, crooks, and ordinary folks who made a difference [...]
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Posted September 02, 2025in Stray Thoughts
President stays on sidelines after school kids are shot
Even the best salesman would struggle explaining away the reasons for the latest contradiction from the president of the United States. He believes crime in Washington, D.C., is so out [...]
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Posted August 27, 2025in Stray Thoughts
It’s time for government to learn why ‘more light, less darkness’ needed
Government regulates business to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public. That is the theory behind enacting and enforcing regulations, and it is a commendable mission. But, too [...]
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Posted August 11, 2025in Stray Thoughts
Some local officials just plow ahead with secrecy
Lyman Dillon resides in the dusty recesses of Iowa history for his role in 1839 in one of Iowa’s earliest infrastructure projects. Dillon’s work also figures indirectly in a modern-day [...]
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Posted August 05, 2025in Stray Thoughts
Lots of unanswered questions need answering
One of the frustrations of being a **former** newspaper editor is no longer having a few dozen reporters to pursue answers to questions going unasked and unanswered each day.Two of [...]
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Posted July 28, 2025in Stray Thoughts
Demolition reflects poorly on Iowa officials’ stewardship
My family has called Davis County home for 185 years, all the way back to when William D. Evans and William Henson climbed down from their wagons in 1839 [...]
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Posted July 21, 2025in Stray Thoughts
When waste-cutters miss what looks like, umm, waste
Andy McKean is a charming country lawyer from Anamosa. He grew up in New York and was drawn to Iowa by his family roots. He has owned a bed-and-breakfast, called [...]
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Posted July 15, 2025in Stray Thoughts
Names make it tough to ignore human impact of news
One longtime truism of journalism is “Names make news.” That shorthand stems from the fact people better understand the significance and context of news when they learn about events and [...]
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Posted June 17, 2025in Stray Thoughts
There’s more at stake in Iowa than brown lawns
People living in central Iowa received a wake-up call last week that should drag water-quality back in front of the state’s 3.2 million residents. Iowa’s largest water supplier, one serving [...]
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