Somehow I got started reading books about railroads, and I couldn’t stop. The photo you see with this review shows my sister sitting by the railroad tracks in Ferguson, Iowa, the town I grew up in. My father’s grain elevator would fill boxcars with corn or soybeans or oats during the ...

The 2024 political season is in full swing, as candidates do everything within their power to get out the vote and to make every vote count. I might have to go to the store for microwave popcorn so that I can pop some and watch the election returns. It doesn’t sound like we’ll know ...

The social news or gossip columns in the old newspapers are always fascinating to read. A special section in the newspaper was devoted to the social media of the day. The whereabouts of local people and events were often featured in these columns. Here are a few from The News Messenger of Lyon ...

We have been learning about Minneota’s Royal Hettling, who grew up with four siblings on the family farm north of Minneota. Royal attended Minneota Public Schools where his class grew significantly as they entered high school, augmented by students from St. Edward School in Minneota and the ...

With pheasant season underway, more and more great opportunities for these birds are opening up as agricultural fields come down. As harvest rolls along, birds begin to pile into hiding places from the grasses of early autumn to heavier cover like sloughs and stands of brush as things get ...

I’m always impressed by people’s artistic abilities. It’s awesome for me to view the art work of others because I do not possess that creative gene in my DNA. At a recent local fall art festival, it was inspiring to view the paintings, clay work, woodwork, metal and stone wares and ...