A column collection for Christmas
Links to my writing here this year, and Collaborative pieces worth revisiting
Is there anything like curling up on Christmas break with a good … uh … digital device?
This isn’t my year-end column per se, but for those of you who have joined along the way, here’s a half-year in review. I’ve also linked some pieces from other members of the Collaborative I found insightful.
Iowa history
Iowa’s most famous headline that never was: Debunking “Manly Man Marries Fertile Woman” — This piece, in the making for two years, ran in the Globe Gazette.
It’s a town-eat-town world — about voluntary and involuntary city annexations
Town vs. township, school edition — An interesting episode in consolidation history.
'Around the World' and across the Missouri: In which a fictional passage frames the final piece of the Transcontinental Railroad.
The intersection of Iowa history and sports
A century later, Jack Trice's story lives on — One hundred years after the athlete’s death, Iowa State awarded a posthumous degree.
Iowa college football on TV: The earliest years
Iowa college football on TV: KRNT vs. the NCAA
The Big 12 Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version) — How many Swifties will have the Eras Tour movie playing in the background this weekend?
Reporting
Lincoln Highway bridge at a crossroads — The first of two stories about the historic Lincoln Highway bridge in Tama.
Tama bridge’s future remains unclear — At the end of 2023, the matter is unresolved.
The high schools are gone, but memories remain — Author James Kenyon wrote a book with lots of interviews for a subject close to many Iowans’ hearts.
Elections without candidates, ballots without voters — Now that the write-ins have been counted, Clutier is all about girl power, with mayor-elect Linda Pearson and an all-female city council.
Travel
Covering the start of my 2015 circumnavigation of Iowa: Day 1; Day 2; Day 3.
A note: My lifetime national county count stands at 1794. If you want to tally up your own travels, there’s a website for that.
Miscellaneous
The great, glorious, genuine Iowa State Fair — There’s always more to see, including things that just involve being at the right place at the right time.
Okoboji Writers' Retreat: A literary league in the leaves — Being part of a group that includes big names in Iowa journalism is one thing. Being able to learn from them and so many others is another.
Columns from other Collaborative writers
Six pieces of many this year that are worth a look (alphabetically by author):
Where Everybody Knows Your Name, by Nicole Baart — Insight about small-town living and the connections that matter.
Immediacy, urgency lost due to early print deadlines, by Dave Busiek — I need not elaborate on the difficulties newspapers face.
The new USS Iowa, by Pat Kinney — The newest vessel of the U.S. Navy named for the Tall Corn State was christened June 17. Kinney wrote about the USS Iowa SSN-797 submarine’s christening plans, sponsor Christie Vilsack, and Iowa connections to other Navy vessels.
(I had the opportunity to tour the USS Iowa BB-61 battleship this summer. “Awesome” does not begin to describe it.)
Scotcheroos—an Iowa Delicacy, by Darcy Maulsby — “More than the sum of their parts, scotcheroos are chewy, crispy and downright addictive.” Yum.
No Sanctuary from Secular Conflicts, by Cheryl Tevis — Approximately 150 United Methodist churches in Iowa, nearly 1 in 5 in the state, left the denomination in 2023. That included three of eight in Tama County and three of four in Grundy County. Tevis looks at the schism in a larger context.
‘It’s like an old friend’: Saying goodbye to a school in Davenport, by Ed Tibbetts — Schools close in big cities too. Monroe Elementary is destined for the wrecking ball.
My other work can be found on my website, Iowa Highway Ends, and its blog.
I am proud to be part of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative. If you’re interested in commentary by some of Iowa’s best writers, please follow your choice of Collaborative members: