In my soon-to-be 52 years writing for The North Scott Press, I can count on one hand the times I've felt threatened, but those times were mild compared with what Bruce Willingham, the editor of the McCurtain County Gazette in Idabel, in southeastern Oklahoma, experienced on March 6. more

May 23, 1973: A Scott County grand jury was convened to hear the case against Scott County Sheriff William “Blackie” Strout on charges of possession of stolen property. A U-Haul trailer and a garden tractor were found on property owned by Strout in Arkansas. Meanwhile, Strout had filed a $500,000 lawsuit against the owner of the rental agency from which the trailer was taken, and continued to maintain the charges were a political smear. more

The older you get, the more it seems like life moves faster. more

It seemed the old coach would live forever. He was there for the 51st reunion of a state championship team in 2012, months before the star pitcher, Alan "Andy" Andresen died at age 68. And he reconnected for golf outings with members of the team since. more

May 16, 1973: Local area officials cheered the news that John Deere & Company had purchased options on 960 acres near Mount Joy for future construction of a manufacturing plant. Most of the land was in the North Scott School District. Deere projected that the plant would initially employ 700 workers, with as many as 4,000 in the future. North Scott superintendent Melvin Heiler said he was “happy to see industry coming into the North Scott area,” and added that he anticipated the plant would bring additional residents to the district, with potential new students. more

Copyediting shares with poetry a romantic attention to detail, to the punctuation mark and the ordering of words. more

A question I hear frequently these days is, "How's retirement?" more

Friends and family of our 25-year NSP contributing writer and friend, Phil Roberts, came together at the Starlite Ballroom Saturday afternoon for a fitting farewell. Phil, 73, died Nov. 28, 2022, at Davenport Lutheran Home after a brave battle with Parkinson's. more

May 9, 1973: North Scott area voters rejected a bond referendum that would have provided funding for a proposed junior high building an elementary school in Park View. The vote not only missed the 60 percent approval threshold, it failed to get a majority, with 55 percent of voters casting a “no” vote. School board president Phyllis Heuer expressed disappointment, but said, “We’ll wait about a month or so and think about where to go from here.” more

Saturday was a marvelous night at the North Scott Fine Arts Auditorium. Not only did we get to see another amazing performance of “Anything Goes,” we also gathered to celebrate Tom Goodall’s career. more

My friend John Ockenfels of the small town of Shueyville, near Cedar Rapids, is turning his dream of flying his Cessna T210M Turbo Centurion airplane around the world into a cause that's gaining worldwide attention. more

May 5, 1983: Presidential candidate and former astronaut John Glenn made a brief appearance at the Davenport Municipal Airport. He was greeted by a group of students from his namesake elementary school in Donahue. Jesse Petersen gave Glenn a school shirt, and Sheryl Fahrenkrog presented Mrs. Anne Glenn with a bouquet of flowers. Glenn said he felt honored to have a school named after him, but wished the students could vote. more

They say good things come to those who wait. more

One Sunday afternoon in March, Linda and I were minding our own business when we heard the backup generator kick in. That would be the backup generator which we paid Koehler Electric to install at our home in January 2021, the earliest available time after the August 2020 derecho. more

April 25, 1973: Record rainfall, combined with heavy snow melt to the north caused the Wapsipinicon River to flood, cresting at a record 12.74 feet at Highway 61. The highway was briefly closed as 18-24 inches of water covered the roadway. A portion of the highway was washed out, and the Iowa Highway Commission maintenance department said it would take 1,000 tons of rock to rebuild the grade of the road. Highway 67 at the Folletts crossing north of Princeton was also briefly closed due to flooding. Meanwhile, the Mississippi River was expected to crest at 19.5 feet at Lock & Dam 15, and at 12 feet in LeClaire. more

The Iowa legislature’s relentless attacks on local government now includes a new bill to dramatically limit sales tax funding for counties, cities and schools. more

“Providing information quickly and efficiently demystifies government.” more

April 23, 2008: Wes Rostenbach was appointed as Scott County Auditor, following the death of Karen Fitzsimmons. He served as the accounting tax manager in the Auditor’s Office, and planned to return to that role following the election in six months. more

I was out at Neil Armstrong Elementary last Thursday for their Penny War assembly, and as I watched the kids file in, it occurred to me that I can’t actually sit crisscross applesauce anymore. more

How many times do you try to assemble a new product and, when the pieces don't seem to fit, THEN you read the directions? I confess I do it, too, but normally there's no harm. more