The Elbert Files

My cousin Naomi handed me copies of 31 letters during her father’s 100th birthday celebration on June 7. The pages chronicle a three-month trip to the West Coast that our grandparents, Leslie and Esther Everly, …

Problems facing fruit and vegetable growers present a unique opportunity for Iowa manufacturers of specialty farm equipment, including Deere & Co., Pella-based Vermeer Corp. and Sukup Manufacturing in Sheffield, among others.

Before I explain, here’s …

I’m one of those guys who had a hard time walking out of the theater the first time I saw “Field of Dreams.” I wasn’t prepared for the flood of emotions at the end of …

I bought an iced coffee at Ritual Cafe and headed into the Pappajohn Sculpture Park to read “You Know Me Al,” Ring Lardner’s series of short stories about an early 20th-century baseball pitcher. The book …

Are we headed into a recession?

That’s a natural question when inflation rises as quickly as it has in recent months, but not one that can be easily answered.  

You might as well ask about …

The hierarchy of Des Moines has changed a lot during the 10 years I’ve written this column. New leaders have surfaced as key players retired or moved on. Others, most notably Barry Griswell, Johnny Danos …

Former State Auditor Dick Johnson was one of those rare politicians with a storehouse of seemingly unlimited knowledge and a sense of public purpose larger than his ego. 

He died recently at 87 following a …

Science magazine debunked a common gun violence myth a couple of weeks ago when it editorialized immediately after the Uvalde, Texas, massacre of 19 elementary students and two teachers.

Mental health isn’t the problem, the …