The Elbert Files

The sun was shining. The snow had mostly melted. And I was enjoying my morning walk, when I saw my friend, K.C., crossing Grand Avenue near the Des Moines Art Center.

I could tell immediately …

Here’s a bit of trivia: This nation’s first Chamber of Commerce is older than the United States. New York City merchants who wanted to defuse growing tensions with Great Britain organized it in 1768.

Many …

Tuesday, March 6, will be a historic day for Des Moines.

It’s when residents of the city, rural Polk County and nine contiguous suburbs — Altoona, Bondurant, Clive, Grimes, Johnston, Pleasant Hill, Urbandale, West Des …

The pending acquisition by EMC Insurance of the former Younkers store site at Seventh and Walnut streets creates a unique opportunity to add much-needed green space in the downtown core.

Other large insurance companies, including …

The water quality bill passed by the Iowa Legislature is a joke. 

A little math shows how big the joke really is.

The bill provides $13 million a year for just 12 years. At that …

“What’s happened to Chuck Grassley?”

I asked that question last week when I saw my friend K.C. in front of the PEO headquarters at 37th and Grand. He was deep in thought, contemplating the landscaping …

Gov. Kim Reynolds’ Future Ready Iowa Act is well-intentioned but won’t solve Iowa’s workforce problem.

Don’t get me wrong. I think the fact that she wants to spend $20 million over the next two years …

Jann Freed, who teaches leadership development and change management in the Des Moines area, tells this story:

Not long ago, she was working with a large insurance company that had offered an incentive package to …

The new federal tax law has already provided a welcome boost of more than $100 million for Iowa nonprofits, cities and schools districts.

The extra cash is more of an early payment than new money …

During an autumn trip to upstate New York, my wife and I visited Lindenwald, the home of our eighth president, Martin Van Buren, near Kinderhook. The day before, we’d toured Franklin Roosevelt’s Hyde Park home …