The Elbert Files

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The Elbert Files: Tax cut land mines

The late Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor encouraged people to “solve relevant problems,” as her son recently reminded us.

It’s a timely message, and one Iowa lawmakers should take to heart, given the amount …

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The Elbert Files: Caucus polls’ fine print

“Do you read the fine print?” asked my friend K.C., when I saw him standing inside Jaume Plensa’s “Nomade” sculpture in the John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park.

It seemed an odd question, given that …

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The Elbert Files: History-making leaders

People like Mary Sellers, Teresa Wahlert and the late Mo Dana are the reason I enjoy covering business.

All are, or were, exceptional chief executives who, in addition to having great ideas, were successful communicators …

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The Elbert Files: Local elections

Dave Elbert is on assignment and will take a brief hiatus on his weekly column. The Elbert Files will resume in a few weeks.

City council and school board races in Iowa are traditionally nonpartisan. …

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The Elbert Files: Airport history, part 3: A new terminal

When Don Smithey retired as director of Omaha’s Eppley Airfield in 2009 at age 68, Des Moines seemed like a good place to live – midway between Wisconsin, eastern Iowa and Missouri, where Smithey’s relatives …

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The Elbert Files: Roadside Iowa

I’m a sucker for roadside attractions.

When I saw the new book “Secret Iowa: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful and Obscure” ($27, published by St. Louis-based Reedy Press), I had to have it. The …

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The Elbert Files: Airport history, part 2

Jets and the middle years

In 1941, when members of the Des Moines Chamber of Commerce landed a U.S. Army National Guard base at the Des Moines Airport, they secured the airfield’s future for the …

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The Elbert Files: Sports betting

My friend K.C. was inspecting an odd piece of art near the east end of the John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park. The bronze sculpture by Martin Puryear is titled “Decoy,” although many think it …

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The Elbert Files: Airport history, part 1

Polk County voters will decide the future of Des Moines International Airport on Nov. 7.

Passage that day of a ballot issue for $350 million of airport bonds will secure funding for a new terminal …

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The Elbert Files: Reynolds’ overreach

It was a hot September day when I saw my friend K.C. admiring Joel Shapiro’s untitled sculpture of a stick figure in the John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park.

The legs are splayed in a …