By CHUCK OFFENBURGER COOPER, Iowa, Jan. 22, 2019 — I followed last Friday’s inauguration of Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg fairly closely, even though I stayed here at the farmhouse as ice, snow and bitter cold blew through west central Iowa. So, thanks to you in the media for all the…
By CHUCK OFFENBURGER COON RAPIDS, Iowa, Nov. 13, 2018 — The lights are burning late at night this week at the “River House” in the wild, wooded and wondrous Whiterock Conservancy southeast of this western Iowa town. Zack Jones, artist-in-residence the past three weeks, is getting ready for a show this Saturday when he’ll share…
By CHUCK OFFENBURGER COOPER, Iowa, Jan. 2, 2019 – There are 70 million Catholics in the U.S. – I’m one of them – and nearly all of us are trying to make our own peace with the horrendous clergy sexual abuse scandal that is threatening the future of our church, not only in this country…
By CHUCK OFFENBURGER JEFFERSON, Iowa, Dec. 3, 2018 — We lost one of our longtime leaders of business and community here last week when Dean McAtee died at 86. He became a wealthy man by building McAtee Tire, Inc., into a company that at one time had dealerships in Jefferson as well as eight other…
By CHUCK OFFENBURGER CARROLL, Iowa, Oct. 4, 2018 – In a town so Catholic that the local radio station still broadcasts the rosary every afternoon, I just went to the most gut-wrenching, emotional and sad church meeting I’ve ever attended. On Wednesday evening, Bishop Walker Nickless, spiritual leader of perhaps 100,000 Catholics in the Catholic…