By CHUCK OFFENBURGER COOPER, Iowa, June 10, 2015 — When the Shenandoah High School Class of 2015 graduated on Sunday afternoon, May 24, it was a big moment for all 72 of them. It was a big moment for me, too. It marked 50 years since I graduated from dear ol’ SHS there in my…
By CARLA OFFENBURGER COOPER, Ia., Feb. 17, 2015 – I didn’t waste any time or rest on my laurels as I could have easily done after having read 60 books in 2014. My goal, as it is every year is 52 books, and in years past it’s been hit or miss, but always really close.…
IDA GROVE, Iowa, June 22, 2015 — We’re always being surprised by photographer Don Poggensee, who lives here in northwest Iowa. The latest? He reported this week he “spent some time working on my 30-box bluebird trail,” and you’re going to love the photographs that he’s now sharing with us from that project. “With the…
By CHUCK OFFENBURGER DALLAS, Tex., May 8, 2015 — Put up a nicely-done, large, and original piece of public art; maintain it well, and you’re going to have a major tourist attraction for decades to come. That holds true whether you’re downtown in a 4-plus million population metropolitan area like Dallas, where I visited a week…