Archive for April 2006

Dear Mr. Berko:  I recently received $205,000 when the buyer of my house paid off his mortgage balance 10 years sooner than I expected. I was going to put the money in a 5 percent certificate …

  When I say “success environment,” what do you think about? Is it the French Riviera, where you are out sunbathing and relaxing? Is it a brand-new office with a brand-new computer, and you in a …

At last count, Polk County took in more than 20 cents out of every dollar tourists spent in the state, and the Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau expects that number to climb as …

Valley Junction has been a shopping destination for more than 100 years. But the growth of newer retail spots in Greater Des Moines means the historic district must work harder to maintain its vibrancy.

“Our …

In 1996, Tom Carpenter of Ankeny didn’t set out to establish a business that in 10 years would generate $6 million in annual revenues and become the foremost erosion and sediment control contracting business in …

A fleet of McAninch Corp. earthmoving machines is working a 150-acre industrial development site on the outskirts of Des Moines, but something is missing.

There should be thousands of grade stakes, which are set at …

I don’t know how many of you watched the Masters golf tournament this year. I watched it sporadically on each of the days — hoping, like many others, that Tiger Woods would win one for …

Dear Mr. Berko:

I’m fascinated by Sony Corp.’s Reader. It’s an electronic book, and my broker tells me that it contains 12,000 titles. He believes that this Reader will be even more popular than Apple’s …

We pledge allegiance to all kinds of things; some explicitly, most implicitly. The grandiose allegiances to flag, country and alma mater are the ones that make our hearts swell. They bring a quiver to the …

My morose fascination with the Central Iowa Employment and Training Consortium pay scandal has probably stolen too much of my time. If I wanted to put a good face on it, I’d tell you I’ve …