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Opinion

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The Elbert Files: Hamilton’s water work

The River Knows; How Water and Land Will Shape Our Future
By Neil D Hamilton,
$24.95
Ice Cube Press

Neil Hamilton’s new book, “The River Knows: How Water and Land Will Shape Our Future” covers …

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On Leadership: Are you relentlessly focused on reinventing your business?

How many times have you had conversations with team members where they reminded you of how things were done in the past? “We used to do it this way,” one colleague said to me recently, …

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The Elbert Files: Letter from Knox


Knox and Becky Craig. Submitted photo

My father-in-law, Knox Craig, was a gifted letter writer.

Knox grew up in Oregon and graduated from the University of Idaho with a degree in English in 1942.

He …

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The Elbert Files: Flourishing fields of smiles

Gov. Kim Reynolds’ new state motto, “Iowa: Freedom to Flourish,” is the fifth state slogan proposed by an Iowa governor since the 1950s when license plates identified us as “The Corn State.”

The governor’s choice …

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The Elbert Files: Kaleidoscope era ends

Demolition of the downtown Kaleidoscope Mall on Walnut Street marks the end of an era.

The mall is coming down to make way for a 33-story apartment building.

For much of the 20th century, Walnut …

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On Leadership: Can confronting unexpected fears make you a better leader?

I was recently quite surprised to confront a fear I didn’t even know I had. While driving across a bridge over the Mississippi River on a trip to Wisconsin, I experienced a panic attack, which …

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The Elbert Files: Iowa economy concerns

Iowa’s economy appears to have stalled and may be sliding backward. 

Seven of the eight economic factors that make up the Iowa Department of Revenue’s Iowa Leading Indicators Index were below par in the most …

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The Elbert Files: Changing downtown traffic

The last time Des Moines made major changes in downtown traffic patterns was 70 years ago when more than a dozen streets were converted from two-way to one-way traffic.

The goal in 1953 was to …

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The Elbert Files: Good news, bad news

I have good news and bad news for Iowa Democrats.

The good news is that the New York Times recently reported Democrats nationally are benefiting from the U.S. Supreme Court’s year-old Dobbs decision, which overturned …

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On Leadership: 10 ways to be a more effective listener

This is part of a series on effective communication for leaders and organizations.

Early in my career, I got some great advice from a colleague who was very successful. He told me when I was …

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