Articles written by Randy Evans
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Evans: Like it or not, we are all in this together
What is happening to us? What passes for public discussion these days certainly is not civil or thoughtful. Nor is it really much of a discussion. If you read the comments from some supposed leaders,...
Evans: Lessons about cracked legal theories from a misguided pots-n-pans salesman
Many years ago, I sat at the kitchen table of a pots-n-pans salesman from Pleasant Valley. We didn’t talk about cookware. He was laying out with lots of precision why the United States government ha...
Evans: DSM school teaches taxpayers an expensive lesson
Des Moines Superintendent Thomas Ahart has been a lightning rod during the past three years over the way Iowa’s public schools have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ahart announced last week that...
Evans: State government may be harming Iowa population challenges
I stumbled across a statistical tidbit the other day that probably will surprise many people. U.S. Census Bureau figures show that between 1900 and 2000, the state that grew the least in population, o...
Evans: There's no escaping the chaos of war
The news out of Afghanistan last month about the terrorist bombing at the airport in Kabul brought fresh heartache – and old memories – to Iowa. A native of Red Oak, Marine Cpl. Daegan Page, 23, w...
Norm Borlaug and Dolly Parton: Two peas in a pod
It is hard to imagine Norman Borlaug ever joining in singing “Jolene” or “9 to 5.” I can’t picture him harmonizing in a heart-tugging rendition of “I Will Always Love You.” This is not...
Evans: It's difficult to stop the drive of progress
Controversy, of sorts, arrived in my driveway last week. There was no commotion. There were no protesters. No picketers. No chants about destroying the economy or caving in to China. In fact, there...
Evans: Reynolds should remember Bob Ray before casting away migrant children
It’s hard for those of us of a certain vintage to realize it has been 39 years since Robert Ray was Iowa’s governor. In spite of the passage of so much time, his name was on the minds of many...
Evans: Iowa State Fair meeting was an affront to open government
The decision last week to cancel the Iowa State Fair was a reminder of the seriousness of coronavirus and the consequences of many people's anxiety about returning to activities that normally are an...