Selfless Help For Flood Victims

Jeff Schneider and his wife, Sharon, both 51, of Cedar Rapids are perfect examples of how people who need help often become the first to step up to assist others.
If you read today’s Ramblin’ column in The Gazette you know that they lost a business to the flood, both have health issues to deal with and that they will [...]

HAPPY SHAMROCK DAY

May the Irish eyes be smilin’ on ye today as they were two years ago when my wife, Suz, and I celebrated St. Patrick’s Day and my 54th birthday in San Francisco. That was the warmest St. Patty’s Day I’d celebrated in a long time as we watched the parade in the City by the [...]

Alex’s Winning Story — The Flood Strikes Cedar Rapids

Here’s the winning story in the Barnes & Noble Booksellers “Memoir Writing Contest” for fourth and fifth grade students in the Cedar Rapids area. It wasn’t easy for Diana Nollen, Gazette Arts & Entertainment Editor, and me to select the Top 10 stories as explained in my Ramblin’ column in today’s Gazette. But we did agree [...]

Richard’s Story As First Written

Often writers want to write longer stories than space in The Gazette allows. Such was the case today when my original column about Richard McLaud ran 30 inches, even though the newspaper had space for only 20.
In some ways, writing shorter improves a story. In other ways, the longer version is better. In this case, I like [...]