KOEL-AM (Oelwein, IA)

There's a good reason that jobs give people PTO. Burnout is a very real thing, and time away is great not only to reset, but to focus on the most important thing: family. You only get one life to live, so creating lasting memories with my kids and wife are essential for our future years. This time around, my family managed its' fourth mountain range - or summit if you will. We've had experiences at Black Elk Peak in South Dakota.

The Temu jokes are never-ending as are the lawsuits, evidently. Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird is joining multiple other states' attorney generals in suing the China-linked shopping app Temu. If you've ever shopped Temu, you know it's mostly low-quality items at ridiculously low prices (I literally found a build-a-house kit for $77). It's not high or medium-end stuff. 'Temu versions' of stuff always mean low-quality compared to the original, or something is definitely not what was pictured.

Audiences are not going bananas over the latest Minions movie. In fact, they may be saying “Poopaye!” to those weird yellow critters once and for all pretty soon. That’s because the latest Minions sequel, Minions & Monsters just had the worst opening weekend not only in Minions history, but also in the entire seven film cinematic universe that also includes Despicable Me, which the strangely immortal, gibberish-speaking goofs were originally spun off from.

Taylor Swift's wedding was filled with famous people, including two of rock's most iconic figures, Paul McCartney and Stevie Nicks, both of whom reportedly performed at the event. Swift and her fiance Travis Kelce tied the knot on Friday at Madison Square Garden in New York City, where, according to People, McCartney and Nicks each got up on stage to perform live.

After what feels like years of waiting, construction of Wisconsin's first Buc-ee's is set to begin soon in Oak Creek, and this Illinoisan is not ashamed to admit I'm jealous. As someone who lives in Northern Illinois, I have a confession to make: I've never been to a Buc-ee's. Not once. Yet somehow, thanks to social media, travel videos, and friends who won't stop bragging about it, I already feel like I'm missing out on one of America's greatest roadside experiences.

Owner of the Savannah Bananas Jesse Cole had a lot of good things to say about the state of Iowa this weekend! In a post from Jesse (aka "the yellow tux guy") on social media, he describes the team's time in the Hawkeye State as "one of the most powerful and emotional weekends we’ve ever experienced." Late last week, the Savannah Bananas baseball team arrived in Eastern Iowa to play a couple of sold out games at Kinnick Stadium on Friday and Saturday night.

There are craft breweries all over the state of Iowa that have won major awards for their beer, but only one of them was recognized at the inaugural North American Nonalcoholic Cup! Congratulations to Eastern Iowa's own Big Grove Brewery for taking home GOLD in one of the 2026 categories! Big Grove Brewery via Facebook Big Grove Brewery via Facebook According to the event's official website, the North American Nonalcoholic Cup (aka NANA Cup) is "a professional, blind-judged competition...

Another 4th of July holiday has come and gone. Yes, this year was a big one for America. 250 years of freedom. But if that freedom means blowing up the night sky with fireworks, then I think I've had my fair share. It's Official...I'm Done With Fireworks I've been doing radio for over 30 years, and for much of the beginning of that career, I preached that the state of Iowa should legalize fireworks. It made no sense for Iowans to cross the border, buy fireworks, and then bring them back home.

With gas prices and a trip to the grocery store putting strains on Iowa families, saving money on some summer fun is a must in 2026. A new study finds that several Iowa amusement parks are among the most affordable in the nation. The Most Affordable Theme Parks in the Nation HomeToGo recently released its 2026 Theme Park Index. It ranked the 40 most affordable theme parks across the United States, according to the Des Moines Register.

After a long, beautiful Fourth of July filled with backyard bocce ball, bags, and slip-and-slides, my family gathered together in our backyard. We have a perfect view of the Rochester skyline and were excited to see the city's firework show. The display was originally slated to launch at 10:00 PM, but with severe weather approaching, organizers audibled and bumped the start time up to 9:30 PM to beat the rain.