If necessity is the mother of invention, that goes a long way in explaining the creation and success of the local nonprofit All Aboard for Kids. Lisa McCarty, a longtime Ames resident, is the mom ...

It was a Valentine’s Day card from my dad. He had died just days before. The last time I saw him before he passed away, he could barely walk down the hall, much less write a card. I turned to my ...

Lisa McCarty is a freelance writer. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, HuffPost, Newsweek, TODAY Show and more. You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter @lbmccarty717. When I took my ...