) A bizarre Buck Moon story that starts and ends with a rose, with Kathy Byrnes;

) A Democrat official's perspective on bright-red Iowa, with Judy Downs, executive director, Polk County Democrats;

) Update on the flooding in Germany, with Albrecht Kustermann;

) Bill Gray, Des Moines City Councilman;

) When freedom of speech crosses the line, with Randy Evans;

) Digging deep into composting, with Kari Noble and Steve Shivvers.