This Veterans Day weekend, the Moline-based Fourth Wall Films – run by the extraordinary husband-and-wife team of Kelly and Tammy Rundle – will premiere the latest documentary in the planned nine-part, short-film Hero Street series.

This is an insane year for the Oscars.

With nothing but emotional support and well wishes, from here in the Midwest, to the Hollywood community and the many thousands in their vicinity, the boldface names and titles below are my predicted nominees, with non-boldface denoting runners-up and predictions in order of probability.

Just nine years after earning her second Master of Fine Arts degree, writer and University of Iowa instructor Rachel Yoder sold her first novel, and then the film rights, a year before it was even published.