Features

Capt. Ronnie Paul Stevens, 51, knew at an early age he was going to be the captain one day of a towing vessel in the commercial marine industry. He loved… Read More

Reached by phone shortly before taking his 5-year-old son, Kason, to soccer practice near Uniontown, Pa., where he lives, Capt. Mike Porter told of his career on the river, starting… Read More

Jayson Grimes was 19 back in 1990 when he went to work aboard towboats. He credits a few friends of his who’d already started out in the industry with introducing… Read More

When asked what he likes about being a towboat captain, Capt. Chad Fielder’s answer is “everything.” “I’ve met a lot of people,” he said. “It’s very family-oriented. Even with the… Read More

For inland towboat captains, probably the most basic difference in working conditions is between long-haul and harbor captains. Capt. Tom Hanes, long-time harbor captain for Upper River Services, has no… Read More

As a 19-year-old, Bretford Wildrick took a job right out of high school as a welder at Iowa Marine & Repair in Keokuk, Iowa. Wildrick, a native of Hamilton, Ill.,… Read More

A father-son team are showing their values – supporting their family, faith and country – while both working at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Ensley Engineer Yard in Memphis,… Read More

“M’mm Good! M’mm Good!” That’s what Campbell’s soup is: “M’mm M’mm Good!” Anyone remember that commercial? For many of the soups Campbell’s does make, however, “made from scratch” is best. Read More

A traveling exhibit from the prestigious Smithsonian Institution is spending the next few weeks at the River Discovery Center in Paducah, Ky. Titled “Crossroads: Change in Rural America,” the exhibit… Read More

The river road through St. Gabriel, La., located on the left descending bank near Mile 200 on the Mississippi River, is a quiet stretch, with plots of farmland dwarfing neighborhoods… Read More