Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
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Although I can't start this off by telling you how many rounds of golf I got in this weekend like Eddie would have, I can tell you about a few of my favorite memories of Eddie Robinson. I first met Eddie a few weeks after Billie passed away. I was the first person to sit in her chair directly across from Ed in many, many years. I knew I had big shoes to fill, but he also had a job in my life that required some big shoes. I had come home from college after my dad left and I didn't know it at the...
There is only one thing that gets a Midwesterner out of school that's not a holiday, snow day or in-service day – the Clay County Fair. The World's Greatest County Fair has a reputation for inducing joy, excitement, the need to purchase a larger belt, and the enthusiasm of children and adults alike. The fact that we have such pure pleasure so close to home is not just luck, but a true blessing that we long for at the end of the summer and relish for the short nine days it is here. How many p...
To the editor: There’s nothing as majestic as the American flag waving in the air! The past winter and summer season has damaged many of the flags around Hartley. The Hartley American Legion Auxiliary has decided to help provide a flag for those in need of a new one. We have purchased USA-made nylon flags in two sizes, 3x5 and 4x6. Purchase of either size is $25! All money raised is used to benefit veterans. This will be an ongoing service project for our unit. Flags are available at Jackie’s Floral Shop here in Hartley or by contacting Kat...
There were more disclosures in recent days in the ongoing saga involving the ethical standards of justices on the U.S. Supreme Court – or, more accurately, the lack of ethical standards. With each new disclosure about our nation’s highest court, the reputations of justices here on the Iowa Supreme Court take on more luster – and deservedly so. The nonprofit news outlet ProPublica reported that U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has received millions of dollars’ worth of luxury travel...
Two years ago, I warned against the risk a hurried withdrawal from Afghanistan would cause. Now, the consequences of a Taliban takeover are a reality. Even against the advice of his own military advisors, President Biden doubled down on a rushed process to meet his arbitrary exit deadline, resulting in the greatest U.S. foreign policy disaster of my lifetime. By abandoning Americans and our allies, emboldening our adversaries, and making the world a less safe place, President Biden sent a...
Recently, Bankrate rated Iowa the No. 1 state for retirement after consideration of affordability, overall well-being, cost of quality healthcare, weather and crime. Bankrate stated that affordability was weighted most heavily and given the massive tax cuts the Legislature has passed recently – it is no surprise that Iowa scored well. The other states in the Top 5 after Iowa were Delaware, West Virginia, Missouri and Mississippi. The worst? Alaska. It was No. 50 largely because of weather and af...
Watch any sporting event broadcast in America, and you’ll be bombarded with ads from sports books urging you to bet on the game. “Deposit your first $5, get $250 in free bets!” “Refer a friend, get $100!” “Cast your first $50 bet, get $500 in bonus bets!” America has gone bonkers for online sports betting thanks to a 2018 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down laws banning its existence. Now, basically anyone over the age of 21 has the opportunity to bet on a game from the comfort of their own couch. Making things easier is the fact that...
To the editor: When questioned about eminent domain during the 2022 gubernatorial candidate debate, Gov. Reynolds answered many times that “there is a process in place.” That process is playing out now at the Cardiff Event Center in Fort Dodge where Summit Carbon Solutions is making the case for its hazardous CO2 pipeline and landowners are being forced to defend their land. Seeing events unfold, it’s questionable if Reynolds understands the process. I was among 200-plus landowners and supporters who attended the opening day of the heari...
The following pieces were written by members of the Hartley Writing Group, who penned each submission during a writing exercise at a recent gathering. Members could choose to write a prompt on one of five topics: a cooking/baking failure; a good or bad vacation memory/experience; a flat tire experience; summer gardening; or summer storm memory. A flat tire experience By Roger Brockshus My wife, Rita, and I were planning a short trip to Branson a couple years ago. Our daughter, Hillary, and her family live in Platte City, Mo., just north of...
To the editor: North Dakota’s Public Service Commission threw a major roadblock in the path of Summit Carbon Solutions’ Midwest Carbon Express on Aug. 4 when it voted unanimously to deny the company’s hazardous CO2 pipeline permit. According to PSC Chair, Randy Christmann, Summit “failed to meet its burden of proof to show that the location, construction, operation and maintenance will produce minimal adverse effects on the environment and on the citizens of North Dakota.” Summit’s proposed route in North Dakota is part of a 2,000-mile, five-st...
I love college football. Specifically, I love the stupidity of it. I love watching a PAC-12 game at 1 a.m. on Sunday morning. I love that Iowa can win a football game 7-3 with two safeties and a field goal. I love watching Kansas beat Texas in overtime on a two-point conversion. I love watching a pointless game between Western Michigan and Central Michigan on a Wednesday night during a blizzard. It’s all so beautifully stupid. Last week, however, things became the bad kind of stupid. The PAC-12 collapsed in a day when Utah, Arizona and Arizona...
The idea of congressional term limits has been a pie in the sky for both American voters and ambitious candidates for eons. Recent incidents from some of Washington’s most tenured lawmakers have sparked worthy debate about just how long our elected officials should be allowed to rule over us. On Wednesday, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R–Ky.) appeared to go completely blank for several seconds while answering reporters’ questions at the Capitol. The senator, 81, was whisked away by colleagues and staffers, later returning to the podium and stati...
Silly me. I thought I had been paying attention to the issues about which Iowans feel strongly. You know, things like inflation, taxes, government spending, the war in Ukraine, a new farm bill, water quality, immigration, the federal debt. Those sorts of issues. But I have spaced off a vital issue in the minds of some in Congress — an issue that apparently has been flying under the radar of Iowans: That issue is aliens from another world. While Joe and Jane Iowan were fretting last week about dr...
Two of the most common concerns I hear are about roads not getting fix and too much road construction. Our local department of transportation folks are constantly reviewing road conditions, monitoring traffic flow and putting projects in the pipeline. Like everything else, costs have increased and so has transportation investments. Fiscal Year 2023 saw record spending on roads and bridges in Iowa, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation. DOT announced that spending on transportation...
A funeral service for Marion D. “Jay” Jaycox was held Monday, July 31, 2023, at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Sanborn. Pastor Joseph Bangert officiated. Pallbearers were Paige Malven, Melissa Carlson, Kieja Evans, Robin Steller, Shannon Pelham, Ryan Jaycox, Kimberly Renken and Nicole Long. Interment was in Roseland Cemetery at Sanborn, with military graveside rites conducted by the Sanborn American Legion, Earl T. Conaway Post #318. Sanborn Funeral Home assisted with the arrangements. Marion Delbert “Jay” Jaycox, the son of Delbert and Mary...
Ronald Reagan famously said, “Thou shalt not speak ill of another Republican.” Apparently the late president’s 11th Commandment doesn’t apply in the Hawkeye State. Just as summer’s heat is about to peak, so too is the mudslinging from river to river. Alas, caucus season is in full swing. Many folks may greet this news with a loud groan. With incumbent President Joe Biden slated to make another White House run, Republicans from across the country have been coming out of the woodwork over the past few months announcing their campaigns. They’re a...
To the editor: It’s getting time to put our mindset to school days coming. We need to look at helping the Hartley Community Daycare Center with a new building for the safety of the children and workers! When people are looking at our town to move to, they look at daycare, school system and housing. H-M-S has a great school system going, but we also need to help our daycare. Hartley is a great town for new families, and we need to HELP our daycare to be in a safe place and to be able to expand. Betty Walton, Everly...
g up in school, I showed some talent in writing essay questions, or even small story answers, but really never considered myself a writer. Poetry was much more significant as I literally hated the poetry we had to read in high school. The chances of me becoming a poet were an absolute zero in my mind. That all changed after we bought our first house in the country outside of Groton, S.D., while I still worked in Aberdeen. I was working full time for the railroad and was starting grad school at...
I often think I’m only good at putting a sentence together. Some weeks, even that’s suspect. Nonetheless, I’m regularly forced to put effort into obligations other than writing and this newspaper. At home, I’m in charge of the yard. Mowing, tree trimming, weed control and other standard chores fall under my belt. These things don’t require much effort and my caveman brain can usually handle it. Last week, though, it all came crashing down. I sprayed for weeds earlier this summer to great effect. They died like they always die, and the yard...
At long last, some positive pool news Remediation plan’s approval is first good news in a while The ribbon has yet to be cut, but Hartley’s never-open new pool appears to have some new life following a recent decision by a state board. The Iowa Electrical Examining Board (IEEB) last month approved a remediation plan submitted by the pool’s contractor to address issues that led to a failed electrical inspection last year. Whether the city moves forward with the plan remains to be seen, but there are at least flickers of light at the end of th...
With Gov. Kim Reynolds’ signature on each of the 2023 budget bills, the state’s spending plan for the new fiscal year is now set. The governor signed all of the Fiscal Year 2024 budget bills on June 1. She chose not to use her line item veto authority on any of the appropriations levels enacted by the General Assembly. The only item veto involved policy in the Judicial Branch appropriations bill. The section in question dealt with a situation in eastern Iowa where attorneys who do not pra...
These are challenging times for Iowa’s 327 public school districts. They are being watched closely by state officials and lawmakers, by parents and by others in the community. These eyes are looking for signs schools are treading lightly on topics like racial history and sexual orientation or that schools are being distracted from dealing with unruly kids who disrupt other students’ learning. With this heightened scrutiny, some districts are doing themselves a disservice when they try to kee...
To the editor: Much to the dismay of Summit Carbon Solutions, easements for over 1,000 parcels on its hazardous CO2 pipeline route remain unsigned. The clock is ticking, and time is running out. Construction is behind schedule, and the project is over budget. The company needs speedy approval to use eminent domain to take this property, and recent events signal the IUB is willing to oblige. The Procedural Schedule, filed June 16, 2023, indicates the board intends to rubber-stamp Summit’s application by favoring the pipeline company over Exhibit...
Time is something that is precisely defined yet hard to gauge. As a dad six years in, I’m wondering where it’s gone. Our firstborn, Oliver, came into this world on May 11, 2017. He was followed closely by his sister, Cecelia, on Oct. 18, 2018. They are getting older by the day and so am I, but it’s hard to put a stamp on that. Six whole years? Fatherhood has been the most challenging duty of my life. Many of you are better at it than me, and I’m continually wrapped in my own brain wondering if I’m doing it right. Who knows – some days are be...
Nothing is so perfect as an evening in June. I sit on my deck on the south shore of Silver Lake with a good book and a cold beverage. The lake is calm. The birds sing. A hummingbird whizzes by on his way to the feeder. There are no boats or jet skis racing by. None of the neighbors are outside talking. No kids are swimming. No one is playing fetch with their dog. A lone duck quacks from the shoreline as he slips into the water. It is rare to see a duck here. Usually there are geese or pelicans. The sun is a bright fuchsia red ball as it sinks s...
