Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
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The Revenue Estimating Conference (REC) met last month to give a better outlook of the state’s budget. For Fiscal Year 2023, the REC panel increased expected revenue for the current fiscal year from its October forecast of $9.5341 billion to $9.6152 billion. This is an increase of $81.1 million over October’s number. When compared to FY 2022’s final revenue number, state revenue would be down 1.9 percent in FY 23. The decline in annual revenue is due to the implementation of this year’s tax ref...
Q: Why are you calling on the Biden administration to make border security its New Year’s resolution? A: President Biden is putting the sovereignty of the United States of America in peril by refusing to enforce our nation’s immigration laws and failing to secure the border. On Biden’s watch, illegal migration is leading to preventable death and suffering as historic numbers of people are illegally crossing the southern border, falling victim to ruthless human smuggling operations and causi...
To the editor: Iowans know that ethanol plants and our farmer partners are stewards of the land who are committed to our local communities and consistently striving for growth. Valero is committed to advancing the future of energy through innovation, ingenuity and unmatched execution. As the plant manager for Valero Hartley, I’m proud that Valero is investing in low-carbon fuel projects, and working with Navigator CO2. Navigator CO2’s Heartland Greenway plays a vital role to further reduce the carbon intensity of liquid fuels, specifically the...
"The time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn." – Luke 2:6-7 What is the significance of the time and circumstances of the birth of Jesus? Why wasn't he born in a mansion or palace? Why wasn't the Son of God born in a place that was at least more prominent and sanitary than a pen for livestock? I want to share the following excerpt from a sermon written by M...
Let's be honest – we don't see ourselves as a spiritual being. However, we are a spiritual being having a very real human experience. We see ourselves as human first and spiritual secondary. This Christmas, maybe we can see the celebration of Christ's birth for what it really is – a very real spiritual experience, that involved very real human people. It's easy for us to read the account of Jesus' birth in Scripture and forget that these were real human, ordinary flesh-and blood people. Mary was...
How well I remember the time Santa came into my house in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve. I saw him! Yes, I did! We were living on the ranch in Montana in a little white house across the yard from my uncle's log house. I was about 4 years old. My little brother, Jerry, and I slept on the couch in the living room. I can still hear my mother working in the kitchen that night doing some baking for Christmas dinner. Soon, the house was quiet and we finally fell asleep. We didn't have a fire...
Q: What’s in store for the new Farm Bill? A: As a member of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee and a lifelong family farmer, I bring real world experience to the policymaking table on behalf of the farm families who feed and fuel the world. As Congress begins its work on the new Farm Bill, I bring years of legislative expertise to the negotiating table, having helped hammer out the last eight Farm Bills since I was first elected to the U.S. Senate, in addition to my work on...
Iowa Democrats took another one on the nose last week when it was announced South Carolina would likely leapfrog the Hawkeye State’s first-in-the-nation presidential nominating status. The move wasn’t unexpected, but it dealt a significant blow to Iowa’s national political relevance. Democratic Party officials last Friday moved a step closer to making South Carolina the first nominating state of 2024, followed by Nevada and New Hampshire, Georgia and then Michigan. Even President Joe Biden has endorsed the change. He, like others in his party...
There are things in this world I can tolerate and there are things I cannot. Hanging Christmas lights falls under the latter category. I’ve bemoaned the annual task several times in this space before. At our old house in Ocheyedan, the chore fell on yours truly with no other options in sight. It was an intricate battle of wills between my wife and I up north, but now that we’ve moved to Hartley, I’m kicking my legs up – this year, at least. I absolutely hated hanging lights at the Ocheyedan home. We strung them around the gutters on all fou...
It won’t be long before empty parking spaces near the Iowa Capitol will be as hard to find as a compromise between Democrats and Republicans. The Legislature returns to Des Moines on Jan. 9, more firmly in Republican control than it was on May 24, when this year’s session ended. With their strong showing in the election this month, Republicans can be expected to pick up where they left off six months ago. For people living in rural Iowa, one issue of deep concern on Gov. Kim Reynolds’ to-do...
To the editor: Summit Carbon Solutions is running large ads to tell us they care. I personally believe someone cares when they show me. Actions speak much louder than Summit’s ads. So far, their actions show they do not care about anyone. They only care about raking in your tax dollars. They are not paying for this hazardous pipeline. Your tax dollars are supporting it. I am a landowner in Kossuth County affected by this hazardous CO2 pipeline. I recently received an increased offer and easement to sign. Landowners receiving these easements n...
Don't worry about catching your breath following this month's election – we're heading right back to where we started. The Nov. 8 election came with expected results here in the Hawkeye State. Republicans ransacked Iowa, further cementing their absolute monopoly in Des Moines. Gov. Kim Reynolds coasted to an easy victory over her hapless opponent Deidre DeJear by winning all but four of the state's 99 counties. The GOP also easily retained majorities in the House and Senate. What's worse for r...
Thanksgiving presents us with time to ruminate on the things that matter most. Friends, family, a roof over our heads and food on the table often top the list. I’m no different. I lead a rather uneventful life, and those four things pretty much cover the bases. However, I can think of plenty of things I’m not thankful for. Though I’m not going to share this list through gritted teeth at the Thanksgiving table, these things have really stuck in my craw over the past year. Refrigerators. We’ve had some horrendous luck with our fridges during...
If you live in this part of northwest Iowa, there is a good chance you have seen a parachute plane. The colorful chute is readily recognized with its brilliant colors including red, yellow, blue, black, orange and more. The plane has a sleek fuselage with equally bright colors. When describing it, my wife affectionately refers to it as a flying dune buggy. Flying has never been a favorite pastime of mine, and the idea of being off the ground in an open-sided plane initially had no appeal to me....
To the editor: Landowners along the route of Summit Carbon Solutions’ hazardous CO2 pipeline are holding the line against the company’s strong-armed attempts to pressure us for our signatures. After more than a year of working to get signed easements, Summit only has a little more than half of those needed. A KMZ map of the most recent Exhibit H file submitted to the Iowa Utility board shows more than 1,500 unsigned parcels remain. This private property will be targeted for eminent domain should Summit be granted a permit for a hazardous CO2 pi...
To the editor: So, I’ve read the letters in the last couple years. I’ve yet to read one explaining how happy the writers are with their Biden/Harris vote. I’ve noticed the Biden bumper stickers disappearing. It might lead one to believe that the realization of the Democrat policies of high unrelenting crime in defunded police cities, the billions of fentanyl pills, the millions of illegals crossing our borders, the unbelievable strain of our high gas prices and heating fuel, food, milk and electricity, the abortion/murder of full-term babie...
To the editor: In a barrage of 3-page ads found in newspapers across the state, Summit Carbon Solutions tells Iowans it cares, it’s listening and it’s here for us. Designed to tug at our heartstrings with reassuring verbiage and photos of downhome farm folk dressed in obligatory plaid shirts, the ads target thousands of landowners, such as myself, who refuse to sign voluntary easements with the hazardous CO2 pipeline company. After more than a year of land agent visits, emails, phone calls, letters, meetings, luncheons, PR mailings and oth...
I try to stay atop the day’s news. But I must have dozed off last week, because I missed the response from Iowa Republican leaders to the Biden administration’s announcement of $1.3 billion in debt relief to 36,000 farmers who have fallen behind on their farm loan payments. In making the announcement, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said, “Through no fault of their own, our nation’s farmers and ranchers have faced incredibly tough circumstances over the last few years. The funding...
Though many parts of the state are experiencing drought right now, Iowans are wallowing in the mud. It’s election season, which means candidates are throwing everything against the wall that will stick. This state has been a Republican stronghold for the better part of six years. Iowa went blue for Barack Obama twice in 2008 and 2012, but has since veered hard right. It went to Donald Trump twice, a result that has been reflected in Des Moines. Republicans have held controlling majorities in the House and Senate since 2016 – by a lot, too – a...
As a leading advocate for lowering drug prices in the Senate, I’ve hauled Big Pharma and pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) executives before Congress, led a two-year bipartisan investigation into insulin price gouging and advanced bipartisan reforms to lower the cost of insulin and many other prescription drugs. In the past few years, bipartisan legislation I’ve championed into law has saved taxpayers $9.6 billion. Despite opposition from Big Pharma, I’m leading the Prescription Drug Pricing Reduc...
Three months have passed since it was announced Hartley's new pool would never open in 2022. Now the calendar has flipped to October, and the City With a Heart is still treading water waiting for answers. There was a glimmer of hope in August when the Iowa Electrical Examining Board approved a plan that would allegedly address electrical inspection failures at the pool. According to City Hall, that approval came with several strict stipulations. Since there's been no movement at the aquatic...
You might excuse me for being a bit scatterbrained of late. Our recent move to Hartley, combined with other normal stressors like children and work, have found me feeling quite proud if I remember to put on my underwear in the morning. Life is life. The date on this paper tells me it's Thursday, but it might as well be Monday – thank goodness for calendars, because the past few weeks have been a whirlwind. In any case, here are a few quick hitters that are at the forefront of my grey matter. ...
There was a recent news update about two elderly Iowans who wandered away from different care centers last winter and froze to death. There is no question the deaths were horrible tragedies. There is no question they resulted from carelessness and a needless lack of attention by employees of the centers. There are important questions that need to be asked, though. Why was one death a regrettable accident but the other death was a crime? And why, if Iowa treats the one death as a crime, is the...
It’s that time of the year when property taxes are on the forefront of a lot of people’s minds. Legislators get a lot of questions on property taxes, so let’s go through some of the basics. Let’s start with how and when homes are assessed. Iowa law requires that all residential property be reassessed every two years on the odd numbered year by the county assessor. So, all Iowa homeowners will have their homes reassessed next year. When most Iowans talk about assessing a home, they are really talking about figuring out the market value. The law...
To the editor: I would like to clarify the “quote” that I did NOT speak regarding the article “Scoreboard replacement offers other benefits” in last week’s newspaper. I was “quoted” as saying, “I think it is still common in our area for Wednesday night to be church night. It is not popular, but it is the feedback I’m getting.” What I did say is that I have received patron comments regarding so many activities on Sunday afternoons and evenings. And that while my personal opinion may not be popular to some in the public, I would like to see t...
