Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
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The days are shorter, the breeze is a bit cooler and cornfields throughout O'Brien and Clay counties are starting to turn that special shade of gold. It's harvest season once again, and with its arrival comes certain precautions for both area travelers and local farmers alike. Businesses and ag groups just marked the 79th annual National Farm Safety and Health Week Sept. 18-24. Specific emphasis is placed on raising awareness about the many dangers farmers face in their day-to-day jobs, and the...
Kaity and I are finally moved into our new place in Hartley. I say that generally, because a brief glimpse inside our gargage proves we have a lot more moving in to do. Nonetheless, it’s all here and has been since Sept. 19. We closed on our house in Ocheyedan that day, which finally allowed us to close on the home here. The process sort of dragged on at the end as we had to endure a few hiccups, but in any case, we’re here. I think this whole situation has dented my life expectancy. I’m excited we’re finally moved, but even more tired....
President Joe Biden’s decision to cancel up to $10,000 in federal student loans for many borrowers is fair game for vigorous debate – and disagreement. Americans have been debating and disagreeing for 246 years. What jumps out in this latest dispute is how some politicians are blind to the inconsistencies in their arguments against this economic shot in the arm when, through the years, they have supported other government incentives to various groups. To hear the comments of Iowans in Was...
In almost every single county I visit on my 99 County Tour, I see help wanted signs. From public schools to the National Guard, Iowa is facing a shortage of nearly every essential worker our economy depends on. Sadly, Democrats’ response to the nationwide need for essential workers is to bloat our bureaucracy even more, to the tune of 87,000 IRS agents. And, no matter what the liberal talking heads say, these agents are not going to stick to auditing billionaires and the top tier of the tax code...
Nearly five years ago, Congress passed bipartisan legislation I led alongside Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, to make certain types of hearing aids easily available to Americans with mild to moderate hearing loss. Our proposal, the Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Act, was signed into law in August of 2017, but years went by before the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) established regulations needed to make affordable hearings aids a reality. After continuously pressuring the FDA over the l...
To the editor: Three investment companies, Summit Carbon Solutions, Navigator and Wolfe Carbon Solutions (in partnership with Archer Daniel Midlands), are seeking permits to develop thousands of miles of CO2 pipelines throughout our state. Their main selling point is the notion that Iowa’s ethanol will only remain competitive if it meets California’s strict low-carbon emission standards. Even so, a recent vote in California will take CO2 emission standards to an even higher level in 2035 when the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles will be...
Where’d it go? Challenges and triumphs highlight summer of 2022 The calendar hasn’t flipped to September yet, but Labor Day is certainly in sight. That only means one thing: The summer of 2022 is experiencing its final flickers of sunlight. What a summer it was. The season began with waves of anticipation here in Hartley as locals geared up for the opening of the community’s new pool. Unfortunately, smiling faces soon turned to frowns when it was announced the facility could not open thanks to failed safety inspections. The issue remains unres...
August typically provides a rude awakening from the summer slumber here at the newspaper. Activity on the news front picks up with increased activities like town celebrations and other happenings, and internal items like our fair results and fall sports preview tabs keep us on our toes. Admittedly, my mind has been elsewhere. We finally got our 105-year-old Ocheyedan home sold and have entered the chaotic phase of the moving period. We officially close Sept. 6, but there’s so much to do before then. First on the list is crossing off l...
People in the health care field have worked their tails off since the COVID pandemic hit Iowa with a vengeance in 2020. Doctors, nurses and all manner of technicians and support staff have performed heroically under circumstances that often were trying. But the death this year of a patient at a Centerville care center has struck a chord with many Iowans – and not just because COVID claimed another life. The reaction has ranged from sadness to anger because the person’s treatment was unprofession...
What a lucky childhood! The South Dakota State Fair was the star attraction of my hometown, Huron. Each visit was a sensory overload to grade school and junior high kids who weren’t at all excited about the beginning of school. (These were the days before adult supervision and oversight were deemed necessary.) My younger brother was an expert at locating “free stuff” at seed corn dealers, political tents and hearing aid sales tables. These treasures were stashed in large shopping bags brightened with advertising slogans. Our loot consisted of f...
To the editor: One could assume that ever since I became Mayor of Royal things have really gone to the wayside. Starting with the failure of the year 2020, then our elevator exploded, and most recently on July 5 our town was seriously compromised by a derecho. Go back to a few days before the 5th. I had just approved the proof for the annual horseshoe tournament T-shirts that the Royal Lions Club puts on each year for Royal Fun Days. I came up with “R Town” late last year and wanted to work it into the T-shirt, because I thought it was cat...
To the editor: A summer storm hit our town, a derecho (a word I’d never heard until a couple years ago) made quite a mess. Had never seen such a wind – tree limbs and debris everywhere. Powerlines were down so I started clearing streets so the power company could do their work. Let’s go back. I’m Sherm Nielsen, the town guy. I’ve lived here my whole life. When I was younger I knew everyone in town. We all helped each other and looked out for our neighbors. Things have changed in Royal over the years like in all small towns, and it seemed li...
The scorching heat and oppressive humidity can only mean one thing in late July – it's fair time in O'Brien County! This year's installment features multiple events for the whole family. The forecast calls for steamy weather, but that shouldn't stop you from making a few trips to the fairgrounds in Primghar this week. Things get started Saturday with a stacked lineup featuring the 15th Annual Antique/Classic Tractor Ride in the morning and auto races at night. After a brief lull Sunday, action p...
I've held several titles in my life. They run the gambit from professional ones like "reporter" and "news editor," to more personal ones like "dad" and "husband." This spring, I added "coach." We signed up our oldest, Oliver, for tee ball this spring in Hartley. My better half suggested I volunteer as a coach, and several weeks of staring at the COACHES NEEDED ad in this very newspaper finally resulted in me joining on. Lindsay Kracht and I were the only ones who originally volunteered to lead 3...
The college sports world was flipped on its head once again last week when news broke that the University of Southern California and the University of California Los Angeles would be joining the Big Ten Conference in 2024. The announcement marked yet another cataclysmic shift in college sports, which was already changing at a rapid pace. Nobody is questioning the motives behind the move. This will bode better for all parties involved – both USC and UCLA will get a much larger financial cut than they were getting in the PAC 12 Conference, and t...
I hope everyone found the long and beautiful holiday weekend to be a fantastic one! We are exhausted, but our cups overflow as we were blessed to spend time with most of our families, cherishing time with one another making memories. This weekend, and every holiday weekend for that matter, just seems to fly by so quickly. I am a firm believer that after every holiday weekend there should be a required vacation day or two to recoup from said holiday. A bit overkill maybe, but I deem it nearly nec...
The plight of owning an old home is that nothing ever seems "done." Our to-do list is always loaded, not that we have any ambition to chip away at it anyway. Pressure to cross several items off that list ramped up in May when Kaity and I put our 105-year-old Ocheyedan home on the market. We are hoping to move to Hartley soon, but that decision has necessitated a flurry of activity at family headquarters before any boxes get packed Big projects like new siding, soffit fascia and living room trim...
Happy Thursday to all! I hope this Thursday finds you well and enjoying these warmer temps. Iowa is truly a champion at giving us multiple seasons in one week, luckily this week we have found ourselves enjoying some real summer weather. My children are eating it up. *** We will kick off this week's column with Bethlehem Lutheran's Pastor Mark Wilms giving us his weekly dose of "Coffee Shop Wisdom." We have a few for you today, starting with "When angry, count to 10 before you speak. If very...
America is poised mark its 246th birthday on Monday. While the Fourth is always a big party, many citizens may find reasons to celebrate few and far between this year. To say there's a lot of domestic turmoil right now would be monumental understatement. Half the country can hardly agree with the other side that the sky is blue, and those tensions seem to grow tenfold by the week. We may be 50 United States, but it never seems like unity is front and foremost on most Americans' minds these...
Oversized ribbons and scissors were put on the shelf in Hartley this week. Local kids will have to wait yet one more year to take their inaugural dip in the new pool, and that's a jagged pill to swallow. More of a gut punch, really. The entire community was buzzing this spring about the new pool's impending opening. If you're unaware of the details that unfolded this week, direct your eyes to our main story on Page 1. It flat out stinks. According to information shared during Monday's special ci...
What is happening to us? What passes for public discussion these days certainly is not civil or thoughtful. Nor is it really much of a discussion. If you read the comments from some supposed leaders, you find references to the members of the other political party being our enemies. It’s not just Republicans doing this. It’s Democrats, too. Enemies are those people on the other side of the guns in a war. Our enemies are not the people in our own state, or around the nation, who disagree with us...
General Fund revenue for the state continued to come in strong, as tax receipts in May were 43.6 percent higher than what the state collected in May 2021. While some of this increase is attributable to a variety of tax filing deadlines falling on a weekend at the end of April, the strong revenue number continues the state on a path to collect more revenue than what the Revenue Estimating Conference (REC) projected. Leading the revenue growth this month was personal income tax, which generated...
My parents both were savers. My dad always said, "I might be able to use that someday." If my mom would throw something away that she didn't need anymore, my dad would sometimes take it out of the trash and they would have a discussion about it. That didn't happen very often, though. One of the things I remember my mom saving was worn out clothing. I'm talking about clothes that had gone from sibling to sibling after coming from a cousin or two. If Mom determined they were worn out, they were...
Anticipating the opening Summer arrived in full force this week. With the extended forecast calling for high temps near or over 90 degrees for the next two weeks, the thought of opening day at Hartley’s new pool has become increasingly enticing. Luckily, local children need not wait much longer. The city council on Monday discussed progress at the new aquatic center. The pool’s variable frequency drives (VFDs) arrived last week and are in the process of being installed, with testing of equipment and employee training to follow. The VFDs’ arriv...
From the very start you were taught, Just what was needed from you, To work with strong mind and body, And of proper morale too, You were taught that others will need you, And thus, you must be there, No matter the time or your skill level, No matter if you were not prepared, You were taught that to get a job done, The first step was to merely ‘show up’, Not late or on time, but early, And ‘being there’ wasn’t enough, In order to do a job right, You needed to give it your all, To think bef...
