Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
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I'm no gardener. The only thing I'm good at growing is weeds, and I don't even try to do that. Nonetheless, our yard does feature a garden. It's under Kaity's charge, but she's taken a rather laissez-faire attitude about it this year. I think she gave up on it after the green beans died before they even got going. This year's patch features broccoli, peppers, strawberries and tomatoes. The berries turned out horribly, only producing tiny morsels that seemed to have more seeds than fruit. The...
A humanitarian crisis. A national security crisis. A public health crisis. That’s the reality at our southern border. We’re nearly seven months into the Biden Administration, and they are refusing to step up and take action. It’s hard to ignore the facts. 210,000 illegal immigrants were encountered at the southern border last month – the most we’ve seen in over 20 years. Just recently, about 50,000 migrants who illegally crossed the border were released into our country without a court dat...
It is hard to imagine Norman Borlaug ever joining in singing “Jolene” or “9 to 5.” I can’t picture him harmonizing in a heart-tugging rendition of “I Will Always Love You.” This is not a knock against this kid from Cresco, Iowa. He excelled in other ways — like saving upwards of one billion people from starvation through the revolutionary plant-breeding work he did in the decades after World War II. Borlaug developed new, high-yield, disease-resistant varieties of wheat, maize and rice that a...
It’s hard for me to think of a bigger waste of money and resources than the Olympics. Don’t get me wrong – I believe they should be held and I do enjoy the story lines, but the amount of cash pumped into getting this horse and pony show off the ground is staggering. Let’s take a look at this year’s Games. According to The Wall Street Journal, the Tokyo Olympics are set to be the most expensive on record: “The budget is $15.4 billion, but Japanese government auditors have said total spending tops $20 billion, almost three times the original fo...
It’s fair time in Iowa, and all across the Hawkeye State folks are flocking to the fairgrounds. After last summer’s lockdown, they’re looking forward to seeing old friends and neighbors at the exhibits, food stands, shows and carnivals. Excitement is building, and this season is expected to set attendance records. Over in Politick County, the midway is attracting large crowds and creating quite a stir. Unusual merchandise is on display, and new games offer challenging ways to win prizes. Fairg...
It's been a while since we've all been able to get together for a little fun. With the pandemic shelving everything last year, folks were looking forward to a return to normal this summer. Local residents were able to do just that last weekend in Hartley and Everly. Summer Celebration returned to form and Everly Fire & Rescue's 100th anniversary celebration complemented Community Day last Saturday. Suffice it to say, everyone had good time. These local events don't happen in a vacuum – they t...
It’s happening in Hartley It seems like you can’t drive two blocks in Hartley without running into construction of some sort – not that anyone is complaining. There’s a ton of progress taking place right now in the City With a Heart. The first building is being constructed in the new industrial park, ground has broken on the new pool and the city’s emergency services building is getting a roof upgrade. That’s not to mention the new playground at the daycare and road resurfacing work that took place last month. Oh, and don’t forget planne...
I'm no Michelin-starred chef, but I do OK in the kitchen. I have a list of go-to favorites that play well with my family, and as long everybody's bellies are full, I'm content. My favorite cooking surface is my charcoal grill. Burgers, brats, chicken wings and hotdogs have been standard fare this summer, and even though I thoroughly enjoy them, I've grown a little tired with everything. Bored and in need of a challenge, I shifted my sights to a more stimulating dish for the Fourth of July. Takin...
This session, there were several child care bills brought forward in an attempt to increase child care workforce numbers, increase provider rates to maintain existing child care facilities, provide incentives to develop new child care facilities and help hard-working families afford child care. Child care is one of, if the not the most, important factor in getting Iowans back to work after the various business shutdowns during the public health emergency. The following bills went into effect on...
When an American president makes a decision on military deployment, the action sends signals to friends and foes alike around the globe. Take for example President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan by September 11, 2021. Not only was this hasty and misguided, disregarding conditions on the ground, it was also a political message calculated for a front page or primetime talking point on the 20 year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. We can’t ignore the reali...
Controversy, of sorts, arrived in my driveway last week. There was no commotion. There were no protesters. No picketers. No chants about destroying the economy or caving in to China. In fact, there was virtually no sound at all when the revolution in the American automobile industry rolled to a stop - and our niece and her husband and their dog stepped out of their Tesla. Annie and Nathan were on their way home to Texas after a vacation in the Midwest. They are not rabble-rousers. You won't...
Editor’s note: This column originally ran in the June 29, 2017 edition of the Sentinel-News. The editor’s 2012 Ford Focus is now completely paid off and rusting, and he wants a new Ford Bronco Sport. Unfortunately, there are no taxis in northwest Iowa to take out his Focus while parked perfectly legally on the street. Unless I blow off my hand with an M-80 sometime, July 4, 2014 will go down as the worst Independence Day of my life. The holiday started off with potential. It fell on a Friday that year, so I decided to visit old college bud...
Americans celebrated their independence before they were independent. In July of 1776, colonists heard the Declaration of Independence read aloud for the first time in Philadelphia’s Independence Square. They were overwhelmed with joy to hear the news that the colonies were free from British tyranny, and they took to the streets in spontaneous celebration and boisterous revelry. The Revolutionary War would last for six more years, and the colonists were so sure of victory that they continued t...
Aside from the usual house pets like our dog and cat, we host a variety of critters in our son's aquarium. This year, we scored a two-for-one special. Oliver and I swiped a few tadpoles earlier this month while checking our crawfish trap at the Ocheyedan Pits. This is the second year we've set one of the contraptions at the local ponds, but the hot weather has been a bummer so far. We haven't caught any crawfish in the past three weeks and have pulled up pot after pot of partially decomposed...
A gut punch to Iowans. That’s the only way to describe the Biden Administration’s decision to roll back the previous administration’s Navigable Water Protection Rule. Sadly, for those of us who have been on the frontlines of this fight since 2015, this news is not a surprise. Now let me be clear: everyone can agree that clean water should be a national priority. Iowans, and all Americans, want sensible safeguards that protect our environment and keep our nation’s water clean. But what they don’t...
My wife Cheri and I, and our two children, had been living in a comfortable newer ranch-style home in Aberdeen, S.D., when through many different influences, we decided to take the plunge into horse ownership. We bought an old farmhouse on an acreage that included pastureland for my newly-acquired steed, which included former out lots of the abandoned town of James. All that remained was the elevator, two farmhouses and an old shack that was cluttered with wagons, railroad ties and a lot of...
My kids and grandkids, and even my wife, shake their heads at my choice of electronic entertainment. I have a Zenith radio that I got in 1967 as a graduation gift and it is perfectly usable. I’ll have to admit that it doesn’t fit with the décor inside our house, but a few pieces of duct tape and splotches of paint don’t bother anything in the garage. It was a good unit in the day of mostly AM radios, and through a little TLC and coaxing, it’s still a good unit. Besides, if it dies tomorrow...
In one of the most underrated bills of the legislative session, the Iowa Legislature found a way to make adoptions more affordable, with an ultimate goal of making them free. That’s right. Free adoptions. A few years ago, the state started the adoption tax credit program. Additionally, the State of Iowa began a program to defray some adoption expenses through the Department of Human Services. But we knew we could do better. The State of Iowa has contracts with lawyers throughout the state to provide legal services for criminal defendants. T...
I like to think of myself as an optimistic cynic. I always hope things pan out positively, but rarely do dreams line up with reality. Such is the case this spring... er, early summer. Never has the phrase, “Is it hot enough for ya?” been worn so thin and we’re still more than two weeks away from the Fourth of July. This month has been one heck of a hot one. I feel especially qualified to moan on and on about this subject. As you might remember from my previous gripes in this space, our 104-year-old Ocheyedan home has nary an air duct in it th...
As kids, we played a game called Simon Says. Standing in lines, we faced our leader, "Simon," and listened intently for commands. If Simon said, "Simon says, 'Hop'," we all hopped. If Simon said, "Take two steps'," we all froze because the command did not begin with, "Simon says...." After a rapid series of orders, players became confused, moved at wrong times, and soon were unable to follow any directions. Hilarity ensued and a different leader stepped up front. Today, we play a more dangerous...
I’m on the record in this space for falling out of touch with Major League Baseball. After my Chicago Cubs won it all in 2016, I felt my professional sports Mt. Everest had been summited. Consequently, I took a break – they finally did it, so who cares? All I paid attention to was the playoffs. The MLB’s season is a marathon and with kids, a mile-long to-do list and other obligations, I paid little attention during the regular season. That changed last year, though. The pandemic brought with it a wave of cancellations, including the first...
I’ve never understood why people complain so much about winter. All you have to do is scoop snow, and if you’ve got a snow blower, there’s nothing to moan about. Using a self-propelled machine to make quick work of the white stuff on my sidewalks and driveway pales in comparison to mowing. First, I’ve got to trim – I can’t stand the loose ends. Then I have to go about the business of actually mowing. This is a three-hour task since I don’t have a rider. One of the previous owners of our 104-year-old Ocheyedan home bought the property dire...
To the editor: Community Memorial Health Center wants to share their appreciation to the staff, residents and community members who helped make National Nursing Home Week a huge success! The smiles and laughter make it easy to forget how terrified we were last year at this time. Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs tell us that we can only enjoy life once our basic needs for survival are met. Our festivities last week were indications we are heading in the right direction. Dr. Janette Simon, CMHC administrator, Hartley...
To the editor: Friday, May 28, the Arthur Kirchhoff Unit 288, American Legion Auxiliary of Hartley will be conducting their annual Poppy Day. Poppies and containers will be placed in Hartley businesses in hopes that you will make a donation to continue this time-honored tradition. You are not purchasing a poppy; you are making a donation that can only be used to support veterans, military and their families. In Hartley, the poppy donation containers will be placed in local businesses for your convenience. You may also mail your donation to...
Tassels will turn this weekend for graduating seniors at Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn. After a tumultuous year dealing with pandemic-related uncertainty, commencement no doubt comes as a big sigh of relief. But even though it may appear the book is closing, the adventure is only beginning for these young adults. It's been a slog to get here, and we're only referring to the past year. The final two months of these seniors' junior year was canceled by COVID-19 and nothing was spared from the chopping...
