Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
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We live in an age of digital cameras and smart phones. It has become easier to record history, both with pictures and videos. Gone are the days of clipping articles from the newspaper, photo albums sitting on the coffee table and carrying snapshots in your wallet. I may be a bit nostalgic, but I believe we lose something in today’s electronic world. My great-grandparents all died before I was born. The only thing I know about them are names, dates and residences that are available on public r...
On Jan. 20, within hours of entering the Oval Office, President Biden signed an executive order halting further development of the Keystone XL pipeline. In doing so, he set in motion a series of events harmful to our economy and energy independence. He also jeopardized the future of many families and communities in our Western states. The Keystone XL is only the latest in a long list of pipelines met with lawsuits and demonstrations by environmentalists. The Keystone Pipeline (predecessor of...
Whether you're a Democrat, Republican or something in between, nobody is envious of President Joe Biden right now. On Wednesday he inherited a nation deeply divided along partisan lines, with millions of Americans still believing his election victory was illegitimate. Nonetheless, he still has to govern. Now more than ever, it's imperative the new chief executive finds a common cause the entire country can rally around during the first 100 days of his presidency. Biden has that opportunity in st...
There comes a time in a man’s life when he has to take stock of certain things and ask himself, “Why?” I found myself doing just that recently at the culmination of the NFL’s regular season. I’ve been a Detroit Lions fan since age 7 or 8. You might find this peculiar, as I live nowhere near Michigan. However, I was drawn to the franchise because of a deep appreciation for Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders. His electric style of play and upstanding character made him my No. 1 role model growing up, and I stuck with the Motor City Kitt...
Do not ask God to Bless America again. We, who are already overly blessed, A nation with more food than it needs- More toys than our children can play with- More football games and concerts than we can count. More swimming pools and three car garages than we can fill. We who see mourning as a chance to print a t-shirt Made in secret sweatshops in California. We who hand our little flags to fly in strangers’ faces. We who say “with liberty and justice for all”, if you look like me. We who look on Lady Liberty with pride and forget she is about...
Wednesday was a tragic day in our nation’s history. The very institution that millions of people from across the world revere, visit, and look to for democratic decision-making was pillaged by an angry mob incited by false hope. To say I’m saddened by what happened is an understatement. I’m furious. This is not the America that I know, that I love, and that I fought for. In this nation we have a beautiful history of debating and disagreeing on very, very tough issues. We also have a long-...
Millions of Americans have spent the past week trying to comprehend the events that unfolded Jan. 6 at the U.S. Capitol. It’s fair to say many were appalled but not surprised, and we can all hope this reprehensible moment will serve as a reckoning for the extreme politics currently holding this nation hostage. Call it a failed coup, insurrection or whatever you want – plain and simple, it was an attack on the fundamentals of our democracy. The people who ransacked the Capitol and killed a police officer were not patriots. Their beliefs and val...
4 was the year of "un's." Unprecedented. Unheard of. Unreal. It's redundant at this point. Whatever hopes people had for this year, 2020 promptly crushed them. It's futile to list everything that stunk during the last 365 days. The only positives this year were the silver linings. We were forced to be closer to our loved ones "thanks" to quarantine while simultaneously being reminded what's important. Nothing should be taken for granted – even the simplest of things like going to a high s...
To the editor: “Getting a Message to Garcia” is an essay written by Elbert Hubbard in 1889. The article praised a man named Rowan who was given a letter to be delivered to a Cuban general named Garcia. Rowan promptly took the letter without asking, “Where is he?” or “Why do you need him?” Hubbard writes, “People need a stiffening of the vertebrae which will cause them to be loyal to a trust, to act promptly, concentrate their energies – do the thing.” Rowan’s actions parallel employees at Community Memorial Health Center as COVID-19 protocols...
New Year’s is my favorite holiday. There’s no real point to it and I get the day off, plus the football is great. This year brings a bit of dread. I look forward to the change from ’20 to ’21, but I’m not necessarily sure things will get better. Coronavirus is king and I’m not one to speculate on how it will affect our lives in the New Year. Nonetheless, I am looking forward to some things in 2021. They aren’t resolutions, per se, but they will be watermarks. • Marriage Most folks around these parts think Kaity and I are married. We are...
There’s a good chance we’ll have a brown Christmas this year. That’s fitting, because 2020 has been one long brown streak after another. Everyone could use a little holiday cheer right now. Some folks put up their Christmas lights and decorations earlier than normal hoping to spark some joy, while others have attempted to spread the spirit of the season in different ways. Hopefully everyone has been able to find some December magic regardless of the method. This season is often hectic and stressful, what with the shopping, church events and oth...
A Christmas Gift Jesus Christ came to earth That wonderful Christmas Day. Nothing’s been the same since His birth. He has guided us to see the way. Jesus has helped us to believe In the God who loves us so. And though in time he had to leave, His life and love we’ll always know. Jesus gave us another way To accept God as our own. Even to this very day His love for us is shown. All we ever have to do To have life forever more, Is to have faith that is true That faith will have you at Hea...
My oldest brother was born on Dec. 11, about eight and a half years before I showed up. Since I’ve been old enough to take note, he has requested a pineapple upside down cake every year to mark the occasion. In the years that they’ve spent his birthday together, my mom has always been happy to oblige. When counted among the things our children want, possible or otherwise, cake preferences seem to be among the more reasonable. As I write this, I cannot recall the most recent occasion where my...
The Iowa Constitution requires that every 10 years following the census there must be a drawing of congressional and state legislative districts based on changes in population, also known as redistricting. In Iowa, the responsibility of drawing the map of proposed districts lies with the nonpartisan bill drafting agency, known as the Legislative Services Agency (LSA). The plan developed by LSA is required by Code to have each Senate and House district have a population as nearly equal as practic...
The use of fences around cemeteries has changed over the years. I’m not sure what the trend is for cemeteries these days, but if you look around, you will see a lot of different kinds of fences. All cemeteries seem to have trees and flowers, but not all are fenced. My wife, Rita, and I both come from large families. Rita was the youngest of five children, and there were six children in my family. My dad had six kids in his family, and my mom had seven. Rita’s dad came from a family of seven kid...
I've never been particularly fond of cats. I had dogs growing up, we have a dog right now, and I greatly prefer their company to the feline variety. Therefore, you can appreciate my recent confusion about the nine-week-old kitten in our house. Kaity brought her home last Wednesday and she's apparently won over the household, including Bo, our German Shepherd. I'm in the minority and the majority is ruling on this one. It should be noted that I did technically agree to the cat, which I've named P...
It seems like people in need living in small, rural communities are often forgotten – resources are thin and adequate help can be hard to come by. That situation has been exacerbated during the last nine months thanks to this pandemic, which jeopardized economic stability in many households. Communities are only as good as the people that comprise them. In the Hartley area, we've got a good group. You don't have to look too hard to find the giving spirit around these parts. There's Hartley C...
Look, I’ve got nothing against the Christmas season. The spirit, cheer and generosity are all more than enough to warm my Grinch-like heart. Then there are the lights. For lack of a better phrase, I love seeing a house lit up like a Christmas tree. It always makes me pause and admire the work of minor electrical engineering it took to get them up there, and I can respect an individual so ripe with the holiday spirit that they put in hours of labor to display their cheer. That type of individual is not I, but I did brave Sunday’s blustery and...
In the aftermath of a yearlong tornado, Americans were dropped into the Land of Oz. Life as we know it no longer exists. Our new surroundings are strange, and things are not as they seem. Everything is merely an illusion. We’ve been following a yellow brick road of information and advice to help us navigate a maze of COVID-19 terrors, personal disappointments and political chaos. As we struggled through unfamiliar territory, three wizards worked behind a curtain of secrecy to change our p...
To the editor: The hallmark of customer service is saying “yes.” “Yes, we can do that for you.” “Yes that can be done.” But what happens when the answer has to be “NO”? I was trained as a counselor during the “How-does-that-make-you-feel?” era. The approach to counseling was to discover what the patient wanted and work together to achieve it. Now, with COVID-19 and my de facto position as “protector,” the answer is always “no.” “No, you can’t do that.” “No, you can’t do this.” Saying “no” goes against all of my training and, frankly, my...
It may not seem like there’s much to be grateful for this year. It’s probably pointless to note the pandemic has been the ultimate trump card on everything in 2020, but here we are. Still, there’s plenty to be thankful for if you look below the surface. Most notable are our health care workers, nursing home staff, teachers and others on the front lines in packing plants, grocery stores and delivery trucks who are keeping life as normal as possible through this mess. There are too many people and professions to list, and they get taken for g...
I’ve noted in past screeds on this page that Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. The food, drinks, people and football…what’s not to love? This year’s rendition of Turkey Day comes with one item off that list. My clan is not going anywhere or seeing anyone this weekend due to the plague, and we’re cooking everything ourselves. Not to brag, but I make a mean turkey – I use a recipe from one of my favorite YouTube cooking channels, Binging With Babish. Though I’m not losing sleep over potentially screwing up our food, I will miss showing...
Last year ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, I joined a congressional delegation trip to visit U.S. troops, including Iowans, deployed in the Middle East. As a former company commander in Kuwait and Iraq, I understand the significance of our elected leaders being on the ground in warzones and personally assessing our continued combat operations. It’s an important part of my job as a U.S. Senator and as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. This visit served as a reminder of the m...
Iowa is facing its darkest days right now, and it's not because the clocks rolled back an hour this month. COVID-19 infections are through the roof, hospitalizations are at an all-time high and medical personnel are stretched thin. The situation has grown desperate in the Hawkeye State, and that fact was made clear Monday by the governor's new order. Gov. Kim Reynolds had pushed back against a strict mask mandate for eight months but was left with little choice but to ramp up restrictions. We...
To the editor: We as board members should not have had to make this very difficult decision. It could have been made by the governor, public health, or the mayor and his city council. They all decided to pass the buck to the school board. I would have to say I am quite disgusted with some members of this community for the language in emails and demeaning comments on social media towards the school board members. Being on the school board is a commitment that none of us take lightly, and to say...
