Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Sorted by date Results 426 - 450 of 473
Derecho. A word you probably haven't heard often, and frankly haven't seen enough coverage of. In Iowa, lives have been lost, farms upended, and communities ravaged at the hands of a derecho. Cedar Rapids, our state's second largest city, is demolished. Communities and rural areas across Iowa have been devastated. Folks are without power, and have been for seven days. I was on the ground with the National Guard in 2008 responding to the devastating floods, and folks, what I'm seeing now - it's...
Please accept this letter of support from Community Memorial Health Center's Board of Directors as our unified confidence in Administrator Janette Simon, the Leadership Team and all employees for their prolonged sacrifices and adherence to strict protocols during the COVID-19 pandemic. We recognize and appreciate their consistent dedication to keep our residents and tenants safe from contracting this deadly virus. They all have our deepest respect. The board also shares our support to...
Hello, friends. What beautiful weather we have been having lately! We had a storm roll through Sunday night that was a blessed relief to the gardens, fields and dusty ground. We long for more and pray that it will come. Our state is facing incredible devastation given the fate of the last large storm, derecho. We mourn the loss of lives, homes, businesses, crops and livelihoods of so many of our southern neighbors. May relief and comfort come to them quickly. There are numerous online routes to...
This year has been a slog. The pandemic and subsequent economic nosedive have made millions of Americans hurt, and excruciatingly, there is no end in sight. When this all ends, nobody knows. Accordingly, Americans from sea to shining sea have had to adapt their routines to accommodate this strange new standard. One of the most import functions of our democracy – the simple act of voting – will be greatly affected by the pandemic come November. Sadly, the logical switch to mail-in ballots has...
If I'm not complaining about my house, I'm not breathing. Lately, I've been short of breath. I started the scraping portion of the painting project last month at our 103-year-old Ocheyedan home. This nightmare is something I've been putting off for two years. One month in, I know why. Basically everything is coming off the ancient cedar siding. I know you're not supposed to be too picky when scraping, but if I can get it off, I'm going to. It's rather maddening – progress is slow and the square...
Just when fall seems to be around the corner, summer turns up the heat and reminds us she's in charge. We will bask in the boating and swimming weather while it lasts, however, I look forward to the cool temps of last week to return. How many parents out there are ready to send their kids back to school? Pick me! Can I get an Amen? I love these little sweethearts more than anything, but I look forward to them getting into a routine, socializing with friends regularly and remembering that I'm not...
To the editor: It was on Aug. 14, 1945. I was manager of the Gillett Grove Savings Bank, recently purchased by Farmers Trust and Savings Bank of Spencer, Iowa where I was employed. Someone went inside the Methodist Church in Gillett Grove and rang the church bells. Japan had accepted the Allied surrender terms and the war was over! What a wonderful day. The church bells rang throughout Gillett Grove. I and others stood in silence. The bells were music to our ears. What a glorious day to have...
For two weeks this July, we crisscrossed our state, carrying forward a tradition started by Senator Grassley 40 years ago to meet with Iowans in every county, every year. On this road trip, we each reached Iowans in 29 counties. Like Iowa students who are eager to return to their classrooms and campuses in August, we sure were grateful to meet directly with our constituents. In these challenging times, the feedback we’re getting from Iowans has renewed our commitment to get urgently needed policies across the finish line. We hear from Iowans n...
Who else is loving this fall-like weather we are having? I know the summer lovers are going to sharpen their pitch forks and come after me with a vengeance, but I am ready for fall! Tuesday will mark the first day of the Non-Profit Take Out Tuesday's fair food experience hosted at the Clay County Fairgrounds. Hy-Noon Kiwanis are the first non-profit up this Tuesday and will be open 4-7 p.m. The World's Greatest County Fair will also be hosting a drive-through or walk-up Fair Food to Go experienc...
On March 16, a bomb dropped on Iowa when Gov. Kim Reynolds recommended all schools close for four weeks. It wasn’t a surprise as we’d been expecting it in light of the dire COVID-19 warnings at the time. Yet, when it actually happened and schools closed, we were stunned. Close the schools for a month? Lock the doors? Inconceivable! Even so, superintendents immediately suspended classes. On April 17, the governor extended the shutdown order for the remainder of the academic year. The sit...
Despite a global pandemic and a list of domestic issues too long to count, there’s been fervent debate recently about an issue that should have died 155 years ago. Several southern American cities have been removing statues and monuments of Confederate leaders, and there’s also been a strong push to rename U.S. military bases named after Confederate generals. It’s head-scratching these vestiges of the past even exist in the first place. Why would you want to put traitors to our nation on a literal pedestal? Nothing is ever as simple as it ap...
We are continuing to stay positive amidst the COVID-chaos. The recent rainfall of last week mixed with this week's forecast of little to no humidity and potentially more rain, is all cause for rejoicing. The girls have enjoyed using their rainboots for jumping in mudpuddles and dancing in the rain, plus are enjoying utilizing their umbrellas that were starting to get dusty from little use. The humidity last week had us frequently visiting the Scharnberg Park beach to enjoy the light breeze when...
To the editor: When you live in a small town, it is always easy to find things to complain about. We often recognize what is wrong rather than what is being done right. I would like to acknowledge two men in Everly who are making a positive difference in our community. Our city worker, Nate Fitzgerald, has brought a new level of pride to the work he does, whether it is plowing in the winter or maintaining our parks and trees and keeping the mosquito population minimized in the spring and summer. Nate has brought an excellence in all he does,...
In addition to a COVID-19 vaccine, reopening schools is a lynchpin in getting the economy back on track. Parents need to work, and that's difficult to do when kids are stuck at home forced to learn from a laptop. There is no silver bullet right now. In Iowa, most rural schools like ours are forging ahead with plans to reopen while other districts in larger metro areas are staying closed until the fall. This is a double-whammy of hurt. Parents will once again be forced to work from home while...
How is everyone holding up out there? I'm remaining rather joyful amidst summer's ever-present chaos. We are finding normalcy in boating outings, pool dips and visits with family between running from here to there for daily obligations. Liam is one test and a few driving sessions away from completing his driver's ed course. I remember driving around Everly and Royal – what felt like 506 times – with Mr. Harmon politely coaching us from the passenger seat. "Relax. Focus. Be aware," and som...
I am an old Western fan, meaning I'm old, and a Western fan. I'm not talking about the silent movies, in which Westerns were very popular, and I'm not talking about when the "singing" cowboy was popular after the "talkies" started. I'm talking about the shoot 'em up, horse chasin', bank robbin', cattle russlin', saloon girl kissin', barb wire fence hatin', soap opera with horses. Westerns that my Dad and I started watching in the late 1950's right on through until the 1970's. Now you cannot...
You don't have to look very far to find progress here in Hartley. The new elementary school is nearing the finish line and construction of the Highway 18 Industrial Park has hummed right along this summer. Local history buffs are also enjoying the new barn that's being built at the Patch-Eeten House, and other vital community amenities like the Hartley Community Daycare Center have seen significant improvements recently. Outside city limits, construction of the new middle school in Sanborn will...
I've never worried more about someone I had never met before than I did when my friend Ryan told me his brother had contracted COVID-19. It was late-April and I had been working from home for the better part of a month. People were still taking the pandemic seriously back then, and most of the state was shut down. It was the same situation across the country – bars, restaurants, movie theaters, playgrounds and everything in between had locked up in an effort to prevent the virus' spread. That w...
With Independence Day fresh on our minds, let's remember why we celebrate and defend our blessings of freedom, liberty and justice for all. In these uncertain times, America's promise is more important than ever. There's a saying among the faithful that God won't give us more than we can handle. Arguably, 2020 is putting this message to the test. When Iowans rang in the New Year, no one realized the nation's historic employment, wage growth and record-setting economic expansion would be...
Can you believe it is already mid-July? Summer is whizzing by faster than I care to admit. COVID-19 hasn't slowed us down as I shuttle children to and from work, drivers ed, swim lessons and other daily activities. The days are busy and flash by in the blink of an eye, but they're all filled with a lot of family fun. My husband and I recently celebrated our ninth wedding anniversary. Due to our busy schedule, our four children made us a delicious meal of homemade pizzas and cupcakes. They...
The only real trouble I had in school happened when I wasn't paying attention. This might occur in the spring of the year, when a young boy's fancy turns to anything but the three R's. Sometimes the winter gets boring, and it's easier to think about basketball games than it is to concentrate on schoolwork. Then there's autumn, my favorite time of the year – not because school has started, but because football games and hunting seasons are underway. How can a person concentrate on schoolwork w...
As we venture through COVID-19 and tiptoe among the guidelines and uncertainty, we are finding solace and much joy in our quality family time. We try to see our "Grandma and Grandpa Greats" once a week and we usually see my in-laws and parents once a week, if not every other week. We understand that many don't have this important and blessed luxury, so we do not take it for granted and try to make the most of our time with one another. During our visits with our "Greats" we bring along two books...
To the editor: As we prepare to enjoy Fourth of July week and upcoming celebrations in our beautiful Iowa Great Lakes region, we wish to remind you that Independence Day is founded on sacrifices, which includes a history of Americans giving up personal comforts to enhance wellbeing for all. The public health and emergency management teams of Clay and Dickinson counties are teaming up to ask you to make just a few simple adjustments in your holiday weekend plans to help protect the health of our...
To the editor: The Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) is proposing the use of eminent domain with wind and solar energy. Eminent domain is the right of a government to expropriate private property for public use. This means even if you do not give a wind developer or utility company access to your land, the IUB could (according to this proposal) still run transmission lines through your property because they claim wind energy is a "public utility." One could argue renewable energy is not a public...
One year ago, the title of this column was, "The flag is more than a fashion statement." In it, I wrote about the history of our great flag and my concern that it is trivialized when its image is seemingly used everywhere on everyday items. My worry seems trivial now. One year later, we see our glorious flag set on fire, ripped apart, and desecrated in vulgar ways – by American citizens on American soil. This Fourth of July, we find ourselves at a pivotal moment in America. The asphyxiation o...
