Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
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Calling this year a doozy would be the biggest understatement of all time. Nothing is as it once was, and nobody could have dreamt up this "new normal" in their wildest fever dream. Despite the unprecedented times, a few signs of normalcy have returned during the last month. Baseball and softball are back, and though Little League was canceled, the pool opened last week. Parks are open again, too, so kids have at least a few things to keep them busy. They've been cooped up and bored for way too...
I had never really seen a protest firsthand prior to June 4. Sure, I walked past plenty of small demonstrations in college on my way to class, but I never witnessed anything close to the raw emotion I reported on earlier this month in Spencer. Approximately 500 people with skin colors of black, white and brown gathered to march on Grand Avenue and call for justice for George Floyd, who died tragically at the hands of Minneapolis police late last month. Fears about violence and rioting were...
Congratulations friends, you have made it over 100 days in Camp COVID. It's hard to believe that number is even remotely accurate, but unfortunately it is. You are braving this storm well and should give yourself much credit where it is due. You have undeniably been through the wringer...persevering through doubt, anxiety, stress, financial unbalance, the fear of contracting illness and workplace uncertainty. Now, we wait as we still wade through these ambiguous waters and try to find normalcy...
I was recently forced to confront a question that caused me great pause. It was insidiously simple in its nature. While cashing a few beers on the patio with my cousin Tyler from Texas, conversation shifted to the recent tribulations of a close relative and concerns about his young children. Tyler, who was basically raised by his mother, nonchalantly asked, “Was your dad your hero growing up?” I froze and stared forward with a blank expression. It wasn’t a question I had ever thought about before, simply because I never had to. I grew up in a...
To the editor: Did anyone bite you at work today? On average, nearly 15 mail carriers per day will say, “Yes.” U.S. Postal Service officials report that in 2019, 5,803 letter carriers experienced dog bites or dog attacks. With deliveries every day, including Sundays and holidays, carriers continue to experience dog bites in urban, suburban and rural settings. Dog attacks and bites are 100 percent preventable when dog owners remain vigilant and properly restrain their dogs. To ensure mail carriers’ safety, dog owners must securely lock their...
The decision last week to cancel the Iowa State Fair was a reminder of the seriousness of coronavirus and the consequences of many people's anxiety about returning to activities that normally are an important part of Iowa life. But the State Fair's decision also illuminated an embarrassing disconnect from the norms of government transparency and accountability in our state. I have attended government meetings for 50 years - from small-town city councils and school boards, to state boards and...
How is everyone holding up out there? I pray you are staying positive, safe and as courageous as possible during these crazy times. It truly is unbelievable. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I now get to plan my daughter's seventh birthday without many of her closest friends by her side. She loves having every one of her classmates at each of her birthday parties. We like to have big backyard celebrations with water play, outdoor games, scavenger hunts, crafts, pinatas and of course cake, making...
Efficiencies are often found in times of crisis. Last week's primary election in Iowa was evidence of that. More than 520,000 votes were cast, shattering the previous record of 449,490 set in 1994. Despite unprecedented obstacles, it was a smooth and secure election thanks to loosened restrictions on absentee voting made by Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate. "This election was a terrific example of counties, state agencies and the federal government working together to ensure Iowans could vote s...
COVID-19 has taken a back seat the past few weeks as we shift our focus to the injustices of our fellow humans. It's sick that there is still a debate about which lives matter. Yes, all lives do matter, but that's not what needs to be said right now. The Black Lives Matter movement is to stress and highlight that black lives do matter, especially amidst the trials, persecution and injustices they have faced for decades and centuries. That they matter; that's it. That's all the movement asks....
When I was growing up in the Fifties, I awoke on Monday mornings to the sound of the old Maytag washer humming in the basement Mom’s weekly laundry routine followed the same pattern as most homemakers of the day – wash and dry clothes on Monday, iron and put them away on Tuesday. Indeed, doing laundry back then wasn’t the willy-nilly affair that it’s become today when we pop a load in the washer on our way out the door, and transfer it to the dryer when we return home. On washday, the family...
If you've ever wondered what it would feel like to live through the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918, Great Depression and civil unrest of the 1960s all at once, 2020 is just the year for you. The last week has been heartbreaking. Millions of Americans have taken to the streets in protest following the death of George Floyd, who died in Minneapolis on Memorial Day at the hands of police. Multiple videos of the situation were circulated by news outlets and on social media platforms, leading to a...
The embarrassment is over. Iowa's Fourth Congressional District no longer has to worry about its representative spouting off racist remark after racist remark. National media outlets will no longer do deep dives into northwest Iowa, asking why voters keep electing a bigot. When the calendar flips, we're actually going to be represented in Congress again. 2020 isn't so terrible after all. Iowa District 2 State Sen. Randy Feenstra knocked off nine-term incumbent Rep. Steve King in Tuesday's...
Never once in my life have I thought the word “ceremony” was difficult to spell. I was apparently wrong. Each week on Wednesday night I skim through the fresh edition of the Sentinel-News to see if any errors jump out and bite me. Last week, I was bitten red and raw. Not only did I spell the word ceremony wrong twice in two separate Memorial Day photo cutlines – “ceremoney” on Page 1 and “cermony” on Page 3 – I also screwed up the counties represented by Iowa House District 3 in our candidate Q & A article. I wrote that the district encomp...
Betty started the Hartley Writers Group at the library several years ago with a few local friends. Over time, it grew to include experienced and novice writers from northwest Iowa, Minnesota and South Dakota. When the monthly meetings became too large to allow time for everyone to share, Betty created two groups – one for writers of prose, the other for poets. She knew how to draw out the best in us and, with her guidance and encouragement, we grew more confident with our writing ability. We b...
Goodness. Where do I begin? Is COVID-19 even a threat now that we have mass marches and riots all over America? I'm no conspiracy theorist, but when the puzzle pieces start taking shape, a bigger and more corrupt picture is shown. I'm not a fan of any of it. As people don their masks, head to their favorite restaurants, listen to live music and set up their camping sites, it's easy to get excited for a bit of freedom. Getting out there again sure has its mental and emotional perks, let alone...
To the editor: My name is Lynette Feenstra. My husband is Randy Feenstra, conservative Republican candidate for Congress. Today, I’m asking for you to consider voting for him. I have lots of reasons why, but there are a few that I think are most important. First, Randy is a tremendous husband and a wonderful father to our children. A pro-family Christian conservative, Randy has a proven record of defending the values that make our families and our communities strong. In the Iowa Senate, he helped defund Planned Parenthood and ban taxpayer f...
While spell-checking this article, Microsoft Word asked me if I meant to type the word "Covid." As I considered whether to "ignore, change, or add" this new word to my computer program's dictionary, I realized that I needed to push "add." This word is now part of our culture and immediate existence. We are a puppet in this disease's tangled marionette strings; not knowing what the future will bring or which way we will be jolted. We are cautiously venturing out onto the grounds, breaking free...
I have never been obese, at least in my own estimation. There have been times, however, when I put on extra weight, often showing up on my stomach and thighs. This usually happens in the winter when I'm less active. Early one spring when I was about 14, it was pointed out to me by my grandfather that I was getting a bit chubby. That bothered me some, so I decided to go on a diet. I would eliminate sweets from my snacks and replace them with fruit. The other meals would be normal, but without...
There used to be this novelty candy in the Nineties called a Wonder Ball. It was a spherical chocolate shell filled with more candy and other surprises like stickers. I never ate one, but I remember the commercial jingle vividly. "Oh I wonder, wonder, hmm, I do...what's in my Wonder Ball? Who knows what surprises a Wonder Ball can hide? Yummy Nestlé chocolate with candy bits inside!" I was reminded of that tune recently after plunging my crowbar into our home office ceiling. The surprise on...
Is this our new normal? Should I just plan on homeschooling Dorothy next year, let my band keep postponing dates, and counsel my sister in postponing her September wedding since Iowa isn't set to peak until August now? I sure hope not. I'm perfectly OK with us learning some major life lessons here. Like how important physical touch and quality time are. How to never let a hello, good morning, hug of love or embrace of kindness go by; how a visit to loved ones is worth every precious second and...
Although it seems like a lifetime ago, we've only been at war with the invisible enemy – the COVID-19 virus – for a couple of months. Earliest reports of the novel coronavirus were horrendous – the disease is extremely contagious, and suffering will be unbearable. Americans were told millions would be infected, and hundreds of thousands would die. Terrified, we panicked, and in a matter of days our freedoms were severely curtailed. Life as we knew it ceased to exist. Suddenly, with little warni...
Last Wednesday, at the invitation of House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson, I went to Worthington, Minn., to participate in a press conference to focus attention on the current crisis in the pork industry that has been caused by the temporary closure of processing plants in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Producers throughout the Midwest are being faced with the nightmare of having to euthanize an estimated 1.25 million healthy, market-ready hogs. The number could likely be mor...
The what-ifs of the COVID-19 pandemic hardly seem answered almost two months after everything shut down. Iowa re-opened some shuttered businesses and other gathering places this week, but after all we’ve been warned about this virus, you have to wonder why. How can we begin the process of re-opening the state before we’ve even reached the projected peak of infections? It seems head scratching and dangerous. Despite a surge in both coronavirus deaths and infections, Gov. Kim Reynolds last week signed an order allowing malls, restaurants, fit...
