Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
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“Unsustainable” is a fascinating word, especially when it is used in government and politics. Merriam-Webster, the dictionary folks, tell us unsustainable means something cannot be continued or supported. But in governmental affairs, that definition sometimes gets changed. Instead of something truly being incapable of continuing, the word often means the person using the term simply does not want that “something” to go forward. Understanding this distinction can help us better parse the stateme...
To the editor: There was a story from many centuries ago about a King Ahab and Queen Jezebel, who worshipped Baal, who let them do what they wanted. A prophet named Elijah challenged the leaders to a showdown. They built an altar on Mount Carmel and offered an animal sacrifice. Elijah thought the God who consumed the sacrifice with fire would be the real god. The leaders of Baal called out for their god to consume the sacrifice. Elijah mocked them saying maybe your god is in the bathroom or maybe he is asleep. Call out louder. When it was...
Author’s Note: This is the fourth of a series of devotionals from Psalm 146. “Who keeps truth forever, ...” ” – Psalm 146:6b As we continue our look at Psalm 146, we are finding our hope and trust cannot be in a “prince,” or a “son of man” or “we the people.” The solutions offered by man are temporary, self-defeating and oftentimes, self-destructive. Our hope and trust can only be in the Lord God, Jesus Christ, our Creator (John 1:1-5). Further, the Lord God is worthy of our hope and trust is in...
This will probably come as a big disappointment to all of you evolutionary scientists out there, but it was announced the other day by a leading expert in the field that we, humans, have evolved about as far as we are going to. That’s right – there are no huge, bulbous heads in our future. Eyes that can see through solid steel will not be forthcoming. Limbs that stretch to fantastic lengths are probably not in the offing for us. In short, we are what we are going to be. There is a reason for...
No problem is so big that we can’t run from it – or at least avoid thinking about it. That’s human nature. There are many concerns that should command our attention but do not. Too often, we hope or assume a serious problem will go away or will spare us. In the aftermath of the Covid pandemic, too many of us discount whatever the scientists tell us – as if the anonymous pundit on social media knows more than the people who have devoted their lives to studying a particular problem. But there is s...
Caitlin Clark’s legendary Hawkeye career will be remembered for decades to come The monumental career of Caitlin Clark came to a close Sunday when Iowa lost to South Carolina in the NCAA championship game. The defeat marked the second-straight year the Hawkeyes fell in the title game, but this one hurt a little bit more. This was the end of the road. Clark’s career is hard to put into words. Her stat line is five miles long and her awards seem too numerous to count. Phenomenal, fantastic, outstanding – no amount of superlatives do her justi...
Author’s Note: This is the third of a series of devotionals from Psalm 146. “Who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; . . .” – Psalm 146:6a From Psalm 146, verses 3-6, we learn putting our hope and trust in a “prince,” or a “son of man” or “we the people,” merely offer temporary, self-defeating and oftentimes, self-destructive help. There is only one person that we can put our trust and hope in; that is, the “God of Jacob,” the “LORD”; that is, YHWH; the self-existing, et...
A report released last week should have Iowans thinking twice about their icy-cold vices. Health experts unveiled the 2024 Cancer in Iowa Report, and results were extremely concerning. Iowa once again has the second-highest rate of new cancer cases in the U.S., alongside the fastest-growing rate of new cancers. The state also reported the fourth-highest incidence of alcohol-related cancers in the country and the highest in the Midwest. Health experts at a news conference last week cited alcohol usage as a possible driver in Iowa’s cancer r...
I often feel like I don’t do enough to help my fellow man. Last week, I did the bare minimum. After delivering the newspaper, I swung over to the Hartley Community Center to donate blood for the first time. I really don’t know why it took me this long to do it, but it did nonetheless. Since I’m good at laying down and doing nothing, I figured this would be a breeze. I was right – the whole ordeal took less than an hour. A quiet crisis is what sparked me to get pricked and drained. The Red Cross last month announced an emergency blood shortag...
In our free-market economy, Americans should have the freedom to purchase the car or truck of their choice without the federal government putting its thumb on the scale to advance a specific policy preference and distort the market. However, President Biden doesn’t see it that way. He prefers government intervention and costly mandates that support his Green New Deal agenda and further his vision to cripple the American energy sector through executive orders, burdensome regulations, and red t...
The Iowa Taxpayer Relief Fund is an account in the state treasury that holds unanticipated state revenue to be returned to the taxpayers. In order for funds to be deposited in the Taxpayer Relief Fund, actual state revenue has to exceed what had been projected for state tax collections by the three-member Revenue Estimating Conference (REC). The difference between what was actually collected in tax revenue and what the REC had projected is deposited into the account once the fiscal year’s b...
Following our first legislative deadline, the seventh week of session in the Iowa Senate focused on debate and sending bills to the House of Representatives for their consideration. One bill that passed the Senate is Senate File 2161, which raises the penalties for swatting. Additionally, the Senate passed Senate File 2096, ensuring Iowa can have the most qualified applicants considered for appointments to a board, commission, committee or council, regardless of their gender. Senate File 2251...
To the editor: The Iowa House is considering a bill designed to combat “organized retail theft” of property from stores. Lawmakers supporting the measure said they wanted to deter looting, which has happened in some U.S. cities. Law enforcement has not always intervened. Iowans may naively think such lawlessness cannot happen here. But it can – and it is. Summit Carbon Solutions has been using strong-arm tactics to take farmland for a pressurized CO2 pipeline. Meanwhile, power players in the Iowa Senate, Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitv...
Author’s Note: This is the second of a series of devotionals from Psalm 146. “Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, Whose hope is in the LORD his God” – Psalm 146:5 In putting our hope and trust in a “prince,” or a “son of man,” or “we the people,” we have learned they can only offer temporary help and oftentimes, self-defeating or destructive help. There is only one person that we can put our trust and hope in and that is Jesus the Christ. In verse 5 of this psalm, He is referr...
Golden girl Iowa’s Caitlin Clark takes sports world by storm It doesn’t take someone who bleeds black and gold to appreciate what Caitlin Clark has done in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes’ unstoppable guard last week became the all-time scorer in NCAA women’s basketball history. She sunk Iowa’s first eight points against Michigan in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, breaking the record of 3,527 by splashing one of her trademark logo three-pointers. She now stands alone at the top with plenty of season left to keep racking up the tally. Clark’s star has shined...
I was cooking supper the other night. Bruce came into the kitchen and asked, "What's that smell?" "Oh," I said. "I thought we'd have something different tonight. I call it broiled plastic spatula. A new taste sensation." I thought that was a good story to post on Facebook. One friend wanted the recipe. I said it was similar to roasted Tupperware. One wanted to know why it was in the oven. Well, you know how it is: Somebody's coming over and the kitchen's a mess, and you quickly hide things in...
Voters have busy lives – families to care for, jobs demanding their attention, bills to worry about. So, they can be forgiven if they do not closely track their government leaders’ statements and actions. Sometimes voters may find discrepancies between what politicians say and what they do. Here is one example: Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird was in the news last week with a statement about the need for Congress to replenish a federal program, the Victims of Crime Act, that assists these peo...
Keeping students safe in schools is a top priority. Last week, the Public Safety Committee advanced House Study Bill 675 to ensure students have the protection they deserve. HSB 675 has two parts, the first addresses the need for school resources officers inside buildings and the second creates a professional weapons permit and with extensive training for school employees. School resource officers (SRO) are an asset to schools and the community seeking better security and safety in their...
It’s often said that your own education is one of the best investments you can make. For many students, that investment looks like heading off to college. Even as the cost of higher education skyrockets, students continue to convene on campuses around the country each fall because they recognize hard work and dedication can unlock opportunities and brighter futures. Because of that mindset, higher education has become woven into what it means to pursue the American Dream, and going to college i...
It has been said that grand parenting is the reward for putting up with your children all those years. Some have said they wished they could have gone to grand parenting right away, and skipped raising their own children. I believe those statements both have merit. Thinking back, I have a lot of memories of my grandparents. Part of the reason is that they lived nearby, and we saw them quite often. Our farm was located less than five miles away from my Hembd grandparents, and about 12 miles away...
One of the fallacies of politics these days is the notion of simple solutions. Regardless of whether the problem is immigration, the homeless, gun ownership or transgender people, too many leaders or would-be leaders want us believe government can take simple actions to make a complex problem go away. Rarely do those simple solutions address the underlying problem. Often, those solutions are not simple, nor are they really solving anything. Often, these simple solutions are little more than guss...
Every day is National Iowa Day in my book. There’s no shortage of things to celebrate in our great state. Iowa farmers feed our nation and countries around the globe. Iowa manufacturing is responsible for nearly one-fifth of the state’s economic output. For decades, the state has harnessed natural resources, built critical infrastructure and put renewable energy on the map in America’s heartland. My work in Congress aims to give voice to Iowans’ priorities and empower their work. One such exampl...
Last Thursday marked the end of Week 5 in the Iowa Senate, and this week was the first major legislative deadline of the year. The upcoming deadline means we spent much of our week in subcommittees as we prepare legislation to go through committee. Just because a bill survives a subcommittee does not mean that it will make it to the floor for further action. For bills to remain alive, they need to pass through subcommittees and through committee to be eligible to advance to the floor for...
This fall, the House and Senate held a joint interim committee to discuss the continued fight against human trafficking. The committee consisted of Representatives, Senators, law enforcement, county attorneys, criminal defense attorneys, the judicial branch, and others working to stop this abhorrent crime. Senate File 562 directed the committee to review initiatives, laws, policies, and other matters relating to human trafficking, including appropriate human trafficking-related training for law...
This winter hasn’t been much of one. I think I can speak for all of you when I say that’s perfectly fine. Still, it’s winter in Iowa, and with that reality comes a degree of boredom. I don’t ice fish, ski or have a snowmobile, so my options at killing time are limited to the indoors this time of year. I can kill a whole evening watching basketball, but that wears thin after one or two nights. My better half has been doing puzzles and reading books. Since my attention span often seems like that of a gnat, I don’t find much interest in those hob...
