Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
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Fourteen years is a long time to ignore the will of the people. In Iowa, lawmakers don’t seem to mind. The Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund was established by popular demand in 2010. Back then, 62 percent of Iowa voters agreed this constitutionally-protected fund was needed to generate additional revenue for natural resources and conservation projects. Several lawmakers over the years have proposed using the hypothetical revenue to fund new water quality initiatives that help fix Iowa’s polluted lakes, streams and rivers. Unf...
Regret is an inescapable fact of life. Lately, I’ve been internally gnawing at a decision I made three years ago. I was a Detroit Lions fan for more than 20 years of my life. This ill-fated decision was based on one man and one man only: The great Barry Sanders. I loved watching the star running back juke and jive all over the field during his heyday racking up both yards and touchdowns for Detroit. He was good role model, too, and someone a scrawny kid like me could look up to – Sanders was only 5’8” and proof that little people could do big t...
Q: What should taxpayers keep in mind for tax filing season? A: The IRS will start accepting and processing individual tax returns on Jan. 29 for the 2023 tax year. As taxpayers across America gather financial information to document employment, investment and retirement income, as well as receipts and invoices for medical, childcare, education expenses, charitable donations and property deductions, it’s important to be wary of tax scams. Every year the IRS reports on the so-called Dirty Dozen to alert the taxpaying public about trending f...
Author’s Note: This is first of a series of devotion from Psalm 146. Each devotional will cover one or more verses of this Psalm, beginning with verse 3 to the end of the Psalm. “Do not put your trust in princes, Nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help. His spirit departs, he returns to his earth; in that very day his plans perish.” – Psalm 146:3-4 Our nation is in much trouble; and the people of this country are looking for solutions to the many problems they are facing. In their search t...
Far too often are we reminded of the horrors of gun violence in America. It seems like mass shootings command headlines weekly, and if not that frequent, at least monthly. Last week, it hit home. A gunman entered Perry High School on Jan. 4 before classes started wielding a shotgun and handgun. He opened fire, killing 11-year-old Ahmir Jolliff and wounding seven others, including Principal Dan Marburger. The high school student identified as the shooter also killed himself. Prior to the Perry incident, Iowa had been mostly spared from mass...
Christmas is over for another year, but the memories still remain. This year, for example, it rained on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I don’t recall that ever happening, though my memory isn’t that great anymore. The grandkids wanted to go sledding, but there wasn’t any snow. I know I’ll remember this rainy Christmas for a long time, but in years to come if someone asks me what year it occurred, I’ll be stumped. That’s just the way my life goes. One of my Christmas memories from an unknown...
To the editor: Trump’s rhetoric and the MAGA Republicans are a threat to our democracy. I have been reading and studying information regarding Hitler and the Nazis during the 1930’s and 1940’s leading up to, and including, WWII. There were those in government and across the nation that supported Hitler. We came close to losing our democracy and becoming an authoritarian country. Hitler had spies in the government and spread propaganda using members of Congress to spread their lies. There were those in government that were on Hitler’s payroll...
To the editor: As 2023 ended, CO2 pipelines topped the list of newsworthy items in Iowa. This is not surprising as more than 30 counties are the footprint of Summit Carbon Solutions’ proposed CO2 pipeline. Heading into 2024, county boards bear a heavy responsibility as they deal with ordinances while the state awaits the IUB’s decision on Summit’s permit application. Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) is not new and CO2 pipelines have been used by oil companies for over 30 years to do Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR), a process that renew...
Last December, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported that more than 302,000 illegal immigrants were apprehended at our southern border, the highest number of crossings ever recorded in a single month in American history. This figure also comes on the heels of a CBP report confirming that more than 785,000 illegal immigrants were encountered at our border since last October alone. The numbers don’t lie. Our border is wide open thanks to President Biden’s ridiculous policies that enc...
I made a New Year's resolution on Jan. 1 last year. I decided to keep it private. I didn't want anybody to know because I didn't want the added pressure of having everyone know that I wasn't keeping my New Year's resolution – that is, if I didn't keep it. It's been a year now since I made that resolution and, well, I may as well tell you...I didn't keep it. You see, my New Year's resolution was that I was going to lose weight. I didn't have any particular amount of weight in mind; I just w...
To the editor: As I wind down my stint on the Hartley City Council, I want to take this opportunity to say “Thank You” to the patrons of this fine community for the great support that they have shown to the Hartley City Council during my 16 years as a council member. Many fine accomplishments and projects have been completed to help make this community a better place in which to live. I have really enjoyed being a small part of this governmental effort. It has been the members of the council working together for the betterment of the City of...
Rodney “Rod” Buren, 78, of Sanborn, passed away at Ava’s Hospice House in Sioux Falls, S.D., on Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023. Services will be held at a later date. Sanborn Funeral Home is assisting with the arrangements....
"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 'Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!'" (Luke 2:13-14) For many people this is the busiest time of the year; shopping for the right Christmas gifts, then going to Christmas parties, making sure Christmas decorations are put up, and so on. The focus of the Christmas season seems to be on the festivities and various activities, and on all the preparations rather than on...
While out and about during Christmas, I enjoy seeing all the fantastic nativity scenes of Jesus's birth on people's lawns, in houses, businesses and churches. But I cannot help but notice something missing in all these nativity scenes. What is it you ask? It's a great red dragon trying to devour baby Jesus. Where do I get this? There is no dragon in the birth narratives in Matthew or Luke, so what am I talking about? I'm talking about Revelation Chapter 12! Here's an overview of Revelation 12:...
To the editor: I have always heard we are “Iowa Nice!” But if that is true, how can we support Mr. Trump and his MAGA Republicans? Trump’s behavior of lying, cheating, calling people names and threatening them is not an example of “Iowa Nice.” Trump’s rhetoric has encouraged violence, which we are seeing play out as judges, court employees and political opponents are receiving death threats. And increasingly his rhetoric has taken on a tone of Hitler and Mussolini. It has been reported that in private conversations there are Republicans...
Shopping has become an exercise in convenience over the last two decades. Everything we could ever need or want is a simple click away on the internet, and you don’t even have to leave your house to shop for the holidays. Sure, it’s nice to avoid crowds, but online shopping leaves a gaping hole in communities like ours whose backbone is comprised of hard-working small business owners trying to make their hometowns thrive. The reasons for keeping your money local are many, but sometimes easy to forget when advertisements from big box stores flo...
‘Tis the season to be busy. It feels like I’m constantly doing something, yet accomplishing nothing – more so than usual. I still haven’t put Christmas lights up outside. I’m in a bit of a cold war about it with my wife, who has asked me to scale a ladder and get them hung several times. I’ve said no at each instance, which has forced her to threaten to do it herself. I tell her no way, and then we grumble back and forth before returning to whatever we were doing before the squabble. I’m hoping she’ll just give up since Christmas is a...
A few months ago, I bumped into a former aide to Gov. Robert Ray. As we reminisced about the governor, our conversation turned to his nearly daily meetings with journalists. The aide said yes, those press conferences provided reporters with access to the governor and his comments on issues the state was handling and hearing about from Iowans. But Ray believed the daily press gatherings had another important benefit, too: Ray could do his job more effectively by listening to the journalists’ q...
Agriculture is the economic engine of Iowa, the livelihood of farmers and their families, and the lifeblood of our rural communities across the 4th Congressional District. Our producers work long hours in all types of weather conditions to grow the food and produce the fuel that our country and the world depend on. Their hard work is the reason that Iowa remains the breadbasket to the world and that our district in particular leads the nation in corn, pork, egg and biofuel production. However,...
Revenue to the State of Iowa from legalized gambling is taking divergent paths in the new fiscal year. While casino gaming receipts are falling, sports wagering continues to grow. In October, the state collected $26,741,690 in casino gaming taxes. This is a reduction of $2.3 million from what the state collected in October 2022, when casino gaming tax revenue came in at $29,025.047. For the first four months of Fiscal Year 2024, the state has received $105.2 million in casino gaming taxes. This...
We added a new member to the family on Tuesday night. Puppy Tucker, a Border Collie mix, was picked up from People for Pets in Spencer. He was found abandoned near Primghar recently and was brought to the shelter for adoption. He’s a friendly pup. German Shepherd, Bo, gave him a warm welcome upon his arrival home. Our hope is that the ol’ girl will be able to share some of her “good dog demeanor” with Tucker. Time will tell – Kaity claims she’s always wanted to be a mom. Cat Phyllis wasn’t impressed, however. Tucker had a feline friend at the...
How well I remember the time Santa came into my house in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve. I saw him! Yes, I did! We were living on the ranch in Montana in a little white house across the yard from my uncle’s log house. I was about 4 years old. My little brother, Jerry, and I slept on the couch in the living room. I can still hear my mother working in the kitchen that night doing some baking for Christmas dinner. Soon, the house was quiet and we finally fell asleep. We didn’t have a fir...
“’Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.’ So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us.’ ” (Matthew 1:20-2...
Glenda Swanson was born in Hartley on July 18, 1942. Her sister, Sandra, was born in 1940 to parents Adolph and Ella Swanson. The Swansons married in 1936. Adolph owned a gas station in Everly along Ocheyedan Street. In 1945 they moved to a farm a few miles north of Everly. Glenda graduated from Everly High School in 1960. She was a member of the high school basketball team. She married Jon Roberts, of Estherville, in 1961. They moved to Omaha, Neb., where Jon joined the police department. Glenda was a secretary at Mutual of Omaha for many...
I’ve felt a bit stupid this week speaking with advertisers about the upcoming winter sports tab. After wrapping up the conversation with more than a few of them, I’ve ended with, “Have a Merry Thankgiving!” It seems rather apt that my brain is already on Christmas despite it being Thanksgiving. Like the rest of the year, this fall has simply flown right by. I think the recent stretch of great weather helped trick my brain, but nonetheless, we’re a month away from Christmas. I’m already putting off buying gifts. **** Last weekend I headed down...
