Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
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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...
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:...
