The two, over 9 feet tall, the two obelisk monuments made from India black granite were released and shipped through the Strait of Hormuz to South Dakota. The names of the soldiers and teachers were inscribed there, and they have been shipped to Jefferson Monument Works for installation. They will be placed and dedicated this coming week at the Greene…
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Dream on
~by Colleen O’Brien Things I wished for this morning during that Alpha period (commonly produced when first awake and transitioning from deep theta-wave sleep through an alpha-dominant state), coming out of a happy dream and not quite on this planet yet: That all the cooks and waiters walk off the job at the White House right before the Xi Jin…
Read MoreThe last straw
~by Colleen O’Brien President Trump has accomplished many dastardly actions in his 10-year takeover of the American media, its listeners and the country we live in that is a work in process of humans living together equably. Even during the four years Joe Biden was president, Trump was a daily pain in the heart, soul and brain of thinking Americans.He…
Read MoreThe Capitol Roundup
~by State Senator Jesse Green This offseason, my goal has been to write a newsletter whenever I see a statewide topic mischaracterized on the campaign trail. My last newsletter, published a few months ago, focused on health care in Iowa and the dangers of certain misinformed beliefs regarding how our system is managed. Recently, affordability has become a dominant topic…
Read MoreTis the season…
~by Pastor David Cunningham To the delight of many drivers, the State of Iowa increased the speed limit on most rural roadways to 60 mph. To no one’s surprise this became permission for some drivers to think they can go 70 mph using the “They won’t stop me for going 10 mph over” mentality. Even before the change, I witnessed…
Read MoreLeave it alone
Leave it alone ~a column by Colleen O’Brien I remember a moment in Jefferson’s Carnegie library when, as a freshman in high school, I see my dad in the reading room and ask him to pick out a book for me. He says, “Glad you asked!” — which I think is kind of amusing — and takes me to the…
Read MoreSerious thoughts in these crazy times
~by George Naylor, Churdan farmer I’ve been an independent voter for some time because I’ve been disgusted with both parties and how party leaders and big money determine who appears on our ballots. I thought Donald Trump would take the high road this time and serve to make voters optimistic about the future of our country. He said all Americans…
Read MoreIncreasing weirdness
~a column by Colleen O’Brien The president is bugging Canada with tariffs, disputes about a bridge and his usual bullying political rhetoric, so Canada is preparing “hypothetical contingency plans in case of a U.S. military incursion on our soil,” according to the Canadian Broadcasting Company [CBC] and the New York Times. For the third time during this administration, the U.S.…
Read MoreWhat’s the petulant president’s latest tirade?
~by Colleen O’Brien Trump bans three more news media – CNN, MS Now, Politic0 – from any contact with him. We know he has a problem with the truth, and when journalists actually inform us [their job is to do this] about the facts, he roars, weeps, whines, lies and then gets a media employee fired or the media itself…
Read MoreView from my window – First American museum
On Friday of this past week, we traveled to an Indian museum/Native American museum in Oklahoma City. We had been hearing about it for quite some time and scheduled a visit. I learned a new word, WINIKO. It is from the language of the Caddo Indian Nation and means “life of an object:” The tour guide of the First American…
Read MoreWhat trees do for me
~by Colleen O’Brien A mature, healthy, perfectly shaped oak tree towering on the corner of W. Lincoln Way and Grimmel Road was cut down recently to make way for a sidewalk. The sidewalk plan probably didn’t mention specifically killing this tree when the need for a sidewalk was proposed in city council and public meetings posted for the public. For…
Read MoreCoalition launches campaign opposing constitutional amendment on taxes
by Kathie Obradovich, Iowa Capital DispatchSeptember 9, 2026 A coalition of Iowa organizations launched a campaign Wednesday opposing the Nov. 3 ballot issue that will ask Iowa voters whether to amend the state constitution to require a two-thirds majority vote of lawmakers to raise state personal and corporate income taxes. Fair Taxes for Iowa’s Future, which includes labor unions, progressive…
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