The Raccoon River as it runs through Greene County should be properly identified as the North Raccoon River. In addition, there is a Middle, and South Raccoon River. The North Raccoon River originates near the town of Marathon in Buena Vista County, and it flows through Sac, Calhoun, Carroll, Greene, and Dallas Counties. It is a tributary of the Des…
Read MoreCategory: Opinion
Carbon pipelines are false solutions
To the editor, The concept of ‘false solutions’ to climate change has been on my mind for some time now, and I am aware that the carbon pipeline proposed by Summit Carbon Solutions is one of those false solutions. Now, the pipeline’s new path will take it very near to the farmland that I inherited in Greene County’s Grant Township.…
Read MoreLetter to the editor – Does a welcome sign belong at the cemetery entrance?
To the editor, Jefferson has a nice looking Welcome Sign on the East edge of town on old highway 30. Can anyone explain to me why the sign is placed directly in front of the Jefferson Cemetery. I would loved to be welcomed to a town by all the deceased people buried there. Are they the most welcoming people in…
Read MoreActing your wage
~a column by Colleen O’Brien My daughter “acted her wage” and didn’t even know it. She worked in “corporate” for a decade and a half. She liked it – the challenge, learning new ideas and looking at old ways with a questioning viewpoint that she attacked with fresh ideas. She liked the camaraderie of the women and men she worked…
Read MoreWelcome tough conversations during Sexual Assault Awareness Month to support Iowa survivors
~by Paul D. Pate, Iowa Secretary of State There are some topics that are difficult to discuss. One of those topics is sexual assault. April is nationally recognized as Sexual Assault Awareness Month and provides an opportunity for us to embrace uncomfortable conversations to support victims of this crime. Every 68 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted. Nationwide, 81 percent…
Read MoreDoctored for decades in Rippey
VIEW FROM MY WINDOW this week is by guest columnist Dave Chase, son of Rippey physician Walter Chase. This was originally published in the April/May OUR IOWA with permission of the magazine publisher and author Dave Chase. My dad, Walter E. Chase, was the doctor in Rippey for 33 years. He interned at Iowa Methodist Hospital in Des Moines and that…
Read MoreCapitol Roundup
~by Sen Jesse Green (R-District 24) April 5, 2024 We have just wrapped up the part of the session where we confirm the Governor’s appointments, which means the finish line to this session isn’t far away. The nominee that caught the most attention this year was McKenzie Snow for the Director of the Iowa Department of Education. The Democrats had…
Read MoreAcquiring and unacquiring
~a column by Colleen O’Brien My daughter says to me, “Mom, you have too much stuff!” I am insulted because I’ve been (I think) almost religious in getting rid of my “stuff.” Points of view are always coming up with my daughter and me. I am of course 25 years older than she, so I not only have more wisdom,…
Read MoreView from my window: Cancer Awareness Month was February (and always)
~by Mary Weaver According to a February statement from the University of Iowa, Iowa Cancer Registry, “There is no one cause for cancer; rather it is the complex interplay of different genetic, behavioral, environmental, and structural factors that alter the way cells function and produce cancer.” In an alarming trend, Iowa continues to have the second highest and fastest growing…
Read MoreBullying the bully
~ a column by Colleen O’Brien “Please rise for the horribly and unfairly treated January 6 hostages,” an announcer said at the rally. Trump then saluted the jailbirds and the crowd stood, as “Justice for All,” a rendition of the National Anthem, played. The song sung by the J6 Prison Choir featured Trump reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Sanctimonious he…
Read MoreCapitol Roundup: Civility within education funding
~by State Sen Jesse Green (IA-24) March 22, 2024 Greetings from the Golden Dome. Education funding conversations are always central to overall budget conversations, and rightly so. Education represents over 50 percent of our state budget, and if you look at your property tax bill, education is also half of it. What complicates these conversations even more is that the…
Read MoreIowa can and must learn from Perry
To the editor: Iowa can and must learn from Perry. Strength of Perry. Current legislative proposals to arm school staff need to add specific proposals to prevent another school shooting. The Republican-led legislative proposals are falling short but there is still time to enact policies to prevent another school shooting like the January 6 tragedy in Perry. We do not doubt…
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