DES MOINES, Iowa (May 14, 2015) – This week, the Iowa Farm Bureau helped form another political partnership to advance a paid public relations campaign, while Des Moines Water Works continues to operate its nitrate removal facility to keep finished drinking water safe for consumption. Des Moines Water Works remains committed to protecting Iowans interests by seeking the implementation of…
Read MoreCategory: Opinion
Letter to the editor
Editor, I have been reading the school board minutes and it has come to my attention that a proposal has been made for the two school systems in Greene County to share a transportation director. I think this is a sound fiscal idea. It seems to me that this is also a good time to address the issue of transportation…
Read MoreDo you have difficulty committing to an apple?
~a column by Colleen O’Brien I just read the weirdest thing: “We know that in a convenience-driven world, a whole apple is too big of a commitment.” Wow.
Read MorePart-time clerk of court office could be result of House budget
Greene County residents could see reduced services at the clerk of court office depending on how the Iowa legislature resolves its budget gridlock. The legislature has returned for a 17th week in session – with legislators paying for their own meals, lodging and other expenses – as the Code allows for only 110 days of expense payments. An impasse on…
Read MoreBikes and Ponies and walking the line
~a column by Colleen O’Brien What I wanted most in the world when I was a kid was a bike of my own. My sister and I shared one, a situation that satisfied neither of us. The year she turned 10, she got a bike, and it was then I knew that two weeks later, on my ninth birthday, I’d…
Read MoreTree Tracings
~by Valerie Ogren, Greene County Genealogical Society Meeting notice: The next meeting of the Greene County Genealogical Society will be Saturday, May 2, at 10 am in the basement meeting room of the Jefferson public library. Karen Pound will present her program “Silent Cities,” with pictures of various gravestone art and explain its meaning. Come early and try out the new elevator. …
Read MoreLetter to the editor
Dear editor, Thank you, Greene County, for your continued and overwhelming support of Relay for Life. So many have been touched by cancer and this is the best way for us to remember, celebrate and fight back every year. Thanks to all who attended and participated. Thanks for the enthusiastic fundraising teams. Thanks to the numerous business and organization sponsors and…
Read MoreWhat squirrels have to do with writing
~a column by Colleen O’Brien The hard work of writing (writers are always complaining about it) is this: it’s hard to pull your gaze away from the squirrel on the telephone wire outside the window. This does not endear complaining writers to physically hard-working folks at all, but our whiney ways are all a part of the profession. A writer…
Read MoreStirring up trouble
~a column by Colleen O’Brien I can’t tell you how disgusted I am to read a news story telling me the salary difference between the top CEOs in the country compared to their average employee’s wage. It’s as if some darned liberal reporter (so many are, you know; muckrakers of the first order) just wants to create divisiveness among the…
Read MoreBranstad, Reynolds announce ‘Give Back Iowa’
Challenge encourages employer supported volunteering DES MOINES – Gov. Terry E. Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds on Monday announced the launch of Give Back Iowa, a six week challenge running from April 14-May 31 to engage Iowans in employer supported volunteering. “Give Back Iowa complements my ‘Call to Service’ initiative to increase the number of Iowans that are volunteering, as well…
Read MoreElectronics and I are not reality, virtual or otherwise
~a column by Colleen O’Brien The last time I opened my email, which was just a minute ago, I found I also had opened something called a “hangout.” I could see and hear my friend in Italy, but, alas, she could not see or hear me.
Read MoreSafe at Home Act clears legislative hurdle
Bill establishes a confidential address to protect victims of domestic abuse and assault ~by Lora Koch, The Scranton Journal Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate (right) and state communications specialist Kevin Hall (left) recently held local meetings, including one in Guthrie County, to announce House passage of the Safe at Home Act. The bill, House File 585, received unanimous approval from the legislators…
Read More