~a column by ColleenO’Brien Keeping a diary started with me when I was eight. When our two kids were 11 and 14 years old, we moved them away from what one of them called dramatically “the only home we’ve ever known.” For their unhappiness, I gave them each a scrap book in which to keep photos of their new home…
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Baltimore visits Greene County school board
Rep Chip Baltimore (R-Boone), who represents Greene County, previewed the 2015 legislative session and shared his views on school funding, school calendars and other topics for the Greene County school board at its regular meeting Jan. 21. Baltimore and Sen Jerry Behn (R-Boone) were both invited to the December meeting by school superintendent Tim Christensen. Neither was available in December,…
Read MoreAt the Iowa capitol
with Senator Jerry Behn Thursday, Jan. 22, 2015 This week started off a day later than normal due to the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Tuesday got the ball rolling as bills are assigned to their respective sub-committees and those committees are scheduled and then held for legislative and public input. If a bill passes out of sub-committee, it is…
Read More“Ideas worth spreading…”
~a column by Colleen O’Brien An interesting thing to do of an idle, snowbound afternoon is to look up a TEDTalk or two on your computer or your iPhone or on National Public Radio, which broadcasts about an hour a week of the popular 18-minute talks. Conceived in 1984 by a Silicon Valley architect and graphic designer named Richard Wurman,…
Read MoreAt the Iowa capitol
~with Senator Jerry Behn Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2015 The 2015 General Assembly gaveled in at 10:00 am Monday morning. I really enjoy seeing the families and friends of all the newly elected senators as they gather around in the chamber to see their Senator take the oath of office. It makes me pause, and reflect for a moment what…
Read MoreTogether we can fund Iowa’s roads and bridges
WEST DES MOINES – In his 2015 Condition of the State Address titled “Together We Can,” Governor Branstad yesterday called for a commitment to infrastructure investment and a bipartisan solution to address road and bridge funding. County officials across the state are encouraged by the Governor’s recognition that our state’s safety, economic growth, tourism, and continued prosperity are dependent on an…
Read MoreWhen the weather outside is frightful…
~a column by Colleen O’Brien When it gets so cold all you want to do is stay under the blankets and not go outside till spring, but for good reason — work, school, the sick cat — you have to go out anyway, some of the rules have changed.
Read MoreDes Moines Water Works pushes upstream counties on ag drainage and water quality
Intent to sue doesn’t include Greene County, but it could The Des Moines Water Works board of trustees announced Jan. 8 its intent to sue three Raccoon River counties for polluting the waterway. At the meeting, former Greene County resident Chris Wilbeck urged the board to add another county – Greene County – to the list. A 60-day notice of…
Read MoreBranstad delivers Condition of the State address
DES MOINES – Gov. Terry E. Branstad on Tuesday delivered his 2015 Condition of the State address in front of a joint session of the Iowa Legislature. Branstad’s address, titled “Together We Can,” is a forward- thinking plan for Iowa’s future. The governor’s plan of action places a focus on infrastructure – both in terms of high-speed broadband internet and funding for…
Read MoreMidland Power Cooperative to invest $2.3 million toward energy efficiency
Midland Power Cooperative’s Energy Efficiency Plan (2015-2019) was filed Jan. 5 with the Iowa Utilities Board and the Iowa Attorney General’s Office of Consumer Advocate by the Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives. In this plan, Midland Power intends to invest approximately $2.3 million in energy efficiency programs over the next five years. The energy savings from the five-year plan are expected…
Read MoreHope
~a column by Colleen O’Brien The January National Geographic has arrived and I am happy about this, as usual. When I see it in the mailbox, I get a tiny frisson of anticipation — these folks not only know how to travel the world, they know how to intrigue us with their tales and share photos with us that knock…
Read MoreTime. And time again.
~a column by Colleen O’Brien It took me a long time to get to the millennium, and now it’s 2015? My dad told me when I was a grade schooler that time would speed up as I got older. “I can remember everything that happened to me before you and your sisters were born,” he said. “And then it speeded…
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