Bipartisan group of 15 states object to EPA rule narrowing “normal farming activities” exemptions in Clean Water Act DES MOINES – Attorney General Tom Miller has joined Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning and 13 state attorneys general in a letter objecting to a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule that would effectively narrow the exemption the federal Clean Water Act…
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Thompson on Clovis staff
SIOUX CITY – Dr. Sam Clovis (right), Republican candidate for treasurer of Iowa, announced July 25 the addition of two key staff members: Army veteran John Thompson (left) will serve as his political director. David Niffenegger, Brad Zaun’s former district director, will serve as the campaign’s operations director. Thompson was the lone Republican state treasurer candidate competing against Clovis for the party nomination. The Greene…
Read MoreIt’s Nat. Geo. in our backyards
~a column by Colleen O’Brien There are reasons why they’re called dumb bunnies and bird brains, these backyard friends of mine. I have to wait for the bunny to get out of the way when I pull into my driveway; he spends much of the day munching clover there, and he never twitches a velvety ear at the thought that…
Read MoreLetter to the editor
Dear Friends and Neighbors, Many thanks to you for your kindness and hospitality. We appreciate the wonderful worship service and potluck held at First United Methodist Church on July 13 to celebrate my re-appointment to Jefferson by our Bishop Trimble. Dennis and I appreciate the gracious citizens of Jefferson so much and the members and friends of First UMC in…
Read MoreBranstad, Reynolds tell success of STEM education
DES MOINES – Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds on July 28 were joined at their weekly press conference by Dr. Jeff Weld, executive director of the Governor’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Advisory Council and Shelly Vanyo, a science teacher at Boone High School, to highlight Iowa’s STEM initiative, three years after it was established by executive order.
Read MoreWhat’s the trite advice that really works? When handed lemons, make lemonade.
~a column by Colleen O’Brien In the era of 24-7 awful news that convinces us the world is going to hell and there’s no help for it, it’s refreshing to receive good news from a friend’s trying situation. I received the following lovely point of view from a friend recovering from hip surgery and it tells the tale with a…
Read MoreTree Tracings
Greene County Genealogical Society ~by Valerie Ogren MEETING NOTICE: The next meeting will be Saturday, August 2, at 10 .m in the Jefferson public library. Speaker that day will be Rick Morain. He will share some family memories and tell about “Preserving Your Stories” to pass on to younger generations. Telling stories and preserving them has been the theme this…
Read MoreBranstad, Reynolds send letter to President Obama re: underage immigrants
Pair calls for border security, sound immigration policy that respects the rule of law and transparency from the Obama Administration DES MOINES – Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds on July 24 sent a letter to President Barack Obama seeking answers to the Obama Administration’s immigration crisis along the southern border. In the letter, Branstad and Reynolds encourage the President…
Read MoreGreene County board of ed names 2015 legislative priorities
The Greene County board of education set its legislative priorities for the 2015 session of the Iowa Legislature at its July 16 meeting. The school board participated this year in the Iowa Association of School Boards (IASB) legislative policy process by talking about the impact of state policy on the district and voting on legislative resolutions for the next legislative…
Read MoreTo be PC or to poke fun, that is the question
~a column by Colleen O’Brien I just read online that if I mention in public that we are becoming a two-tiered society (rich and poor), the rich will accuse me of being classist. Will I ever learn to be Politically Correct? This word classist means to them that I’m fomenting dissatisfaction with the status quo, but who wouldn’t? Look at…
Read MoreTeacher, Principal Leadership Symposium slated
Public welcome, launching TLC which included Greene County Schools Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds on Mondady provided Iowans with an update on the second Iowa Teacher and Principal Leadership Symposium, scheduled to be held at the Des Moines Area Community College’s (DMACC) FFA Enrichment Center in Ankeny on Aug. 4. Symposium is open to the public, with…
Read MorePreserved values in the Middle Border
~a column by Colleen O’Brien The Greene County Fair was once a carnival with cows. It’s now cows, no carney. Although the glitz is gone, the fair remains, and it’s worth a stroll through Clover Hall and the barns – the whole 4-H scene – because these 4-H’ers are smart, creative, hard-working and nice . . . such a combination…
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