Letter to the Editor: I would like to thank the Jefferson businesses that contributed prizes to the Jefferson Elks annual Christmas Dinner. Without your support, we couldn’t do this for the Bingo after the meal. We would also like to thank all the volunteers that gave up their Christmas Day to prepare, serve and clean up. Thanks also to the…
Read MoreCategory: Opinion
View from My Window – Summer food program for kids
~a column by Mary Weaver I hope you had a joyous Christmas, and the year 2024 will be a positive one for you and your loved ones. Many of us did not see the impactful news release given on Friday afternoon, Dec. 22. Our children and grandchildren were gathering that afternoon at our home for our family’s Christmas weekend. The…
Read MoreLet me tell you about a book I read….
~a column by GCNO publisher Victoria Riley Sharing my reading list has become a tradition at the end of each year. I almost always have two books on my end table, one fiction and the other nonfiction. I used to think I read nonfiction to learn new things, but I’ve realized I learn as much from reading well-written fiction. Well-developed…
Read MoreView from my window
~a column by Mary Weaver Christmas 2023 Here is a different take on the nativity scene. Entitled A Christmas Bestiary by John Kenn Mortensen and Benni Bodker, it features whimsical descriptions of the animals of winter, real and imaginary. Excerpts from the book were included in a 2006 advertising brochure released for Atherton House in Adel. Along with Baba Yaga…
Read MoreHappy hols…. or have an unhappy….
~a column by Colleen O’Brien In this odd piece of history we’re living through – maybe not odd in its general bad behavior by humans (a million-year species flaw) but odd in its particulars of constant news, a continual, endless, loud, ill-spoken (bad grammar on a regular basis) blather of being kept informed –-phones, cars telling us what to do,…
Read More“Will you be a dictator?”
~a column by Colleen O’Brien This question was asked of once-president Trump this fall in an interview with Sean Hannity, as well as by countless political columnists, broadcast news folks and authors of books on Trump from both sides. He says, “Only on Day One.” This is when he will close the borders and “drill, drill, drill,” to cop a…
Read MoreView from my window: Iowa nursing homes are in crisis
~a column by Mary Weaver I am saddened, as well as shocked by the horror stories erupting statewide about the deplorable and life taking situations occurring in Iowa nursing homes. Stories of gangrene resulting in amputations, a story of a person choking in their own saliva, a story of a person freezing in the winter of 2023 when the alarm…
Read MoreNancy Houska encourages donations to Greene Backer campaign
To the editor, It is hard for me to believe we have already entered the 2023 holidays and will be flipping the calendars to 2024 in just a few short weeks. I love this time of year, when people are filled with the spirit of the season and we carve out special memories with family and friends. This is also…
Read MoreAG Bird offers tips to avoid being scammed
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird today announced her top five tips for avoiding online shopping scams. Online shopping scams are reportedly the second most common form of fraud in the United States. Americans lost $8.8 billion to fraud in 2022 alone. “While we’re all taking advantage of the online shopping deals this season, so are the scammers,” said Bird. “Online…
Read MoreMore anecdotes from a trip to the Med
~a column by Colleen O’Brien I asked the front desk clerk for a good place to eat supper. “Supper?” she asked in her Italian accented American “Dinner,” I corrected myself. “Ah, si,” she said enthusiastically. “Our favorite place!” She smiled broadly and waved her left arm across my face and pointed. “Out the door,” she said, “turn left, two blocks,…
Read MoreTurkey Foundation recognized for 50 years of impact
The National Wild Turkey Foundation (NWTF) was recognized for their 50 years of mission fulfillment with a proclamation issued by Governor Kim Reynolds, acknowledging the NWTF’s impact both locally and nationally. Fred Long of Jefferson is a board member and legislative committee chair for NWTF, and his efforts were able to bring the proclamation into existence. “Policy is about relationships…
Read MoreA couple anecdotes from abroad
~a column by Colleen O’Brien After 10 days of ignoring American political news, I am home again to the onslaught of even more dire happenings than ever. The quiet vacation was at first vaguely uncomfortable – where is my newsfeed? – and then my vacation became perfect. I packed away my phone for lack of WiFi on the boat I…
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