“The best lack all conviction. While the worst are full of a passionate intensity.” From the poem The Second Coming by William Butler Yeats ~a column by Colleen O’Brien Our government is shut down because of Republicans – the House Republicans can’t figure out how to select and vote for a Speaker; the Senate Republicans can’t figure out how to…
Read MoreCategory: Opinion
In support of jail bond referendum, Chuck Offenburger
To the editor, I’m going to vote “yes” on Nov. 7 for the $10 million bond issue to build a new Greene County jail, and I encourage others to join me. I view this mostly as a growth measure, for three reasons: 1) The current jail is from another era, worn out, undersized and inadequately equipped. 2) We in Greene…
Read MoreReflections on the party
~a column by Colleen O’Brien My kids threw me an 80th birthday party two weeks ago. It turned out to be one of the highlights of my life, along with a little discord that we all had to ignore to continue our myth of the perfect family – there is no such thing, as we all know, although my tiny…
Read MoreView from my window – October Is Domestic Violence Awareness Month
~a column by Mary Weaver PETER, PETER, PUMPKIN EATER / HAD A WIFE AND COULDN’T KEEP HER PUT HER IN A PUMPKIN SHELL / AND THERE HE KEPT HER VERY WELL. Oh my, how many times did I read that nonsensical nursery rhyme to our children. I have vivid recall of the “Little Golden Book” depicting a woman in a…
Read MoreWhy I’m voting ‘YES’ for the Greene County Community Schools VPPEL
Dear Editor, I served as the school business manager for East Greene, Jefferson-Scranton and Greene County School Districts for 31 years, retiring in June 2023. I fully support the renewal of the VPPEL levy. It is vital that the VPPEL levy, on the ballot in November, is approved. This is not a new tax. Let me repeat that: This is…
Read MoreGreenbrier 4-H Club notes National 4-H Week
During National 4-H week we celebrate contributions the 4-H youth organization has provided our community. During the week of Oct. 1-7, we reflect on the important impact the program has made on our youth. Having been a leader for more than 30 years, I see more each year the value of the life skills gained by the hands-on learning 4-H…
Read MoreNunn statement on passing legislation to avert government shutdown
U.S. Representative Zach Nunn (IA-03) released the following statement after the House of Representatives passed legislation to avert a government shutdown: “The status quo in D.C. is critically broken. I’m fighting daily to bring Iowa commonsense to our nation’s capital and end the rigged system that has led to nearly-limitless spending and sky-high inflation. My first bill was a Balanced…
Read MoreLily is gone; so is public trust
~by Victoria Riley, GreeneCountyNewsOnline publisher What doesn’t city of Jefferson officials want us to know about the investigation, trial, and sentencing of Lily? Lily, a brindled dog who lived at the corner of S. Vine and W. Madison Sts, was accused of biting a child in Russell Park last month. Within a few hours, Lily was impounded on a mandatory…
Read MoreView from My Window – A visit to The Grotto
~a column by Mary Weaver I was recently fortunate to attend the Okoboji Writer’s Retreat, a three-day conference on writing, storytelling, poetry, creating documentaries, fiction, memoir and obituary stories, and opinion writing. I primarily attended the lectures and panels on opinion writing provided by Todd Dorman, Art Cullen, Kathy Obradovich, Laura Belin, and Rekha Basu. For those of you who…
Read MoreBringing Washington opportunities to the Heartland
~a column by U.S. Senator Joni Ernst The U.S. government is the world’s largest customer – required by federal law to consider buying from small businesses. So, why aren’t Iowans sharing in the bounty? Here in the heartland, we’ve seen a steep decline in government contracting activity over the past decade. In 2009, 945 Iowa small businesses participated in federal…
Read MoreTo think or not to think… for ourselves
~ a column by Colleen O’Brien We have a political party run by preschoolers; the kind of toddlers who are tyrants and act out at all times unless they get what they want when they want it. It’s impossible to be around them and maintain your own sanity, for they are bratty, hurtful, mean, and they will get even if…
Read MoreIf
~a column by Colleen O’Brien In the mid-1950s, in Junior High, we had to memorize the poem “If” by Rudyard Kipling. He wrote it in 1895 and it was not published until 1910. It went right to the top of favorite poems in England and has stayed there at least through 1996, the last time a favorite poem was news.…
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