Dear Editor, Growing up in Greene County in the ’80s and ’90s, it would have seemed otherworldly to know that a man experiencing homelessness was living out of his minivan in front of the Grand Junction library. With exception to the rare transient, it seemed as if “homeless people” were relegated to the streets of downtown Des Moines, and other…
Read MoreCategory: Opinion
From Scrooge to goodwill in 10 seconds, just like the new space telescope
~a column by Colleen O’Brien Listening to a radio interview of a quartet of planetary scientists from NASA, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency, I learn that a new space telescope, the James Webb Space Telescope, will be sent off to outer space on December 24. It will allow investigation of astrology and the cosmos, and objects…
Read MoreLetter from Don Orris – Kudos to Benitz, Conroy
To the editor It takes great knowledge and skilled hands to repair a bronze statue. Keith Conroy and Dan Benitz collaborated on the repairs of the Doreen Wilber statue after it was vandalized this past year. These two men did a fantastic job of bringing Doreen back to perfection. I hope the next time you see Keith or Dan on…
Read MoreThoughts on a gloomy morning
~a column by Colleen O’Brien It has not been the poor or the lower- or middle-class who have refused to keep roads and streets and bridges in good repair; it hasn’t been these folks who have raised the price of…for example…insulin, a drug in use since 1921 – an entire century – that costs $30 a month in Canada and…
Read MoreCovid-19 vaccines and the Constitution – N. Hanaman
I listened to Greene County attorney Thomas Laehn’s detailed comments at the Nov. 8 supervisors’ meeting as he objected to the vaccine mandate regarding Covid-19 issued by President Joe Biden for locations of over one hundred employees and the enforcement through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). He objected on the grounds that it violated his interpretation of the…
Read MoreLetter to the editor – B. Banister
County attorney should resign To the editor, I fully agree with county attorney Thomas Laehn, he should resign immediately since it appears he is unwilling to fulfill his duties. This will allow him to sue the federal government on his own. It is fine for him to be “personally outraged” by the federal mandate but, for him to go on…
Read MoreThe Mother Tree Project
~a column by Colleen O’Brien In 2015, Canadian scholar, naturalist, writer Suzanne Simard founded the Mother Tree Project to protect and retain the Mother Trees of nine forests across British Columbia. A Mother Tree is what Simard calls the giant trees of the center of the forest. She has worked for the Canadian Forest Service, gone to college for more…
Read MoreAgain, choices…
~a column by Colleen O’Brien Several things in these, our declining years of a democracy, are showing who we really are. We think of ourselves and civilization as we know it as the brilliant species who for about 6,000 years improved the world through ideas, smartness, progress. But if there are any humans left to read their history, it will…
Read MoreC. Custer, Bell Tower Foundation support casino vote
To the editor, I told the Iowa Gaming Commission in 2013 that it was not easy being Green (Greene) as we had been a “drive-through”, not a “drive-in” for tourists, new residents, new businesses nor industries. A casino would provide enjoyment for gaming, cultural entertainment, new employment opportunities, potential new residents and draw tourists to see other attractions in the…
Read MoreDream on
~a column by Colleen O’Brien A fellow I recently met asked me to describe myself. I told him I was a worried Pollyanna. He said, “Isn’t that impossible?” Being pollyannaish means that one is “pleasantly, even unrealistically optimistic.” Which means I can’t be worried. But I’ve always been able to walk down the middle of the road, so I am…
Read MoreBoone Co Community Endowment thanks Grow Greene County
To the editor, The Boone County Community Endowment Fund is pleased to partner with Grow Greene County and the Wild Rose in philanthropic efforts. Thanks to their generous gifts we are able to support many community projects around Boone County. Examples of this include: improvements at Don Williams Park, assisting with a new sign to welcome folks to Ogden, fairgrounds…
Read MoreLying liars and those who vote for them
`a column by Colleen O’Brien “…the chain of responsibility,” a phrase used in an opinion column* in the October 15 New York Times turned out to be a surprising point of view that needs to be publicized. The guest columnist Mr. Eyal Press wrote about Americans who vote for people who wind up doing dreadful things once elected, which I…
Read More