~a column by Colleen O’Brien Years ago, I invented a salad made of cottage cheese, cucumbers and green olives. My sister named it “cuke-olive salad,” and for years it was my go-to for an afternoon snack. Growing up, my sisters and I spent late summer afternoons gathering veggies from the garden for supper. At Mom’s direction, we’d harvest: 3 tomatoes,…
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Celebrate 529 Day with state treasurer Fitzgerald
~Guest editorial from State Treasurer Michael L. Fitzgerald As the national 529 Day celebration quickly approaches on May 29, it has me reflecting on my 20-plus years as administrator of the Iowa Education Savings Plan Trust. In 1998, I launched the College Savings Iowa 529 plan to offer Iowans a tax-advantaged way to save for the growing costs of education…
Read MoreThe Capitol Roundup
~by State Sen Jesse Green May 7, 2021 Greetings friends and neighbors. We are now in overtime! Normally session would have wrapped up about a week ago. To some it is surprising we have not. All I can say is that we are at a historical time in Iowa’s history. This is the largest Republican trifecta since 1973. I do…
Read MoreThe Capitol Roundup
~by State Senator Jesse Green April 30, 2021 It is hard to believe that we are in week 16 already. It is sad that this first session is almost over. The last day for the Senate clerks at the Capitol was Thursday. It was a particularly somber moment to give my clerk Sue one last hug before we parted ways…
Read MoreHas it come to this, or has it always been this?
~a column by Colleen O’Brien Being oneself, being human, can be so wearying. The sun shines. Somewhere near, a mockingbird is pretending to be a cardinal. Good signs, happy signs. But across the way on a snag tree is an osprey screeing mournfully for her lover, and I turn sad. I’m with ya, girl. Where did he go? My Audubon…
Read MoreHistorical Society seeks donations to cover costs of a new roof on the museum…
… and other expenses ~by Roger Aegerter, director of the Greene County Historical Society When I was entrusted as executive director of the Greene County Historical Society a little less than 10 years ago, I tried to familiarize myself with not only the contents of our museum but also with the structure of the building. I am still discovering new…
Read MoreThe Capitol Roundup
~by State Senator Jesse Green Greetings friends and neighbors. Another week has come and gone. The past couple weeks it has felt like that we have been “on call.” Leadership of both chambers are currently in negotiations attempting to reconcile their budgets so we can wrap up this session. Being the new guy in the chamber, my role this year…
Read MoreGrCo school board is teaching the wrong lessons
~by Victoria Riley, GCNO publisher/editor Greene County students paying attention to the April 21 school board meeting and action taken there can learn some lessons. First, the students are, indeed, the center of the universe. That message comes from the board’s action ratcheting back a requirement to wear face masks. Board member Catherine Wilson has argued against masks from the…
Read MoreTaking care of business
~a column by Colleen O’Brien According to CNN, there have been 47 mass shootings since March 16. Statistically, about 109 people a day die from guns in the U.S., close to 40,000 a year. These figures are from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Daily deaths due to heart disease were 2,353 a day in 2017. Daily deaths by…
Read MoreThe Capitol Roundup
~by State Senator Jesse Green April 16, 2021 Greetings, friends! We have just finished up week fourteen, and the tempo of this session has certainly changed. We are now into the budgeting and appropriations time of year. This is where everyone sits on the edge of their seat wondering what will cross the finish line, and most importantly, receive funding.…
Read MoreThank you, Grow Greene County, from Greene County Historical Society
To the editor: On behalf of the Greene County Historical Society (GCHS) officers, board, and members, I would like to give a big thank you to Grow Greene County for their generous grant to the GCHS. The money will cover about 3/4 of the cost of replacing the roof on the museum. This is not the first time Grow Green…
Read MoreNancy Hanaman re: America’s Sheriffs’ letter
Dear Editor, I read with interest and disappointment in GreeneCountyNewsOnline that sheriff Jack Williams signed a letter with 275 sheriffs from around the country which claims to “Help America’s Sheriffs Keep our Neighborhoods Safe. . .by Halting Illegal Immigration.” This letter claims that recent illegal immigration has been the cause of criminal activities, drug trafficking and other issues. This letter…
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