Letter of thanks, The first Greene County boys and girls soccer teams and their parents would like to write a sincere letter of appreciation to coaches Carl Behne, Marilyn Tasler, Chad Black and the other helpers.
Read MoreCategory: Opinion
A new heyday for Jefferson
~a column by Colleen O’Brien It is the middle of June, and Jefferson is lush with spring. It is a rain forest of fifty shades of green, flowers blooming in the jungle, birds crazy with song dawn to dusk. On the edge of town the corn is two feet tall, and people are as busy as the environment – prosperity…
Read MoreLetter to the editor – Dick Finch
Re: New jail Spend, spend, spend, and really soon property taxes will be out of sight and out of affordability. They’re bad enough now – but wait! Sheriff Jack Williams has asked for a new jail. $12 million because he says 90 percent of the crime in Greene County is fueled by drug use of meth and marijuana. Sorry Big…
Read MoreMaking mincemeat of a commentarian
~a column by Colleen O’Brien I’ve been using a computer I haven’t turned on since the early winter of 2017. I scanned through my documents from then to see what I’d saved from a season of unbelievable presidential campaign and its aftermath. Several of the columns I published at that time had to do with a man running for President…
Read MoreLetter to the editor – RAGBRAI exec committee
re: RAGBRAI finances To the editor: Jefferson’s day to host the 46th Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa® (RAGBRAI) is approaching quickly. This year’s RAGBRAI is going to be the largest iteration to date, and the Jefferson RAGBRAI executive committee, advisory board, sub-committees and volunteers have already tallied thousands of hours ensuring that riders leave Jefferson believing we were…
Read MoreLetter to the editor – Pat Griffin
Re: Charges in fatal accident To the editor, If it was the responsibility of Greene County to file charges in the death of Pat Fields from Paton on June 6, 2017, the person responsible for filing either dropped the ball or had no balls. The semi Mr Shaw was driving struck the rear of the tractor Mr Fields was driving.…
Read MoreThe impact of decriminalized marijuana
~provided by New Opportunities As other states begin to decriminalize recreational marijuana, one may wonder if it is a good idea to decriminalize marijuana in our state. There are currently nine states that have decriminalized marijuana. It’s important to remember that even though there have been changes regarding possession and it may seem to be acceptable in those states, marijuana…
Read MoreLetter to the editor – Jane Alexander
To the editor, Democrats in Iowa’s 4th U.S. House District have a rare opportunity to choose one of three candidates competing in the June 5 primary to run for the seat against Republican incumbent Steve King. By far the best choice is J.D. Scholten.
Read MoreFlowers for the fallen
~a column by Colleen O’Brien A year ago on Memorial Day a friend and I picnicked in a large, town cemetery in southwest Florida. A few graves held plastic flowers which could have been there all year or placed the day before. The two of us dropped orange hibiscus blooms on family graves she knew; we were the only people…
Read MoreTruth, Lies and Leadership
~a column by Colleen O’Brien A Higher Loyalty – Truth, Lies and Leadership is the title of former FBI director James Comey’s recent book (2018 Flatiron Books [Macmillan]). It is a good title, for the point of the book is about his president asking him to be loyal to him first. Not to the Constitution, which Comey swore to uphold…
Read MoreLetter to the Jefferson city council re: proposed move of historic house
(Editor’s note – The following letter was provided to GreeneCountyNewsOnline without signatures by Steve Brown, who operates a business at 408 W. Lincoln Way and lives there. He said he did not write the letter but concurs with the opinions stated. Twenty-nine Jefferson residents signed it, 13 of whom live in the W. Lincoln Way neighborhood. All correspondence with elected…
Read MoreWhat happened to the Age of Aquarius and to Enlightenment in general?
~a column by Colleen O’Brien Why is it that at a point of planetary crisis, the world is ignoring the encroaching end that is the result of our bad practices and blundering? I know there are plenty of people figuring out things to save the planet, but, really, the uptick of buying big SUVs and the killing of elephants and…
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