DES MOINES – Gov. Terry Branstad on Friday signed the following bill into law: House File 291: an Act relating to employment matters involving public employees including collective bargaining, educator employment matters, personnel records and settlement agreements, city civil service requirements, and health insurance matters, making penalties applicable, and including effective date, applicability, and transition provisions.
Read MoreCategory: Opinion
The courage to create a better world
~a column by Colleen O’Brien I heard such an interesting talk the other day that had to do with courage that I asked my friend who gave the speech honoring two Black elders on Martin Luther King holiday if I could have a copy for my column. He obliged; below are parts of what Jaha Cummins had to say about…
Read MoreLetter to the editor – James F. Riley
To the editor, I want to compliment the Greene County boys and girls basketball teams along with their coaches. I also want to state the citizens of Greene County should be very proud of these young men and women in the way they conduct themselves in representing Greene County. We adults owe these young folks a “thank you,” but more…
Read MoreRon Wagner draws
Click here to enlarge image.
Read MoreWhy a Black History Month?
~a column by Colleen O’Brien It is February, Black History Month, sometimes now called African American Heritage Month. February was chosen because of two people whose birthdays happened to fall in February and who were instrumental in obtaining justice for African Americans: Frederick Douglass, 19th Century political activist, writer and vice-presidential candidate who worked for the abolition of the crime…
Read MoreThe Behn Report
February 4, 2017 With all the contentious bills we had this week, it was refreshing to have the FFA groups from Gilbert, Boone, and Webster City here at the Capitol. They were interested in learning the way government functions and they were interested in ag related issues. Overall, they were a great group of kids and I enjoyed visiting with…
Read MoreRon Wagner draws
Click here to enlarge.
Read MorePresident Pinocchio
~a column by Colleen’Brien When someone you know lies – not just once, but on a regular basis – what do you think? Oh, I’ll hang out with this guy, should be fun. What difference does it make? We all tell little white lies. What’s it mean when that person who lies says that other people are the liars? Doesn’t…
Read MoreIntroducing Ron Wagner
Starting this week, GreeneCountyNewsOnline readers will occasionally see political cartoons drawn by professional comic artist Ron Wagner of Des Moines. You’ll find them under the Opinion tab, usually on Sunday. Ron graduated from what is now East Marshall High School. He graduated from the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art in Dover, NJ, and from the School of…
Read MoreOn the march again
~by Denise O’Brien Van I was a lone Greene County participant, I thought, in the Saturday, Jan. 21, Women’s March in Des Moines. The local women I invited to walk with me had commitments, so I soloed, rather bravely, I thought. Now I know, thanks to Facebook, that several Greene County women were there. The throng was so large that I…
Read MoreMarching around the globe
~a column by Colleen O’Brien On Saturday, January 21, the day after inauguration, millions of people in America and across the globe marched for women’s rights. They marched in Australia and New Zealand, the Czech Republic, Antarctica, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, England, Ireland, Ghana, South Africa, Kenya, Scotland, Mexico, but not, as far as I could find out, in Russia…
Read MoreLetter to the editor – Sheila Goodwin
Dear Editor, As a Greene County resident I’ve been reading a lot about our school district and their decisions. Everyone seems to have an opinion about what changes need to be made to improve the relationship between the school district and the community and there seems to be a lot of squabbling. I’ve been squabbling a little myself.
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