The story is told of two young brothers who decided they were old enough to swear. At bedtime one night they agreed that the next morning they would begin swearing. They even chose the cuss words they would use. At breakfast the next morning, their mother asked the oldest boy what he wanted ...
In one of the first writing classes I took as a journalism major in college we learned how to write an obituary. I don’t know if that’s still the progression of things. Maybe that’s why I read obituaries in the newspaper now. I just like to learn about how people lived, where they ...
For weeks, small forests of signs promoting dozens of political candidates have been demonstrations of the vigor of our system of government. Now, they are just litter. Some candidates and their supporters started the process of picking up their signs on Tuesday evening. It is pleasing ...
I was at an ice-fishing Open House at a retail tackle shop recently. There some anglers there who had been looking at a long range weather forecast. According to this forecast, cold weather is headed to the upper Midwest, and these anglers were guessing that they would be on the ice in north ...
Election Day is almost upon us. On Nov. 6, those citizens who choose to vote have the opportunity to shape the future of our community, state and nation. Given the impact American policies have almost everywhere in the world, it is really no exaggeration to say that the voices of this country's ...
Here in Iowa we pride ourselves on being friendly and helpful and supportive of others. Some of us call it Iowa nice. Maybe it is the media that encourages us to believe that we are the good guys while the folks who live in urban areas are impolite, cold, and uncaring folks who live isolated ...
During a layover at the Denver airport some years ago I heard a commotion just a few yards away. Two teenage boys, accompanied by a handful of other teenagers, were boisterously greeting one another. Not an uncommon sight at airports, except these young men were speaking in German. After a ...
"Iowa's judiciary is recognized as among the best in the nation. In surveys conducted for the United States Chamber of Commerce, our state judiciary has consistently ranked among the top five state court systems in terms of impartiality and competence. This high standing is due to Iowa's ...
To the Editor: The KYL Friends of the Library Committee want to express their thanks to all the people who helped make the recent fall book sale a success. A total of $2,317 was raised this fall, bringing the total raised this year to $4,458 on book sales. There were a total of 80 ...
To the Editor: Though the Friends of the Library book sale is only held twice a year, the acceptance and sorting of books is a year round process. The books can be dropped off anytime at Kendall Young Library. There are a few stipulations though. We cannot accept any books that are ...
To the Editor: I was extremely disappointed to see that the editorial board of The Daily Freeman Journal has endorsed Steve King's re-election campaign. In his 16 years in the House of Representatives, Mr. King has been the primary sponsor of only one bill that was enacted into ...
To the Editor: We are sorry to see our Freeman Journal come out for King when the National Republican Congressional Committee denounced him. His own party is not supporting him. King's rhetoric has gone off the rails and headed straight down the road to show his racist, white supremacy ...
To the Editor: When Kim Reynolds became the first woman Governor of Iowa, I remembered that when I had run as a Republican candidate for State Treasurer in 1998, some Republicans were admittedly unwilling to vote for a woman. I wanted to vote for Kim Reynolds. Then she touted a ...
Looking to avoid raking leaves this fall? Leaving excessive amount of leaf matter on the lawn can cause problems going into winter, and is bad for several reasons. Leaves can smother the grass and if not removed by very early in the spring, the growth will be inhibited. A mat of ...
It’s that time of year when some anglers are starting to think about ice-fishing, but there are still a good number of anglers who are open water fishing. Regardless of how or where or when we fish, anglers want to catch fish. To do so, we need to figure out where the fish are, what they ...
October has been designated National Pork Month. That makes it an especially good time to reflect on the importance of the pork industry to this state. It's unlikely that anyone who lives in Iowa does not already know that pork production contributes mightily to the economic vitality of the ...
When I was a small boy there was a middle aged man in our community who suffered from an obvious and unusual physical affliction. I remember asking my father about the man and Dad explained he was injured in a gas attack during the First World War. That discussion is one of my first memories ...
Another time I realized I wasn’t in Iowa any more while I was traveling out East early this month was when we were driving in six lanes of pretty solid traffic in the Boston area. I was thankful not to be behind the wheel of our rental car. My traveling companion lives in Atlanta and deals ...
State Rep. Rob Bacon, of Slater, has was first elected to the Iowa House of Representative in 2010 and is now completing his third term. He brought to the House substantial legislative experience having previously served one term in the Iowa Senate. Bacon understands well the multitude of ...
Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you. -Princess Diana I’m always amazed by some of the acts of kindness I see in our community. People step up, share their talents, express their generosity, ...