A few years in the news business transformed this naïve country boy into a skeptic. I want proof. Journalists live by the creed: “If your mother says she loves you, check it out.” Over the decades sources have told me incredible stories that, upon investigation, proved to be nothing ...
To the editor: Treasury Secretary (Scott) Bessent accidentally revealed the Republican plan to privatize Social Security benefits with the new "Trump accounts." These accounts are contributions made for children born in the U.S. Before the Great Recession of 2007 the George W. Bush ...
To the editor: Reunions have always been more than just dates on a calendar for me — they’re a chance to walk back into a room and feel like I’m home again. Growing up in Webster City gave me memories that are stitched into who I am: football games under the lights, basketball in a ...
I fell last week. It’s not the first time, but this time I had a cake in my hands and, boy, was it a mess. I stepped on stones I couldn’t see and they rolled on the concrete like marbles. As I hit the ground, I thought, well, at least I’m not alone; it’s Market Night and there are ...
Okay, I will admit it: I enjoy studying euphemisms. Euphemisms are those words we use as a substitute for a word that may be unpleasant or offensive. Many years ago, for instance, a proper farm wife wouldn’t say “boar” or “bull.” She would euphemize with “the male animal.” The ...
My plan was to give a six-month update into how the position of sheriff has been going, but when I looked at my calendar and it was already August, I think I finally realized that time was slipping away from me as fast as I could think. I wanted to give the citizens of Hamilton County an ...