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The workings of an idle mind

Local Columns

It was so hot the other day I saw a funeral procession pull through a Dairy Queen. Okay, that’s an exaggeration but it was really hot. When it gets this hot, I stay inside as much as possible and this often results in too little to occupy my mind. This leads to an idle mind and an idle mind is the devil’s workshop. And that’s when I begin thinking weird thoughts. Why, for instance, does time accelerate as time remaining diminishes? When I was a kid and had an entire life ahead of me, birthdays seemed to be 10 years apart. Now that I’m older and acknowledge ...

Different looks for more fish

Local Columns

When it comes to fishing, there’s always a new lure or technique to try. For the past couple of years, I’ve been reading about “urchin” baits. Urchins are multi-tentacled baits that look odd, but a friend told me that he had been using an urchin bait called a Tumbleweed with outstanding success. He says that “if you put that Tumbleweed near a bass, they’re probably going to eat it.” These strange looking urchins reminded me of odd presentations that will at times put fish in the boat better than traditional presentations. Following are some of those “odd” ...

Study impacts before we are in too deep

Letters to Editor

Slow Down Letter to the editor, Ever think things are moving too fast? Is AI being used to cure cancer and many other problems? I know it is used to sell stuff. Always about making a buck. If kids have their heads buried in their phones, why are school scores going down? Is the space race because they know we are killing this planet because of pollution and ignoring climate change? They are shoving data centers down our throats while the hype is alive and before companies quit because of cost. Everything connected to the Internet uses a data center. They are the physical ...

Viewpoints: A stronger community begins when we listen

Local Columns

I recently attended an out of state family wedding. It was a joyful experience, spending time with family I rarely see, and truly celebrating a great union. I felt fortunate to see so much love in one place at one time. But I also felt fortunate because we were talking face to face. To attend the event required traveling and I was fortunate to travel with my niece, Suzanne, who teaches vocal music in South Sioux City, Nebraska. We had a large amount of time together, to talk about teaching, family, and changes in our world. To me this was a great gift. Our life experiences ...

Water testing necessary to preserve ecosystem

Letters to Editor

Letter to the Editor Growing up in rural Iowa, I spent a lot of time at nearby waterways. I learned to tell the quality of a waterway by the ecosystem in and around it or the lack of one. Now, Iowa faces a public health and water crisis that demands immediate action. Our state ranks second in the nation for new cancer cases, with 87 of 99 counties exceeding the national cancer rate. With no comprehensive plan, this trend will continue or even get worse. The average nitrate concentrations in Iowa's drinking water increased between 2003 and 2017, with a concentration averaged across ...

An 8-year-old boy still lives

Local Columns

Country Roads Column for week of July 27, 2026 Seventy years ago many Iowa elementary classrooms displayed bright yellow cards appropriately called “dental cards.” The cards bore the signatures of dentists confirming that the student named thereon had visited said dentist and the condition of his or her teeth was duly approved. Most years the Huisman kids did not have a dental card pinned to the wall. Our parents took their six children to the dentist when the need arose but preventative dental care was not in the family budget. The first dentist visit I can remember occurred ...