It was a dark and stormy night. Well, it was dark anyway. It was the night I was born many, MANY years ago. This is the week my personal calendar flips to new year. By the end of January I will be one year closer to my 100th birthday. I’m not planning a big celebration but I am ...
Martin Luther King Jr. Day, being observed today, is an appropriate time to recall an exceptional person. But more importantly, it’s a time to recommit the nation to the cause for which King died and the legacy he left for all of us. The famed civil rights leader, assassinated April 4, 1968, ...
While I think of him often, at this time of year I think even more frequently of a friend, now deceased, who is unforgettable. Duane Gibson was the longtime pastor of First Baptist Church in Des Moines. During the 1990s I read about him in Des Moines Register stories about the ...
Although it seems like it just started, in many areas across the ice-fishing belt, the ice fishing season is already at the midway point. In many places it’s been much warmer than usual, so travel on the ice has been limited. Despite that, there are lots of anglers on the ice, and numerous ...
With the whole world seemingly focused on how fast the COVID-19 vaccine can be administered, we must not forget the importance of an older vaccine: the flu shot. Just about everyone has called in sick at some point, saying they had the flu when they were sniffling, sneezing, maybe running a ...
Where we live in the western suburbs of Des Moines there is building activity in all directions. The beautiful cornfield behind our house when we moved here nearly five years ago is now a new townhouse development. Some of the units show “sold” signs before they are completed. It has ...
Avid ice angler John Crane and I talked on the phone recently. He has been doing a lot of ice fishing in his home area of north central Minnesota and on this particular day he had been after walleyes. After my usual questions of “wadja’ catch” and “wadja catch’em on”, the ...
For months, Americans’ pleas for Congress to give us more financial help in coping with COVID-19 have fallen on political ears — much worse than merely deaf ones — in Washington. Exactly why lawmakers were unable to agree on a second CARES Act is open to debate. Republican loyalists ...
It’s a brand-new year and we’re all hoping that 2021 will be a better year than 2020. The past year was rough and especially cruel. Nearly all of us have lost someone dear to the coronavirus. In coming decades people will recount tales of the pandemic to grandchildren many times over. ...
It’s a new year and a new fishing season. Let’s think a bit about fishing and why we like to go fishing, through the ice or on open water. Let’s think just a bit. Not too much. Fishing is different things to different people. Some folks go fishing to catch a meal of fish. Others ...
To the Editor: In response to the recent letter to the editor stating wearing a mask is a matter of opinion, I noticed the title “Doctor” did not precede the writer’s name. A mask is not an opinion, it is a fact based on studies done by medical professionals at the World Health ...
For a number of years now I have not stayed up to see the New Year in. I’d rather sleep and I am led to wonder, “What’s so special about New Year’s Eve?” Oh, I didn’t start out that way. As a kid I thought it was wonderful the few times my parents let me stay up late enough to ...
To the Editor: On behalf of the Webster City Ministerial Association, I want to thank everyone who helped make our 2020 Salvation Army Red Kettle Campaign a success. Volunteers from First Congregational United Church of Christ, Asbury United Methodist Church, and Trinity Lutheran Church ...
To the Editor: I respectfully request that the City Council of Webster City hire a female as city manager due to the fact that the last 3 city managers of Webster City were male. I believe in gender equity and hope that the City Council strives for that as well. Paul Dahl Webster City
Whether we’re ice fishing or open water fishing, it’s important to try to match our bait presentation to the attitude of the fish. Sometimes it takes a while to figure out the attitude of the fish on a particular day on the body of water that you’re on. Open water or ice, many anglers ...
Over the years I have often wondered what my grandfathers would say if they could see how the world has changed. My maternal grandfather died in 1965 and my paternal grandfather passed away in 1969. Both had seen the advent of the automobile and air travel. Both saw the beginnings of ...
To the Editor: I would like to publicly offer my heartfelt thanks to the citizens of Webster City for the privilege of serving as your City Manager. I would also like to thank the City staff for their hard work and dedication, it was an honor to serve with you. Jeff Sheridan Webster City
To the Editor: An American can hardly go a day without getting into a discussion about the current pandemic. Everyone knows someone who is unwilling to wear a face mask, and everyone also knows that particular someone who cannot stop harping on about their absolute necessity. I would like to ...
To the Editor: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused childhood hunger to soar to record-level highs, with 1 in 5 children in Iowa facing hunger this year. This is more than a health crisis — it’s an economic one too. As a business owner, it’s devastating to see the impact on my industry ...
As the ice on lakes and ponds gets thicker across the ice fishing belt, our ice-fishing tactics should change for more ice fishing success. Early in the year, when the ice was thin, a more stationary approach was usually more productive. Fish under thin ice can detect movement better, and ...