Crappies are an interesting fish. In mid and late summer they can seemingly disappear from a body of water that was infested with them just a few weeks earlier. They have a unique appearance: It’s hard to mistake a crappie for a different type of fish. Walleyes look much like sauger, ...
Medicine has come a long way since I was a kid and they used hypodermic needles over and over. If you were the poor soul who got a shot with a blunt needle it felt like the doctor or nurse was driving a 40-penny nail into your arm (or other even more tender portion of the anatomy.) Back in the ...
It started way back at least fifty years ago. That’s when I developed an interest in fishing. In that era, fishing was a summer thing. Not many people fished through the ice in the winter, and we went to school in the spring and fall, so all of the fishing that we did was in the summer. ...
The COVID-19 crisis continues to be the major news story daily. If we want it not to be, we need to start taking it seriously. COVID-19 is not the flu. It is both more contagious and more deadly. Its virulence, or how easy it is to pass on to others, is exacerbated by the fact that without ...
While I was never a “mama’s boy” I had a good relationship with my mother and miss her daily. Mom passed away in November 2018 at the age of 91. Some of my favorite memories of Mom are the words and phrases she used and in my mind I still hear them often. Mom grew up one of 12 ...
In my over fifty years of fishing, I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to fish from a variety of boats and boat styles. Some were outstanding fishing rigs, others not so much. Fishing partners and I have shared space in flat-bottom jonboats, high end bass boats, deep-vee multi-specie boats, ...
As we plan for the start of what is sure to be an unusual beginning to the school year in theWebster City Community Schools, we are hard at work preparing for a variety of scenarios. Specifically, there are four main options for how teaching and learning might look starting Aug. 24. The ...
To the Editor I want to commend Governor Reynolds for doing a good job dealing with the Covid-19 virus. I think she has done very well in maintaining her priorities of both the citizens and the economy. She has stood against pressures from political opponents and special interest groups and ...
When a person decides to go fishing, a primary goal is to catch some fish. And, while we certainly enjoy the time spent with our boat partner or just being on the water, catching a few or a bunch of fish is the main reason that we go fishing. We know that we’re not always going to catch ...
When I was a youngster in the early 1950s many families did not yet have a television set in their homes. For some families ̶ including my own ̶ it was an economic issue as TV sets were still quite expensive. For some families ̶ including my own ̶ it was a religious issue. There ...
The summer of 2020 is here. For most anglers, spring fishing success has ranged from “pretty darn good” to “outstanding” to quote many. Summer fishing is different than spring fishing. Some people who fish refer to fishing in July and August as the “Dog Days”, and they’re not ...
I met this group of old guys in Akron, Iowa. They have coffee every morning between 6 am and 9 am. The mayor thought I would like their story. The coffee wasn't bad either. They call themselves the Old Geezers Club. Several of the fellows brought their woodworking tools to outfit a shared ...
A new fishing season is under way. Now is a good time to remember what fishing techniques have worked in the past, but we should also remind ourselves to revise those techniques when the fish aren’t responding to them. Here’s what I mean. Trolling with crankbaits has become a popular ...
The United States Postal Service and I go back a longways. My first memories of U.S. Mail are from 1951. I was three-years-old and we lived on a farm on the south side of the gravel road that was the Iowa-Minnesota state line. Though we lived in Iowa our mailing address was Frost, Minnesota, ...
To the Editor: One of us has worked with Sheriff Timmons as an elected official for a year and half theother for three and half years. We have yet to question his professionalism, integrity,concern for all the residents of Hamilton County or the well being of his staff. We meet with him ...
To the Editor: As a citizen of Hamilton County and a 9 year Board Member of Hamilton County Crimestoppers, I am endorsing Sheriff Doug Timmons for Hamilton County Sheriff and supporting his reelection efforts. I have known Sheriff Timmons most closely through our joint work with Hamilton ...
Several years ago a list of jokes about “dumb men” made the rounds via e-mail. This was before Facebook became a joke-sharing medium. As I recall, most men laughed at the “dumb men” jokes, just as many blondes did when the “dumb blond” jokes made the rounds. Having worked with ...
To the Editor: I am asking for your support to re-elect Sheriff Doug Timmons. I saw first hand how he organized and coordinated with the fire fighters, ambulance services and law enforcement agencies of Hamilton County to get the new radio system for all emergency personnel up and ...
To the Editor: We are very fortunate to have a young sheriff in our community. Doug Timmons is an asset to our community for law enforcement. He knows the needs of the people here. He is honest, dependable and has Hamilton County’s interests at heart. We enjoy his exposure in the ...
To the Editor: I am writing this letter to express my support for Sheriff Doug Timmons' re-election as Hamilton County Sheriff. Sheriff Timmons has done an excellent job as sheriff, and has proven that he is a very strong leader in Hamilton County. He has gone beyond his duties as sheriff to ...