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The day the world cried: September 11, 2001

I asked for community memories about the tragedy on September 11, 2001, and was a bit surprised I didn’t receive more. But then I thought about what I would write, and realized how difficult it was to think back to the emotions of that day. For all of us who were adults that day, it’s hard to forget. We don’t want to think about it. But I asked others to remember, so I must too. It was my last week of work as the Executive Director of the Webster City Chamber of Commerce. I had made a decision to go back to college, saving the funds to do that. After 13 years in Chamber work, ...

We already miss Dolly

Much has been written in recent days about Dolly Parton and her recent passing. What I have read has been appropriate, accurate and touching. I never met Dolly Parton in person nor did I ever hear her perform in a live performance. But I do remember when I became aware of Dolly Parton and her music. My first full time job was at our county seat radio station. I was the sign-on guy and my duties included hosting a one-hour country music program immediately after the 6 a.m. sign-on news. Country music was not yet the red-hot music genre it is today; many folks considered it hillbilly ...

Autumn angling

Ever since I got serious about fishing, which was at about age four, I’ve looked forward to fishing in the fall. Actually, I look forward to fishing in any season, but there’s something about fishing in the fall that has always been special to me. Maybe it’s the idea that the open water season is winding down. Maybe it’s the knowledge that autumn provides the best chance to catch a truly big fish. Maybe it’s knowing that many bodies of water will have much less pressure. Fishing in the fall is many things to many anglers. And they’re mostly good things. Some people ...

Viewpoints

On September 8, voters in the Webster City Community School District will be asked to consider three questions related to the future of our schools: approval of a revenue purpose statement, an increase in the current Physical Plant and Equipment Levy (PPEL), and a ten-year extension of the PPEL. Together, these measures would provide the resources necessary to renovate and expand the existing high school and construct a new multi-purpose activity facility for student and community use. I strongly encourage voters to vote YES on all three questions. I make that recommendation from two ...

Support our schools: Vote yes on September 8

Improvements to the Webster City High School are needed. As has been documented in this newspaper over the past several weeks, the facility is outdated, impedes student learning, makes recruiting and retaining educators more difficult, and no longer reflects the quality of education our community expects and deserves. As employers, business owners, and community members, we see the impact firsthand. Our ability to recruit employees and families to Webster City is affected when prospective residents compare our educational facilities with those available in other communities. The ...

“Life Gets Tee-Jus (Tedious,) Don’t It?”

Ever since I was a young boy I have had an interest in electronics. With a patience and a lot of luck I repaired our family TV set when I was 11 years old. Then, in sixth grade, I read a story about a young boy riding his bike along a country road when he was passed by an automobile. The driver of the car was talking on a telephone. This was in 1960 when a phone in the car was a rare sight. The story explained that a mobile car radio operated from a trunk-mounted transmitter to a regional tower that covered a radius of about 40-60 miles. More than a decade later I read a related ...