Breaking News

Local Columns

Old station wagon helps us remember

My 40-something daughter loves learning. After earning her PhD and securing a good job she learned to play jazz guitar. More recently she began art classes. When she gave me a belated Father’s Day gift a few weeks ago, it was accompanied by her illustration of our family’s most memorable automobile ̶ a 1977 Dodge Royal Monaco Brougham station wagon. We acquired the station wagon a few months after our daughter was born. A Dodge Dart had taken good care of us until we also needed to take along baby things. Our four-year-old son was growing fast and now the Dart had become ...

Public meetings should be more public

The value of reading and understanding local issues has never been more important than it is today. It is such a basic part of our education and it is critical not just to learn, but also for making decisions. In public life and in the corporate world, board meetings are held to inform board members about what is happening when they are not in the room and to give them information to help make decisions. Detailed written reports, financial reports and summaries are usually part of what is given to board members. By not expecting this or not reading this information thoroughly, bad ...

A much bigger picture

I’ve been thinking a lot about this as a new calendar year of sports begins. We have athletes of all shapes, sizes and walks of life preparing for their respective seasons. Some are blessed with an endless supply of God-given talent. Some are not, but make up for it with a driven, ...

Could I be an anachronism?

It should be no surprise that I love words, especially unusual words. Years ago I came across the word “anachronism.” I was not familiar with the term. It reminded me of the word “anarchy” but the context in which it was used made it clear that was not correct. So, to the dictionary I went and learned the definition of “anachronism.” It means something that is misplaced in time. For instance, if I were to wear a top hat (a la Abe Lincoln) to church or a social gathering the act could be defined as an anachronism. Over the years I have wondered if perhaps I am ...

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 ...