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The Bootcamp crew of Jewell

Editors note: The following column was the winner of the “There’s No Place Like Home” photo and writing contest which was held in Jewell this past month. The entries were to include a photo that captures the spirit of the community. Congratulations to Suzy Bunk Bahr for the winning entry which we are including today as a guest column below: "The Bootcamp Crew" One of my favorite things to do is share time with this group. Leaders and warriors, they inspire me in so many ways. They welcome everyone! All you have to do is just show up, and you will feel like you belong. This ...

Shift your thinking and help lift the spirits of others

As we near the end of this years election cycle, it seems fitting that we begin to shift our thinking to a more positive focus. The campaigns of our elections this year don’t make the list of things I’m grateful for, but the end of the campaigning is certainly on my list. Shifting to positive outcomes is critical for our state of mind, to allow us to hope for a brighter future. The best possible outcome for us all, is to find we have elected good leaders, who will do things in the best interest of all. That is my focus. But there is so much more. We have so many things ...

Looking at the outward appearance

My old high school more than 60 years ago was small. The building housed grades K-12 so it wasn’t unusual for a high school student to run into elementary kids. One afternoon while walking through a nearly empty lunchroom I met two boys, probably about second or third-grade, walking the opposite direction. When our paths met, one of the boys looked up at me and, pointing to his friend, said, “He says you’re Lurch. Is that true?” In real life, Ted Cassidy, the actor who played Lurch in the 1960s The Addams Family television series was 6’9” tall. I’m only 6’7” but a ...

Should not take the newspaper for granted

To the Editor: Local newspapers are the informational lifeblood of a community. Some time ago Pulitzer Prize recipient Art Cullen, editor of the Storm Lake Pilot, wrote an article capturing the importance of local newspapers to their communities. That article is summarized here from another source: “Cullen’s article emphasizes that local newspapers like the Storm Lake Times are vital for community cohesion because they connect residents, foster trust, and keep people informed about issues that matter most in their daily lives. He argues that local papers serve as the ...

When Hometown Pride calls, say yes

I’ve heard this before, probably first from my mother, then later from friends or family. But I am identifying more and more with this. Sometimes there just isn’t enough of me. I don’t mean physically, I just feel mentally there isn’t enough brain power to keep all the plates spinning in the air. Especially as the harder I try, the more behind I get. I’ve always been a doer, and I know how to do many things, but no one can expand the hours in the days, no one can give us an eight day week, and months that should always be 32 days long, just don’t exist. It’s my ...

Road safety during harvest and year round

The world is moving too fast now, and no place do we see this more than on our roads. It’s time to slow down and be more aware, as farmers are moving farm equipment, trying to get their crops harvested before the weather takes another turn. But it’s also the time of the year, when the wildlife are running, as their shelters and food are disappearing as farmers hit their fields. It seems obvious that with fall, we should all be paying more attention to the roads and how the weather conditions impact not only people, like the farmers, but the animals that we share our world ...