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Local Columns

Wisdom from around the world

Some Americans wrongly think we’re better, smarter or even more sophisticated than citizens of other nations. We have more toys, more technology, more money. Sadly, we also have more problems. It is worthwhile to consider the value of other cultures’ wisdom. Without advanced degrees and ...

Don’t discount Webster City success stories

It feels good to write a story about success. If you read the Daily Freeman Journal regularly, when you read through the pages of time, most of the stories in the past are about businesses expanding, progress in the community, sometimes there is a story that is looking back that seems funny, ...

The lost art of complaining

While we Americans enjoy complaining — about the weather, taxes, politics and most anything else — I fear we are losing the “art” of complaining. It seems fewer folks these days have the ability to express feelings of pain, dissatisfaction or resentment in a manner which allows both ...

Catch ’em in the summer

Crazy isn’t it? It seems like not so long ago we were wading in the cold water of rivers in search of early season walleyes and now we’re thinking about catching fish during the hottest weather of the year. Fishing can be like the weather in the summer. Both can be very hot. To take ...

Accountability, responsibility starts at the top

In law enforcement, accountability is a word that gets used often. It is demanded by the public. It is expected by elected officials. Sometimes it becomes the center of discussion after a mistake, a complaint, or a tragedy. But accountability is not something that should only appear when ...

Inflation and nickel ice cream cones

On a recent Saturday morning my wife and I had run a few errands when she reminded me she had been given a gift card for a new business. Neither of us were familiar with the place but gathered from the name of the business that they sold cookies. After a frustrating search to find the ...