The best outcome for Hamilton County is to have a long-term successful hospital that operates without a tax levy. I believe most residents would agree that achieving both should be the goal. I’m happy Van Diest Medical Center (VDMC) is operating profitably and is in a very strong ...
To the editor: You may have heard that certain elected state officials wish to eliminate Township Trustees and also our right to elect a county Treasurer, Recorder and Auditor. In high school government class at South Hamilton (a public school), I learned that the United States of America is a Representative Republic, which means we elect representatives to serve our wishes at the federal, state, county, city and township levels. It is a system that has served us better than any other in the world. Now comes elected state level officials. For years I've heard word of closed door ...
The Hometown Pride program that is being applied for by the Greater Hamilton County Partnership has an approach that gives me hope. It’s a given that every community across the country is lacking something. It shows up in several ways. Traditional churches are struggling with attendance. Organizations are disappearing. And government is being asked to do more in individual towns and cities. This means everyone loses. When I pull articles to create the “Turning back the pages of time,” it is full of meetings and officers being elected. The names are all different. And ...
To the editor: Award winners: This is not a surprise to me. This outstanding newspaper has reached to the top ring because of excellence caused by contributors in the most difficult field today. Your work is appreciated by more than you realize. Keep it up! I look forward to tomorrow. Bob Erickson Webster City
My paternal grandfather, who I knew as Opa, was born in 1899, the year the first automobiles were displayed in Iowa at the Linn County Fair. Opa celebrated his 11th birthday on April 29, 1910, less than a week before the first documented powered, heavier-than-air airplane flight in Iowa occurred. On the day after Opa’s 23rd birthday, WOI Radio in Ames was granted a license to operate Iowa’s first radio station. He told me about dating with a horse and wagon. “The horse knew the way,” he said with a wink. Opa farmed with horses for at least two decades before he began ...
Dear Editor: Greetings! First I wish to commend the Freeman Journal and its staff for receiving so many journalism awards. Well deserved. Second, I wish to thank the editor or staff person for including my receiving the DAR Award in the teaching of American History at Webster City Middle School 25 years ago. The article brought back many memories of days gone by. This was found in the Turning Back the Pages of Time column found in the February 11th issue of the Freeman Journal. Lastly, I should also thank the sports editor for the inclusiveness of your articles selected to be ...
