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Opinion

‘For the many, not the money’

Letters to Editor

To the editor: Treasury Secretary (Scott) Bessent accidentally revealed the Republican plan to privatize Social Security benefits with the new "Trump accounts." These accounts are contributions made for children born in the U.S. Before the Great Recession of 2007 the George W. Bush ...

My experience with reunions

Letters to Editor

To the editor: Reunions have always been more than just dates on a calendar for me — they’re a chance to walk back into a room and feel like I’m home again. Growing up in Webster City gave me memories that are stitched into who I am: football games under the lights, basketball in a ...

The fall

Local Columns

I fell last week. It’s not the first time, but this time I had a cake in my hands and, boy, was it a mess. I stepped on stones I couldn’t see and they rolled on the concrete like marbles. As I hit the ground, I thought, well, at least I’m not alone; it’s Market Night and there are ...

A euphemism is an agreeable expression

Local Columns

Okay, I will admit it: I enjoy studying euphemisms. Euphemisms are those words we use as a substitute for a word that may be unpleasant or offensive. Many years ago, for instance, a proper farm wife wouldn’t say “boar” or “bull.” She would euphemize with “the male animal.” The ...

Has it really been eight months?

Local Columns

My plan was to give a six-month update into how the position of sheriff has been going, but when I looked at my calendar and it was already August, I think I finally realized that time was slipping away from me as fast as I could think. I wanted to give the citizens of Hamilton County an ...

Friends and explosions

Local Columns

As we near the 80th anniversary of the explosion that ultimately convinced the Japanese that World War II was lost to them, I am reminded of another, far less volatile explosion, that perfectly illustrates the relationship between the Curtis family and the Dinsdales. Dad, as in my father, ...