Opinion

Supports renovation of High School

Letters to Editor August 21, 2026

Letter to the editor - Bahr To the editor, I want to express my support for the renovation of our high school facility - not only to provide a better educational environment for our students, but also to strengthen and enhance our entire community. I have visited schools in Humboldt, Iowa Falls and Clear Lake and have seen firsthand the significant renovations those communities have made to their school facilities. Their schools have become a source of pride and a major selling point for their communities. It reinforced for me that when we invest in our schools, we are investing in ...

Wants unbiased governance

Letters to Editor August 17, 2026

To the editor, Voters expect basic honesty, transparency and equal treatment from elected officials. Unfortunately, recent actions by Webster City leadership demonstrate a troubling patter of arbitrary enforcement and selective governance. While the city recently used a “City Beautification” initiative to issue code violations against senior citizens and individuals in nursing care - vulnerable residents who promptly corrected the notices-administration simultaneously looks the other way on glaring, long-term violations. For instance, commercial residential hedges at 1401 and ...

The Adventures of Adam and Eve

Local Columns August 17, 2026

Adam was growing weary of naming animals when he heard a voice call out, “Adam.” Since there was no one else around he correctly assumed it was the voice of God. “Yes, Lord!” Adam said. “Adam, you look lonely.” “Well, yeah, it’s just me and the animals. By the way, I named that big animal over there a cow but I don’t know what to call the dangly things under it.” “Don’t worry about the dangly things, “God said. “I want to talk with you about a woman.” “What’s a woman?” “A woman will be your helpmate,” God explained. “She will help you ...

The Kicker

Letters to Editor August 17, 2026

To the editor, In 1870 , American humorist Josh Billings (1818-1885) wrote a poem called “The Kicker.” I hate to be a kicker I always long for peace But the wheel that does the squeaking Is the one that gets the grease.’’ They still had wagon wheels back then didn’t they? It’s in us from the start. Who gets more attention, a crying baby or a quiet one? Remember taxation without representation. This country actually started with a protest, the Boston Tea Party. I believe this, people get only what they accept. Our very smart forefathers wouldn’t accept an ...

Letter to the editor

Letters to Editor August 14, 2026

Balance is needed in everyone’s online lives

Editorials August 14, 2026

Teenagers who once spent hours talking to each other on the phone now spend hours communicating on social media. Many adults do much of the same thing, spending hours scrolling through various web sites and social media feeds. Ironically, much of this is done using phones. Devices which were originally created to enable people to speak to each other in some cases now get used to do about everything but speak to another human being. The internet has a lot of tremendous benefits. It enables people to access all kinds of news and information that they could have never received ...