At the risk of appearing to be a geezer, I confess that (having been born in January) I am currently experiencing my 73rd winter in Iowa. Well, it won’t officially be winter in Iowa until 11:19 p.m. on December 21 but when it snows and it’s cold outside it’s winter. To heck with the ...
The Christmas season is officially here. Shoppers will be on the hunt for the perfect gift for everyone on their shopping list. Some will decide that it’s easier to forgo merchants in the community to click order gifts from online sources. They are mistaken. There are many good reasons ...
Since the earliest days in our state’s history, Iowans have understood that schools are important to the proper development of youngsters to help ready them to assist in building a bright future for their communities and state. Not long after farmsteads began to fill Iowa’s landscape, they ...
Thanksgiving is upon us, and soon the Christmas season will be here. The time spent together with family over food and gift giving is something that we all associate with this time of year. But there are those for whom these holidays are just another day, but with an added sense of loneliness ...
There are various types of businesses that operate as cooperatives, but according to the National Cooperative Business Association they all are owned and democratically controlled by their members and are designed to serve those members. The members typically are the people who “use the ...
To the Editor: Our family would like to thank everyone who attended the benefits and all those who made donations. Your generosity is truly appreciated, and It has helped to lift the stress we were feeling. The prayers, love, and support we have received from the community is overwhelming ...
Who are your customers? Who will use your product or service? What is their age, location, and income level? Knowing your customer will help you better serve them. Today I'm sharing some ideas that Josh at 2nd Wind Music Store in Fostoria, Ohio is using in his business. Josh was ...
Webster City suffered an unimaginable loss Saturday with the passing of Webster City Assistant City Manager and Recreation & Public Grounds Director Kent Harfst in a bicycling accident. The staff of the Freeman Journal wish to extend their deepest sympathies to both the Harfst family and ...
Ah. . . Sunday afternoon. I’m not sure there is any more delicious time of the week. Just by the nature of when it falls during our seven-day week, and the way our culture has evolved, Sunday afternoon is unique. It’s a time to do what we want, to relax, perhaps, to see our friends and ...
When I was a youngster I read everything I could… including signs. I was particularly intrigued by a sign I saw on buildings in some Iowa towns: “Odd Fellows Hall.” I had heard my parents say of someone a bit different, “He’s really odd.” In my limited understanding of the world ...
Is small scale manufacturing even possible in your town? Just what is small scale manufacturing? It's the artisan makers, the prototyping to small scale, it's the production at scale, the makerspaces and the shared commercial kitchens and workshops. You'd be looking for craft ...
Wherever people fish anywhere in North America, and that's almost everywhere, there's an excitement right now about fishing. Fall is a wonderful season to be on the water trying to get a fish to bite. And, if you put your bait in front a fish, chances are good that it will eat that bait. In ...
Well, they’re at it again, trying to pit Americans against each other and thus, disrupting the upcoming presidential eletion. The Russians? We don’t know, although it is certain that the Kremlin’s online campaign of inciting dissention among us never stopped. Someone decided ...
So here we are in September. The official summer season is almost over. Autumn officially begins on September 23 and then we know that winter isn’t too far away. We Iowans are subjected to the extremes of weather – from beastly hot, humid summers to bone-chilling winter cold ...
To the Editor: Webster City and Hamilton County, I have lived here for the past 19 plus years and am very happy to call this home and tell people where I live and am proud to do so. I however was not born here and no matter what happens in my life, that can never change. This makes me ...
Recently I read an article on finding your place, which got me to thinking about the various ways we talk about our place and how that changes during the travel of life. Take the phrase “There’s no place like home.” Does that mean a real, physical place, or is it wherever the ...
Occasionally I read something that really speaks to me. Maybe you’ve had that experience, too, when a piece feels like it’s targeting you individually-- addressing what’s been on your mind, perhaps, or just appealing to your sense of humor or resonating with where you are at the ...
One of the news stories getting air time and ink in Iowa this summer was the report that Iowans are now the fourth most obese people in the United States. According to the study by ConsumerProduct.com, 36.4 percent of Iowa’s adult population struggles with obesity. The study determined that ...
To the Editor: Just curious if anyone else has noticed the weeds growing on the slope on the north side of Bank Street immediately west of the river bridge. When we moved into town 22 years ago, that slope was mowed with the park and looked very nice. Then at some point the mowing stopped and ...
Autumn is in the air! Birds are gathered on power lines, butterflies are getting together to prepare for their southerly journey, there have even been reports of tree leaves changing colors. Summer fishing is different than spring fishing, and fishing in the fall in several very important ...