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Opinion

Treating others with respect

Local Columns

I have always liked older people. My parents were close to many of their aunts and uncles so I got to know and appreciate that generation when I was a kid. I especially appreciate how many of those folks treated me as a kid. One afternoon when I was 13 years old, my Great Uncle Bill and ...

Let’s take a train to Chicago

Local Columns

If you ask me, Webster City needs a passenger train to Chicago. The last train, Illinois Central's Hawkeye,* left Webster City for Chicago the night of April 30,1971. The next day, 182 passenger trains across America were discontinued, half of all trains remaining in service at that time. ...

Thank you for supporting the St. Thomas Ball

Letters to Editor

To the Editor: Thank you to everyone who attended the 24th Annual Friends of St. Thomas Ball and Auction on Saturday, May 3. What a joy it was to gather as a community for socializing, celebrating, and supporting a great cause. The evening was filled with laughter, generosity, and goodwill ...

He seldom met a meal he didn’t like

Local Columns

One word you won’t read in my obituary is “gourmet.” Not that I have anything against fine foods and good wines; it’s just that I’m content with meat and potatoes. Or casseroles. Or pizza. Or cheeseburgers. I wasn’t aware that people ate fancier foods until I was a teenager. By ...

What Ebeneezer Griper learned in school

Local Columns

My grumpy old buddy Eb Griper and I were chewing the fat in the post office parking lot when a big yellow school bus drove by. “Sure glad I’m not on that thing,” I said over the rumble. “You’re not alone,” Eb said. “I hated school.” “They had schools when you were a ...

The joys of fatherhood

Local Columns

One of the many joys of fatherhood is bringing home the occasional gift for my 2-year-old daughter. Most days when I walk in the door, she runs down the hallway to greet me, hollering “Dad!” the whole way. On those occasions when I come with something in my hand, she stops in her tracks ...