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Who knows what changes next?

Local Columns

The world is changing so quickly we hardly notice anymore when some changes take place. For those of us over 70, many things have quietly faded from our lives. For example, when is the last time you saw … ? — Clothespin bags. Sure, you still might see clotheslines in backyards. However, you seldom see the clothespin bags which used to hang from nearly every set of clotheslines. Some of those bags were plain; others were made from colorful fabrics to resemble little dresses. And they all held the wooden clothespins that held the laundry to the clothesline. — Sprinkler bottles. ...

Gone but not forgotten

Local Columns

Each summer my family — siblings and their families — get together in a town park back home in northern Iowa for a big potluck dinner and an afternoon of conversation. For many years we met at Christmastime but the family has outgrown most of the potential indoor spaces. Summer reunions can better handle all the many Huismans. In addition to the opportunity to see my siblings and their spouses, I enjoy seeing my nieces and nephews and their families. They are all great people. At each year’s reunion, however, an important someone is missing. My oldest nephew, Mark, died in a ...

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 packed gym, cruising Main Street, honking horns at friends, and pulling into the square to see where the night would take us. When I go to a reunion, I see classmates from every corner of those memories — some I shared chorus with, others I cheered alongside at games, and a few I only knew in ...

'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 administration was very enthused about private accounts. For those of us who were adults at that time we remember that idea suddenly became unpopular with the stock market crash in 2007 and was suddenly dropped. It appears the Republican Party believes we have amnesia about that devastating recession, ...

Is Bigfoot for real?

Local Columns

A few years in the news business transformed this naïve country boy into a skeptic. I want proof. Journalists live by the creed: “If your mother says she loves you, check it out.” Over the decades sources have told me incredible stories that, upon investigation, proved to be nothing more than a rumor or a straight-out lie. In retirement I watch the YouTube channel on television and of late I have seen some fascinating programs about Bigfoot (aka Sasquatch) — a large, hairy creature believed by some to inhabit forests in North America, particularly in the Pacific Northwest ...

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 people everywhere. Someone will surely come help me. But no one did. I was hurt, bleeding and embarrassed. I had vibrant green and blue icing from my nose to my chest, and I was holding back tears. But the cake only lost a bit of the frosting, and the plate didn’t break. So slowly, after ...