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It’s amazing how over time stories intertwine

Letters to Editor

To the editor: I read with interest the story on financials involved in the city income and expenses. I took several accounting classes in college and never appreciated them until I became a manager and discovered the things that could be done with accounting. When I read about the city water plant I remembered a story my grandfather had told me. He worked at the water plant from about 1930 to about 1960. He was hired the same day he was laid off from the Monarch Manufacturing plant and it was just by chance as he walked home that he bumped into the water plant manager, who he had ...

History will remember that power and cruelty were prioritized

Letters to Editor

To the editor: Never in my lifetime did I think my friends — whose skin is a different color than mine — would live in fear. Never in my lifetime did I think those who love someone of the same sex would be afraid to exist as themselves. Never in my lifetime did I think my older friends, who worked their whole lives and now depend on Social Security, would fear for their future. Never in my lifetime did I think families struggling to put food on the table — relying on aid meant to help them survive — would fear losing what little they have left. This is 2025. This is ...

Wonder what Dad has been up to today

Local Columns

While reviewing bills recently I noticed my monthly cell phone bill had increased by $18. I searched the statement looking for a reason for the increase but found none. I’m not a parsimonious old coot, but I am frugal and I was upset by an unannounced increase in the bill with no explanation for the increase. I found the provider’s phone number and decided to call for customer assistance. “Upset” probably isn’t an accurate description of my mood at the time. I was ticked off. This big corporation was sticking it to me. I was ready to share my irritation with someone. Then ...

Good people

Local Columns

I was reminded not too long ago that good people voted for our current president and his standards. The message came from a social media acquaintance who called me out for my morality. The irony of this is that anyone who has known me long enough knows very well that I am far from perfect. My life, as I see it, has been a journey towards becoming a better person. In my heart, I always thought that was the intention of the path. FYI: I apply that to the actions of others, especially our public representatives. Which leaves me disappointed. In Iowa right now, it feels like the mean ...

Facebook friends can be real friends

Local Columns

The social media phenomenon known as Facebook turns 20 years old this year! It was a year or so after Facebook became a reality that I began hearing talk promoting the application and younger friends and acquaintances began urging me to get involved. Early on, I was reluctant to sign up for Facebook but by 2010 (or so) I became a member. In the 15 (or so) years that have followed, I have developed a love-hate relationship with it. For years I have I read complaints about Facebook and its policies, security issues, advertising, screening and on and on. Yes, I have been frustrated too, ...

'The people of Webster City must really value your service'

Letters to Editor

To the editor: I was totally amazed to find your journal still in print today. The people of Webster City must really value your service. My father Charles Floyd Koestner grew up on a farm outside Webster and left for the military when he was 21 at the beginning of WWII. In cleaning out ...