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Gratitude

Local Columns

It’s 2025. But before we forget there was a 2024, let’s give a shout out to some of the people who led this community forward so that we could get to this year in good shape. Sheriff Doug Timmons. Timmons retired at the end of 2024, handing the wheel over to his successor Alex Pruismann. Timmons, a local guy whose father was a Webster City police officer, never strayed from his home county in his heart. In fact, if you talked to him about the job, when he was still on the job, he was laser-focused on doing the best he could for the people of Hamilton County. I don’t know about ...

Jimmy Carter exemplified the role of president as diplomat

Local Columns

The news of Jimmy Carter’s passing takes me back to 1976, a year that marked my own passage to adulthood. As the bicentennial year dawned, I took first notice of Carter upon his victory in the Iowa Caucuses. I followed his campaign through my high school graduation and into the summer, when I shuttled in my first car between my summer job at Walt Disney World near Orlando, Florida and New Smyrna Beach. I studied Carter’s campaign in my first college course on American politics that fall and proudly cast my first vote for Carter in November. My enthusiasm for Carter was driven by ...

Webster City Women's Club thanks the many visitors who attended the Festival of Trees

Letters to Editor

To the editor: Over 200 visitors enjoyed touring the Jane Young House during the Women's Club's Festival of Trees held December 6-8. The freewill donations were appreciated and will help us to maintain the historic home. We regret that the weather on the 14th caused us to cancel the open hours that day. Visitors were invited to select their favorite tree and participate in a puzzle matching each of the 22 decorated trees with a "Songs of Christmas" title. Children enjoyed searching for the hidden elf. The People's Choice selection was Country Twist Boutique with its "Christmas in ...

Simple school trips ... but we sure had fun

Local Columns

School trips have changed since I was a kid. Over Thanksgiving our granddaughter flew with her high school band to California to march in parades at Disneyland and in Hollywood. A business acquaintance told me a few weeks ago his son and his high school band are scheduled to march in New Year’s parades in Florida. We were delighted, of course, for our granddaughter and her California trip but my, my, my how school trips have changed since I was a kid. Oh, we had school trips back in those days. (Yes, kids, we even had school buses back then.) None of our trips, however, took us ...

Merry Christmas

Local Columns

I intentionally reserved this space for this day to wish you a Merry Christmas. But this weekend, I joined with other friends to say goodbye to an old friend who passed without ever getting the kind of recognition she deserved for her brilliance and talent as a writer. Mary Beth Ostlund-Wood could have done anything with her life and, in reality, gave a whole lot of things a good hard try. She was a reader, a researcher and a thinker. Her heart, bigger than the room in which I write at this moment, despaired for what was wrong with this world and celebrated what was right. Years ...

A man without a nickname

Local Columns

Among the things that I’ve never had nor have ever wanted is a nickname. My first name is unusual enough; I have no need for a nickname to set myself apart from other Arvids. I’ve only met a few. For as long as I can remember my siblings have called me Arv. That’s okay because it’s an abbreviation, not really a nickname. I detest being called “Arvie” but must confess that many years ago, in my prepubescent youth, there was one cute little gal who got by with it. Truth be told, she could have called me anything she wanted to. The immature male brain is a danger to young ...