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An expression of gratitude

Local Columns

Hi! I am Alex H. Pruismann, your newly-elected Hamilton County sheriff. Thank you for taking a few moments to read a brief message from myself. The month of January for myself was one packed with change, learning, budgets, quick responses, press releases, and so much more. But none of that compares to how much I have learned to lean on my employees that I am blessed and tasked to lead — everyone from the deputies, office staff, dispatchers and the jail personnel. I knew the title of “sheriff” would be one that I would have no idea what truly went into it until I was in the ...

It all started with kindergarten

Local Columns

Having heard it was about to be demolished, one Sunday afternoon in the late 1950s my father drove by his old one-room country school. While his young sons watched from the car, Dad parked along the gravel road, climbed a fence and walked into the dilapidated structure. He spent several minutes in the rural building, apparently remembering the eight years he had spent there. I now understand his visit. After all these years I still have memories of my old school buildings. My family moved frequently when I was a youngster so I attended several schools over the years, the first ...

Legislators should let ideas compete, not micromanage state university curriculum

Local Columns

There may be a solution to the complaint some Republican legislators have about the University of Iowa’s plan to close a tranche of departments and programs and create a School of Social and Cultural Analysis. The lawmakers object to merging African American Studies; American Studies; Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies; Jewish Studies; Latina/o/x Studies; and Native American and Indigenous Studies. Majors in American Studies and Social Justice would be cut as part of the plan, which has been discussed for two years, UI leaders said. Rep. Taylor Collins, R-Mediapolis, ...

It's impossible to hum while holding your nose

Local Columns

Once my reading skills advanced beyond the Alice and Jerry primers I became a newspaper reader. My parents’ nerdy first born devoured newspapers, often not understanding everything I read. More than 50 years ago I discovered a nationally syndicated newspaper columnist, L.M. Boyd, who wrote a daily column of trivia and amusing facts. Since my mind processes trivia better than more complex matters, I became a quick fan of Boyd’s work. Louis Malcolm Boyd retired in 2004 and passed away in January 2007. I still miss reading his collections of minutiae. In memory of L.M. Boyd, I ...

Gloss

Letters to Editor

In her Condition of the State message, or as I like to call it, the State of the State (SoS), Gov. Kim Reynolds painted a glossy picture and just glossed over a lot of other issues. State Sen. Sean Bagniewski from Iowa District 35 did a good job in looking at the real numbers and issues. I have received his permission to use them for this SoS portion and I will also touch on Sen. Mike Bousselot's suggestion Iowa should buy the southern counties of Minnesota. Reynolds’ claim that Iowa is No. 4 for education choice because of her voucher program came from the Heritage Foundation, a ...

Memories of the blizzard of '75

Local Columns

When I was a kid I observed that old men enjoyed telling stories of harrowing storms they had survived when they were younger. I didn’t understand it all back then, but I do now. So let me tell you about one of the nastiest blizzards in my memory. It happened 50 years ago this month. In January 1975 my wife, son and I had lived in the Sioux City community just one year and I was working for a radio station with offices at the north end of downtown. It seemed to be an average winter day when I went to work that Friday, but by mid-morning it was snowing heavily. After making sales ...