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We strongly oppose the use of eminent domain for the CO2 pipeline

Letters to Editor

A group of people who once scoffed at the idea that carbon gas was destroying our planet are now making a 180-degree turn to initiate the idea of collecting and transporting CO2. There is a presumption by many of us that they found a way to make billions of dollars in the process. Is the proposed project a proven way to capture the useless gas? Many, familiar with the industry, say it is not. They want to transport the useless gas hundreds of miles to North Dakota, via a underground pipeline, where it is to be stored underground for eternity. That's right: for eternity. How ...

Ready for the Honor Flight

Local Columns

On September 18, the Brushy Creek Honor Flight will celebrate its 26th flight, leaving Fort Dodge and taking veterans from World War II, the Korean and Vietnam war eras to our nation’s capital to visit their memorials. In last week’s Daily Freeman-Journal I described this program, a ...

'... These tears I can't hold inside.'

Local Columns

It was a Sunday in late February 1960. I was 12 years old and we were visiting my paternal grandparents. After Sunday dinner, my father and grandfather were visiting across the room from where I was quietly reading. It was a strange week for my family. Dad was fired from his job on Friday and two days later we’re at my grandparents’ home. I heard Dad tell my grandfather about his job situation. And then I witnessed my grandfather do something that shocked me. My grandfather began crying as he consoled his 33-year-old son. This was uncomfortable to see. From an early age I had ...

The Honor Flight leaves from Fort Dodge on September 18

Local Columns

This is the first of four articles about veterans from Webster City who will be part of the next Honor Flight from Fort Dodge to Washington, D.C. on September 18. The Honor Flight Network, a remarkable initiative dedicated to honoring America’s veterans, has its roots in a simple yet profound idea. Conceived by Earl Morse, a physician assistant and retired Air Force captain, the program emerged from a deep-seated respect for the men and women who served their country.   Morse, working at a VA clinic in Springfield, Ohio, observed the profound impact the newly-completed World ...

A tribute to a wonderful teacher

Local Columns

Another school year has begun. Millions of young Americans are back in the classroom and I’m glad I’m not one of them. Don’t get me wrong; I didn’t hate school. I just wasn’t a big fan of being cooped up in a classroom all day. When asked what I most wanted out of school, I said: “Me.” That said, I had some excellent teachers. One teacher, however, stands out in my memory. That was my second-grade teacher, Miss Caudle. Miss Caudle was kind. She was pleasant. She was smart. And in this second grader’s eyes, she was pretty. Seven and eight-year-old boys are too ...

Teachers

Local Columns

My memory is selective, but I clearly recall two pivotal moments from junior high. On my first day of seventh grade our bus was late, it had rained, and the lane to our farmhouse was extraordinarily muddy. By the time I climbed into the bus, there was so much goo caked to the bottom of my saddle shoes that I spent the entire trip to town attempting to uncake them. Unsuccessfully. Our bus unloaded at Washington Central Junior High, which is now gone, and the already assembled student body turned to stare at the newcomers so late to the event. The principal beckoned us to find ...