Breaking News

Opinion

Didn't your boss carry a cross?

Local Columns

Didn’t your boss carry a cross? I can’t remember during which one of our countless conversations D.D. shared that memory. Maybe we were eating at the Mongolian barbeque. I know we weren’t eating at Kokoro. That was Japanese. I only forced him to eat there once, and I say forced with meaning. You see, D.D. was born in China and when we had our conversations over food he made it clear he resented the Japanese. The Japanese invaded China when he was a child. That invasion forced his family to flee Hankou down the Yangtze River, headed back to California. He was a college ...

Beauty is as beauty does

Local Columns

Many years ago I arrived home from work to find my son and a friend busy at the kitchen table. The boys were about 10 or 11 years old at the time and I assumed they were working on a school assignment. “What are you guys up to?” I asked, looking over their shoulders. They seemed a bit sheepish and did not respond. I could see they had written on a piece of notebook paper a list of girls’ names with a number adjacent to each name. “What’s this?” I asked. The boys awkwardly explained they had made a list of all the girls in their class and had rated each one on a scale of ...

Former Waterloo police chief endorses Pruismann for sheriff

Letters to Editor

To the editor: I spent almost three decades in the law enforcement profession. I retired as the chief of police in Waterloo. I am currently an elected member of the Black Hawk County Board of Supervisors, serving my second term. I first met Alex Pruismann 10 years ago. We were both in attendance at a Christian conference. I've always been impressed with Alex's foresight, wisdom, professionalism, and integrity. I wholeheartedly endorse Alex to be your sheriff. I have no doubt he would be a sheriff of the people, for the people, and by the people. Dan Trelka Waterloo

The Bible tells me so

Local Columns

For my ninth birthday my parents gave me a Bible. It was a black leatherette-bound King James Version with my name stamped in gold on the cover. I was pleased to receive this gift but was horrified by what my mother wrote on the presentation page: “To Arvid from Mommy and Daddy.” From Mommy and Daddy? For heaven’s sake I was nine years old. What if my friends thought I still called my parents “Mommy and Daddy.” Well-schooled in the art of accepting a gift without complaint, I said nothing to my mother about that embarrassing message. But you can bet I kept that ...

Your patriotism can honor veterans all year long

Letters to Editor

To the editor: Memorial Day honors those whose patriotism led them to sacrifice their lives in defense of democracy. Patriotism is a love of country. If you are devoted, you contribute to the well-being of your devotee. Patriots sacrifice comforts for their country. Too often people say, “I don’t talk politics,” to avoid discomfort. Yet democracy is based upon an exchange of ideas. Therefore, a strong, well-functioning democracy must have citizens sharing their beliefs and ideas with each other. Today’s divisive political climate makes talking about politics all the more ...

Remembering Smallpage

Local Columns

There are too many veterans. I say that with the utmost respect. I say it because, to my way of thinking, there are too many wars. And too many deaths. I believe you understand. You probably understand because, like the rest of us, someone you know is a veteran, loves a veteran, or has lost a veteran. Their stories are all too common, especially this time of year. Take, for instance, the well-told story of the five Sullivan brothers from Waterloo, whose deaths sparked change in the way our country asked families to go to war. History tells us that they were the sons of Thomas ...