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Good neighbors are a treasure

Local Columns

Having lived in many places over the years, I have known a lot of neighbors. Though I can remember earlier neighbors, those from when I was a pre-teen are among my favorite memories. This was in the latter half of the 1950s during the post-war baby boom. We had dozens of playmates and tons of fun. I remember the day we moved away from that neighborhood. The truck was loaded and on its way to the new town and we were loading up the family Ford. The realization that we were really leaving this neighborhood struck me and I started bawling like a baby. I got over it … ...

Recalling Castner and his Doodle Bug

Local Columns

I admit there are times when I get a bit confused. A recent example, at least from before today, is when I first heard about Webster City being the location for Doodle Bug manufacturing in the 1940s. In my defense, most other military historians would also assume this refers to the dreaded V-1 ...

Choosing VDMC was the right decision

Letters to Editor

To the Editor: Going to the emergency room is never fun. However, nothing is worse than the experience of being a parent to a child in the emergency room. Recently, I found myself in this position in my home community of Fort Dodge. When in need of care, I took my child to UnityPoint Medical Center’s Emergency Room in Fort Dodge, and it was one of the worst experiences with the medical care system I have ever had. The details of that visit are irrelevant now because my daughter is happy and healthy at home today. What is relevant is this. As sometimes happens when living in ...

You might be boujee but don't be hinky

Local Columns

Back in the 1950s we would describe something very good or nice as “swell.” It was a slang word, one of many. We called a small child an “ankle biter.” The hipsters used “Daddy-O” as a term of endearment. And while I was still a pre-teen, I had a foggy idea of what “back seat bingo” meant. A decade later — during the 1960s — we had another round of slang. Something that was excellent or beyond description was “far out.” We loved to refer to something new, exciting or fashionable as “groovy.” And something that was relaxing or care-free was “mellow.” I ...

The man who hatched a business

Local Columns

I know I don’t speak for all of us, but there are times when the seemingly infinite number of choices we have become overwhelming. Just go to a “big box” store and look for a simple tube of toothpaste. Please don’t get me wrong; I fully appreciate not having to settle for a single kind ...

You should read Sarah Brewer-Bonebright's historic book; it's online

Letters to Editor

To the Editor: We are all enjoying the more expanded Turning Back the Pages of Time sections in the newspaper. The recent one about Sarah Brewer-Bonebright’s book “Reminiscences of Newcastle, Iowa 1848 — a History of the Founding of Webster City,” Iowa sparked a reminder that this book can be read and printed out for free on the internet. The many people interested in Webster City history should read it if they can. It is important that we know where we came from now that it seems the land where the founders of Webster City lived might be heading in a different direction, ...