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Overbearing management

Letters to Editor

Letter to the editor, I think it is time that we rein in our city fathers and have a moratorium on condemning and buying property until they can take care of the property that they own. They can’t even tell you how many properties they own in Webster City. They set standards that you have to follow, but they need a reminder that they have property they forgot they have or they change the standard so they don’t have to care for them. For instance, if you buy a lot from them and build an expensive home, the city lots around you don’t have to be mowed and kept pretty. But your ...

Petitioners takeaways from the Van Diest Medical Center Tax Levy appeal decision

Letters to Editor

Viewpoint HEADING On behalf of the more than 400 Hamilton County residents who signed the petition challenging the Van Diest Medical Center (VDMC) property tax levy, we are disappointed by the State Appeal Board's decision not to reduce the requested levy. While we respect the Board's decision, we believe the hearing raised important issues that deserve continued public discussion. Our petition was based on two fundamental concerns. First, we believe the property tax levy is not necessary for Van Diest Medical Center to continue operating successfully. Based on the hospital's ...

Wisdom from around the world

Local Columns

Some Americans wrongly think we’re better, smarter or even more sophisticated than citizens of other nations. We have more toys, more technology, more money. Sadly, we also have more problems. It is worthwhile to consider the value of other cultures’ wisdom. Without advanced degrees and 21st century technology, even the less advanced cultures around the world have wisdom similar, even superior to our own. I enjoy studying the “folk wisdom” of other cultures. My mother was a first generation American, the daughter of immigrants from the Netherlands and Germany. Neither of my ...

Vote to stop the crazy

Letters to Editor

If we are supposedly the most powerful nation on earth, then this mid-term election in November is the most important thing you will do in your life. Because it is not “We the People,” it is “I the Dictator" will do what I want. “I the Dictator don’t care about inflation or the people and just feed my ego. I will start a war with a nation that has a choke point on oil and try to convince you it was about something else. That “drill baby drill” really worked, didn’t it? Republicans have been setting this up for years, starting with Citizens United to get unlimited what I ...

Don’t discount Webster City success stories

Local Columns

It feels good to write a story about success. If you read the Daily Freeman Journal regularly, when you read through the pages of time, most of the stories in the past are about businesses expanding, progress in the community, sometimes there is a story that is looking back that seems funny, insightful, progressive or inspiring. One day I hope today's paper will be cited in the “Pages of time,” as the success of Dave Perin and his company are splashed across the front page. It shows the spirit of entrepreneurship that happened when a bad news story eventually turned into good ...

Urges reducing pesticides in lawns to protect pollinators

Letters to Editor

To the editor: Pollinators may be small, but they are essential to healthy ecosystems and our daily lives. In urban areas, however, these species face growing challenges. Pesticides, both insecticides and herbicides, are designed to eliminate pests and unwanted plants, but they also harm these species and reduce the diverse plant life that pollinators rely on. When biodiversity declines, so does access to the nectar and pollen they need to survive. June is National Pollinator Month, a time to recognize the vital role these species play and the simple actions we can take to support ...