Opinion

The other bill passed by the House Ways and Means Committee is House Study Bill 186. That bill provided increased funding opportunities to local EMS via three types of subdivisions: Currently county boards can establish benefited emergency medical services district under Iowa Code Chapter 357F. ...

Just last month, President Joe Biden raised eyebrows when he took executive action to begin transitioning federal government vehicles to electric vehicles. It followed a similar move spearheaded by California Gov. Gavin Newsom who, last September, fully embraced the Green New Deal and implemented a move to all-electric vehicles by 2035...

My last column posted on Jan. 15, entitled “Watch and Pray” was an attempt to ease political unrest in our nation and to shed light on how current events appear to align with biblical prophecy. In no way was I attempting to promote one party or person over another, but rather to show how God uses people to fulfill his plans regardless of our submission to him or not. Neither Trump nor Biden is the Antichrist or the Savior; they are only pawns used by God...

Note: For those who like to reminisce, this is about a couple of bygone eras. I had as flashback, as Riley DeWitt’s 3-pointer was good for a 61-58 Spencer win over Estherville Lincoln Central, for a first-round district Spencer victory Monday at the field house (not all Mondays are bad)...

With all of the talk over how the U.S. is going to replace combustible engines with electric vehicles, here in northwest Iowa I rarely ever see one nor know where I would go to charge one if I owned one. The cold temperature extreme we just experienced may be one reason why. ...

This was the sixth week of the 2021 legislative session. The Senate passed several bills during the week, discussing a number of topics such as education funding, the federal Paycheck Protection Program, increasing flexibility of continuing education requirements...

To every thing, according to Pete Seeger and Ecclesiastes 3, there is a season. For Republican-controlled state legislatures around the country, 2021 is the season to restrict voting rights. As of Feb. 1, more than 100 bills are on the legislative carousel in statehouses across the country which would limit voting access and reform the way citizens vote...

Apparently, according to a study conduced by DrugAbuse.com, Iowans each drank 829 alcoholic drinks, on average, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic year 2020. See as how I choose to abstain and would prefer a good old iced tea or diet soda, I wonder which one of you people has been soaking up my prescribed abundance of allotment of excess...

If you didn’t know what time of the year it was, or what the weather was like, you could tell simply by eavesdropping at the philosophy counter of the Mule Barn coffee shop. Let’s give it a try. “Good to see you here, Doc,” Herb Collins said. “That warm water on the battery trick work for you?”...

During my time on this planet I’ve spent a great deal of hours playing thousands of different video games. Platformers, puzzle games, first person shooters, MMORPGs, you name it. In my heyday, if it was a major release, I’d likely played it or maybe even convinced you to buy it during my first job as a game advisor for the local GameStop...

I am a registered Democrat so I will put that up front, I however, grew up and for much of my life was a registered Republican. I have been having thoughts about the past election and ask why the Republicans in the state of Iowa are forcing changes to the process of running an election...

Let’s get ready to rumble! Outgoing presidents are encouraged to commit any and all crimes they’re inclined to without consequence per the Republican standard! Two impeachment trials. Two times Republican senator/jurors admit there was a crime and that it was proven. Two times Republicans put a man above country and even their own party...

Why has the city of Okoboji intentionally or unintentionally dispossessed working families enjoyment of millions of dollars of public lakeshore and public beaches? Has the city used the economic game theory of incomplete information to make working families seem unwelcome on their own property — the Okoboji Promenade? Why has the city worked with or allowed six homeowners to install full force sprinkling systems on city property to soak early morning walkers. ...

Three examples of when the Democrats tried to appease the Republicans to gain bipartisan support. First: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to save the economy from the Great Republican Recession of 2008. Result: Ended up so watered down the recovery went on four to five more years than needed...

In reference to the recent comments of H. Schar concerning my letter to the editor appearing earlier in January, the word "obtuse" comes to mind. You will recall the 1994 movie "Shawshank Redemption,” starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman. The word, as used by Tim's character Andy Dufresne, is used in a conversation with the warden of Shawshank Penitentiary. ...