Columns

THANK YOU to the following businesses for making SRP activities at the Milford Memorial Library possible: Casey’s General Store, Farmers Savings Bank, United Community Bank, Godfather’s Pizza, Dairy Queen, Sunset Travel Agency, Walmart, Dickinson County Farm Bureau, Milford Kiwanis, Land Mark Products, Perkins, Great Lakes Concrete, Polaris, Melander’s, L & D Upholstery Shop, Lakes News Shopper, Ranch Okoboji, Danbom Properties, Sunshine Foods, Pure Fishing, The Three Sons, Dannatt’s Rentals, Northwest Bank, Subway, Hawkeye Care Center, TruGreen ChemLawn, Turner Jenness Funeral Home, Bank Midwest, Dickinson County News, Erpelding, Voigt & Co., Little Hands Childcare, R & D Industries, Pizza Ranch, Arnolds Park Amusement Park, Boulder’s Inn & Suites, and HyVee of Spirit Lake. We appreciate your donations.. ...

  Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate issued the following statement regarding the creation a new, large print voter registration form to assist Iowans with low vision in registering to vote. The new form features 16-point font and will print on 14-inch, legal-size paper. The change was approved by the bipartisan Voter Registration Commission on June 21...

Our family was on the way home from a softball game recently when it happened. As I crested the hill an approaching truck was already a foot into our lane. Fortunately, I had time to react and avoid a sideswipe. As the driver passed by I could see his eyes were somewhere in his lap. I’m not sure that he ever saw us...

RAIL TRAIL RALLY DCTB’s 2017 fundraiser event is coming up this weekend on Saturday, June 24 at the Arnolds Park Pavilion. This year’s event will highlight the Rail Trail and kickoff the effort to raise local matching funds for its construction. Get your Steampunk gear on and come celebrate 37 miles of Rail Trail. ...

This isn’t going to be easy. It may even tread a few paces into the domain of the pastor’s column. I, like many, was shocked by the news of a lone gunman opening fire on the Republican baseball team this week. Let me be clear. This was a horrible thing for that man to do. You don’t just go around shooting people because you don’t like their political priorities. It was an ill-founded, ill-conceived and ill-fated attempt to resolve misplaced anger. Plain and simple...

With the transition of Kim Reynolds from lieutenant governor to governor, I have received many questions on the cost of the transition.  During session, we appropriated $150,000 for the transition. This money isn't just for a change in the signage around the office and letterhead, though. ...

Q: What is the Congressional Review Act? A: Signed into law by President Clinton more than two decades ago, the Congressional Review Act (CRA) is serving as a game changer to help restore proper checks and balances of government, specifically for Congress to reclaim its constitutional authority to write the laws. For decades, the legislative branch has given federal agencies broad latitude and leeway to administer public policy that has resulted in sweeping executive overreach...

SF 467 prohibits a person who committed certain crimes against another person from collecting on that person's life insurance policy.  This bill was brought to the legislature by the family of Brigett Wirtjes. Brigett's husband, Tyler Wirtjes, was found guilty of sexually assaulting her the night before her death in 2010. Subsequently, he went on to collect her life insurance proceeds. ...

Arriving at your dream summer vacation destination without a lodging reservation would be a real nightmare. Scammers make this nightmare a reality for vacation-goers who seek out travel sites to quickly, easily and cheaply book hotels and vacation rentals online...

In May I expressed concern about the state paying bills on time next spring. Today I reiterate that concern. With the news that May revenue has come in significantly less than expected, it is time to consider a cash-flow borrowing in 2018. This would ensure we make payments on time, including school aid and tax refunds. Iowans should not be concerned about the need to issue a cash-flow borrowing. It is the right thing to do when you have unpredictable cash-flows...

Hank Williams Jr. had a pretty good gig back in 2011. Come up with a few lines to "All My Rowdy Friends Are Here on Monday Night" for ESPN's primetime football game each week. Get paid. Stay relevant. Then the country musician went on "Fox & Friends" to suggest that a Republican speaker playing golf with a Democratic president would be like "Hitler playing golf with (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu." Obama and Biden were "the enemy," he blurted in 2011...

One just can’t keep up these days. This is the third column I’ve drafted in as many days. Each day, another social issue overshadows my previous draft and I can’t help but at least get my thoughts out on paper. First, wind energy got overshadowed by the latest addition to the “Fearless Girl” scenario. Next, the “Fearless Girl” got overshadowed by Kathy Griffin’s stunt. Now, that subject’s been eclipsed by the withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord. We’ll see if this one can make it to print...

On May 24, I had the pleasure to watch as our previous governor, Terry Branstad resign as our governor and be sworn in as the country's next Ambassador to the Peoples Republic of China. That was historic in and of itself. Then I had the pleasure to witness our Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds be sworn in as the state's next governor. Again another historic event in that Kim Reynolds is our state’s first woman governor. ...

The city of Spirit Lake received grants through Black Hills Energy Power of Trees and Alliant Energy Branching Out programs through Trees Forever to plant trees along the section of trail connecting Peoria Avenue to 15th Street. Nearly 30 volunteers from Spirit Lake High School, Dickinson County Conservation, Black Hills Energy, Alliant Energy, Trees Forever, Diskinson County Trails Board and City of Spirit Lake worked together to plant 52 trees along the trail segment. ...

On May 24, Governor Branstad resigned and was sworn in as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the People's Republic of China. He was sworn in by by Judge Steven Colloton of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit...

From May 22 to June 4, state and local law enforcement agencies across the nation, as well as Iowa, will be stepping up seat belt enforcement. Memorial Day weekend kicks off the busy summer season with many more families on the roads. Iowa’s seat belt usage rate of 94 percent is one of the highest in the nation, but the remaining six percent of vehicle occupants account for approximately half of all traffic fatalities. Seat belts are the single most effective way to survive in a crash...

It’s graduation season, or rather it was graduation season. Cameras were flashing, or rather phones were flashing. Man, me and my big, old camera lens are starting to stick out more and more when I go out on assignment. At least I’m not using actual film...

Slate staff writer Isaac Chotiner tells us “we live in the world Roger Ailes broke.” The column was his keyboard dance on a 77-year-old man’s grave. And, to be fair, Chotiner was far from alone on Twitter as he waited in line to add fertilizer to the gravesite Thursday. That’s when Ailes, the creator and two-decade leader of Fox News Channel, died after falling at his home in Palm Beach, Florida...

With the close of the legislative session, many are tallying the statistics of this session.  In the 104 days of the legislative session, there were 174 bills enrolled. While this may seem like a lot and some are quick to assume it is because of the Republican trifecta, history tells us otherwise. ...

Actually I am an Iowan — born and raised. Don’t worry. You’ll see where I’m going. This past weekend, my wife and I traveled to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to see a stage show at the Washington Pavillion. Now, I’m not embarrassed to tell you, I don’t like city traffic. I don’t like merging into tight spaces. I don’t like people exceeding the speed limit by 15 miles per hour. I don’t like a lot of things about it. Courtesy seems to go out the window once there are six lanes for some reason...

Governor Branstad was recently selected to serve as Ambassador to China and has received Senate confirmation on Tuesday, May 2. When President Trump nominated Governor Branstad for this honor late last year, questions began to unfold regarding the process to replace Governor Branstad...

We’ve had a bit of a one-two punch to the country’s collective conscience. It hit us from both sides. I’d say it was more of a right hook followed by a left jab. Just the other day, President Donald Trump said people don’t often ask why the Civil War couldn’t be resolved and said Andrew Jackson could have prevented it. ...

For years, we’ve given you this advice: The caller claiming to collect on an IRS debt is not legitimate, so hang up the phone. There’s a new twist: Now it’s possible an IRS debt call is legitimate after all — but only with certain types of debts and only under limited circumstances and utilizing strict procedures. ...

We’ve progressed beyond the cross roads. I feel as if we’re emulating the future H.G. Wells described in “The Time Machine.” Humanity seems to be dividing itself into two distinct groups, bound for ever-diverging paths. I’m having some trouble fully articulating just what is fueling this divide. We’ve certainly done a great deal of describing what it has resulted in over the last several months. Yet, my instincts tell me there is something seemingly small and simple at the heart of it all...

Take a deep breath until your stomach puffs out. Now imagine you swallowed a handful of gravel. Now pretend you’re trying to cough that gravel back up. That noise you’re making is how I feel when I think about our country’s posturing. We’ve done it before and I would personally prefer to avoid this old song and dance. We’ve been twirling around in this vicious socio-economic-political ballroom for too long and it’s making me sick. One-two-three-one-two-three-one-two-three...

A late-October visit to Milton Cycle in Fostoria included a few vintage motorcycles and a classic misconception. U.S. Rep. Steve King was in a room where bikes outnumbered constituents by a 10-to-1 ratio, so it was going to draw some attention when a guy with a camera, recorder and notebook arrived...

I seem to find myself in this position more and more these days. There’s just so many things one could comment on in the public eye. Initially, I wanted to talk about the Pepsi commercial that recently got pulled. But that’s getting to be old news at this point. Fortunately, it wasn’t long before the White House Press Secretary supplied the masses with a new fresh-off-the-griddle social faux pas as only Sean Spicer can...

I’m terrible with dates. I once said, with full confidence, that Thanksgiving was always Nov. 25. So, it shouldn’t be too surprising that I forget April Fool’s Day every year. These days, I’m not plagued by whoopee cushions and buckets of water so much as I’m plagued by electronic gags from people more clever than I. We all remember the saying, “If it’s in print it must be true.” Well, it’s the electronic age now and people are more clever and just as funny...

Much to the dismay of some in my family, Dr. Oz was interrupted on Friday for a breaking news story. The bulletin informed the public that the vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act was not going to be voted on yet. That’s right. We are at the point in our society when we feel the need to let everyone know nothing is going to happen...

There’s an old sailor’s superstition that you should not whistle while at sea. The thinking was, if sailors whistled, the wind would take it as a challenge and refuse to blow, slacking the sails and stranding the crew. I think of that superstition from time to time concerning the weather we enjoy, or tolerate, in Iowa...

I don't know about you but the older I get (yes, I am 'old') the harder it is for my body to adjust to the time changes twice a year. We are now in daylight savings time. In my opinion, this is one of the most idiotic things we have to do each year. Last Saturday night we turned out clocks ahead and lost that precious hour of sleep. And we won't get it back until November!!!...

Indivisible, with liberty and justice for all! There are times in one’s life where we must consider the finer points in life. These seven words weigh heavily on me after another week of disruptive protests and angry rhetoric. These seven words are something nearly every one of us learns as children because they come from our Pledge of Allegiance.  I don’t think a single word in our “Pledge” is there by mistake. So, let’s look at these words this week...

Pursuant to Iowa Code, the Iowa Hospital Association is required to collect the health data that hospitals collect from their patients for the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH). The two entities have a memorandum of understanding or MOU (a contract, basically) to accomplish this...

Thanks to our friends and donors, we have had a positive response to our “Sponsor a Sanctuary” room renovation project at Discovery House. We have one room fully sponsored and the remaining four partially sponsored. If you would like to help us design and furnish a safe space for our guests who need a retreat and shelter in a time of transition in their lives, please contact me at 712-336-5340...

It seems like every week I am saying this…we were busy this week. This time, though, it was funnel week.   The "funnel" is a legislative term that describes how to separate the issues that are felt to be important from those that are not as important. The bills that make it through committee are “safe” for another month so they can be perfected and properly vetted. The bills that are not “safe” fail and need to be reworked and brought back to the body in the future. ...

Over the weekend, I received a lot of communications on HSB 138, the professional licensure bill. This bill went way too far and is dead. However, we still have a problem with state boards. First and foremost, there are too many. Did you know we have an interior design board? Secondly, some of these boards are not effectively working for their members or for Iowa...

As we approach the first funnel of the session, it’s worth taking a look at some bills that are still in pipeline. This list is not purposefully exclusive, nor totally inclusive, but it contains some of the items that have had a look already and should be interesting to you...

I received a very interesting email the other day from Tom Arends, a member of Milford American Legion Post #384. It really made me stop and reflect. All of us react to the playing of taps during the military rites at a funeral. I get chills and sometimes tears as the bugler plays those famous notes...

Longfellow’s eloquent line, Sail on, O’ Ship of State, certainly doesn’t fit the state of affairs today. These times are anything but smooth sailing. This is more like a road trip in an over-crowded vehicle with an unknown driver behind the wheel. Some see it as a shiny new Corvette with a savvy NASCAR driver. ...

This week, the buzz is about HF 316 – a bill that restructures DesMoines Water Works. So why is this a big deal for us in northwest Iowa? Well, three northwest Iowa counties were sued by Des Moines Water Works, causing a lot of questions to be raised about the entity and its structure...

A: The Constitution gives the U.S. Senate “advise and consent” authority for nominations made by the president to the federal bench. It is a vital element of our republic’s fundamental separation of powers that empowers each branch to keep check on the others and thwart overreach by any one branch of government. Last year, the unexpected death of Justice Antonin Scalia opened a seat on the Supreme Court in a presidential election year...

The late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia was an intellectual giant and a revered defender of the Constitution and the limited role of the judiciary in our Republic. His contributions to the court and to broader judicial philosophy will endure for years. Now, we’ll keep our word to the American people to consider a nominee by the new president...

Terril is a town of 364 residents and it seemed like most of them were looking on from across the street as four fire departments tried to get a blaze under control the night of Oct. 12, 2015. Tim and Michelle Roth spent 15 years at 306 State Street. They moved there when their oldest sons, Kolton and Reese were only 1 year old...

As part of this position as state representative, which you allow me to hold, I feel it is my duty to be a cheerleader of a sort for House District 1. As such, a great new program has come to my attention and I would like to share it with you. The program is started by the Iowa Lakes Corridor of Opportunity and is called Five by Five...

Q:  Why are you working to ensure certain types of hearing aids are available over the counter? A:  Throughout my public service, I make it a number one priority to listen to the people of Iowa. Representative government is a two-way street and it’s my job to make sure government works for “we the people” not the other way around...

At first, it may sound like a pretty good deal. You get a supposedly free trip to a beautiful destination, a valuable gift card or restaurant voucher, and all you have to do is sit through a sales presentation about a timeshare. At the presentation, you learn the true definition of a high-pressure sales pitch that could involve an uncomfortably long presentation with aggressive sales people, property-to-property tour and possibly extra costs and blackout dates...