Opinion

Do you want to have more meaning in your life? Do you want to do something that is satisfying and of great service to your community? Then deliver meals to shut-ins during your lunch break! We are currently experiencing a shortage of drivers in the Milford area and need your assistance. This is a great opportunity for businesses to add us to your employee volunteer program and for local churches to fulfill their community driven ministries...

Last week the serial anti-Trump letter writer dredged up 10-year-old rumors attacking President Trump's character. It seems that Democrats are the masters of personal attack rather than explaining why his policies are ineffective. If it is difficult to attack the policies, then digging up dirt on the person is the only recourse remaining...

In 2005, Donald Trump founded a privately owned for profit operation known as Trump University: aka Trump Wealth Institute. It operated till 2010 then being cited for false advertising, high pressure sales and having little educational value. Thousands of students paid up to $35,000 for worthless sessions. It was never university accredited. In 2013 Trump was fined $25 million for fraudulent practices which he refused to pay until 2016 as he was then a candidate for the U.S. presidency...

Teaching me the importance of setting a good example, a.k.a. "practicing what I preach" was a big deal to my mother. "What you do, speaks so loudly, that the world can't hear what you say" seemed to be Mom's answer to every excuse and rationalization I ever gave her for my poor behavior...

--- The well-worn saying among Iowans is: "If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes because it's sure to change." So it's no surprise strong winds, high waters and even an ice storm secure a high place as we look back at the last decade. Mother Nature didn't waste any time...

Looking back, I can see how unsure I was when first arrived as Managing Editor of the Dickinson County News. This DCN issue happens to mark the 10th anniversary of my arrival. A decade ago, I compared the experience to a bull ride. (I came from Spencer and my last story there was a bull riding event preview for the Spencer Daily Reporter.)...

From my family to yours I wish you a safe and prosperous New Year and new decade. May 2020 bring you blessings and Gods face to shine upon you. As I prepare to head to Des Moines for our 2020 session, I want you to know how thankful I have been to represent you these last five years. I look forward to doing great things in Des Moines this upcoming year and keeping Iowa on the right track...

At the start of 2019, I became only the second U.S. senator from Iowa to be sworn in as Senate president pro tempore, one of only two constitutional officers in Congress. As the most senior lawmaker in the Senate Majority, it's an honor to serve in this leadership position on behalf of Iowans...

As many of you probably have noticed in my 6 years as the Sports Editor of this newspaper, I'm not inclined to make this section about myself. Even when editorial space was plentiful, I'd rather write a longer game story or a more in-depth feature on a local athlete or coach than take up several inches of newsprint with my own thoughts and opinions...

First, let me tell you the kids at Harris-Lake Park are pretty special. I say this because it was my job to pick up some holiday-inspired writing assignments from the H-LP elementary earlier this month, so the Dickinson County News could publish some of the New Year's wishes from some of our youngest people. It was just a couple of small stacks held together by a couple of paper clips, but I've got to say I was pretty impressed by some of the sentiments expressed by the young Wolves at H-LP...

  As this year nears its end, the Grassley family is grateful for another fall harvest. Like other family farms across Iowa, our three-generation farming operation experiences many of the uncertainties blanketing our profession. For starters, our livelihoods are at the mercy of Mother Nature...

  As we wrap-up 2019, I wanted to take a moment to look back on some of the highlights of the past year. First and foremost, I completed my fifth 99-county tour, my annual tradition where I visit every single one of Iowa’s 99 counties within a calendar year, and hold public town hall meetings to hear directly from constituents. ...

On Dec. 11, the interim Public Retirement Systems Committee met to receive an update from IPERS, 411 system for police and firefighters, Judicial Branch, Department of Administrative Services-Retirement Investors Club, and Peace Officers' Retirement System. The state of these pension systems continues to be strong...

It was 1897 when little Virginia O’Hanlon wrote her famous query to The New York Sun, “Is there a Santa Claus?” The editor turned the letter over to Francis Pharcellus Church to answer. The result is a timeless piece of wisdom that applies as beautifully this holiday season as it did long ago...

Every American has the right to due process under the United States Constitution and more specifically the Bill of Rights within the Constitution. The right to due process, in fact, is in the Constitution twice. Due process is in the Fifth Amendment of the Bill of Rights and it is in the 14th Amendment to the Constitution...

On Dec. 12, the Revenue Estimating Conference (REC) held its December meeting. The three-member panel gathered to review Iowa's economy, revise budget projections for FY 2020 and set the official estimate for FY 2021. For the current fiscal year (FY2020), the REC raised the general fund forecast to $8.0146 billion. ...

Over the last several weeks farmers, homes and businesses who use propane for heat or to dry their corn have been experiencing a shortage due to significant transportation issues. This shortage is the product of a "perfect storm," of a late planting season this spring, early winter weather conditions and high demand for petroleum products throughout the Midwest...

During this season of Thanksgiving, Americans gather with friends and family to count our blessings. Blessed to live in the land of the free and home of the brave, we give thanks to the courageous sons and daughters who put their lives on the line to secure freedom and liberty from one generation to the next...

At the end of each year, the Dickinson County Trails Board goes through strategic planning that involves consideration of trail development and maintenance priorities. The process also includes going through what grants the board will apply to which projects. DCTB will be taking on several projects next year that comprise a substantial extension of the rail trail Tatonka Ska Trace and filling in a number of gaps throughout the Iowa Great Lakes Trails system...

First and foremost, I hope you and your families a very happy Thanksgiving. We have been entrusted with so much in this great country and state. I am thankful for my wife and family and the greatest nation on Earth. I recently traveled to China to discuss trade and other important issues that will affect Iowa. ...

Giveaways could be tricky attempts to get your money or your information Social media giveaways attract lots of “likes” and “shares”— and why not? Everyone loves a free shot at winning a valuable prize. Cars, tiny houses, vacations and other prizes are popular giveaways on social media. But before you click on that giveaway, check it out. It could be a scam, or at least, an attempt to collect your personal information. Instead of winning a prize, you could lose money and security...

Get out your ear plugs, because I'm about to toot my own horn again. Don't say I didn't warn you. As I've mentioned before, this paper participates in the Iowa Better Newspaper Association's annual competition. As great as winning those awards is, the true purpose of the competition is to cultivate — you guessed it — better newspapers in the state of Iowa. ...

Chief Justice Mark Cady passed away Nov. 15, 2019, from a heart attack. He was 66.  Chief Justice Cady of Fort Dodge, was appointed to the Iowa Supreme Court in 1998. The members of the court selected him as chief justice in 2011. Chief Justice Cady was a real judge. And I do not mean that he sat in a stuffy robe, on a high pedestal, with a wig, banging a gavel around. He was a real Iowan. A worker-bee, approachable and one of the people. Just as a judge ought to be...

Serving and honoring those who have selflessly served us and this nation through military service is important. The sacrifices our service members and their families make on our behalf is great and their efforts deserve our continuing respect and admiration...