To the editor: We are grateful to live in a community that has so many people donating their time, talents and treasures in so many different manners. One such individual is Mike Murphy. Mike took it upon himself to heavily invest in the continued success of Twin Lakes in Calhoun County. ...
There’s more than corn and soybeans growing in Iowa’s rich soil. Iowa’s farmers grow staggering amounts of corn and soybeans, so it makes sense that those crops are the first ones many people associate with the state’s farms. But there is also a surprising amount of fruits and ...
Father’s Day is upon us once again. That’s good news for the greeting card vendors. In recent years, they have sold upwards of 100 million cards to Americans intent on paying tribute to good old dad. About half of those cards are purchased by dutiful sons and daughters. Wives honoring a man ...
To the editor: The ability to have our voices heard at the ballot box is fundamental to democracy. My mother was the first person in my family born with her right to vote protected by law. Tremendous work and personal sacrifice went into making the Voting Rights Act of 1965 happen. In fact, ...
We all have a favorite place to eat. For some, it’s a popular chain restaurant providing the quick comfort of an affordable and consistent menu. For others, it might be a family-owned diner where they know your order by heart, or the fancy restaurant where you celebrated a special event. All ...
To the editor: After an extended period of cabin fever with winter leading into the coronavirus, our town seems to be finding itself back in a similar position to last fall with regards to crime. I know that coronavirus slowed down the city government’s ability to meet and get things done, ...
Millions of Americans remain unemployed as the nation struggles to get an economy stalled by COVID-19 back in gear. Some success has been seen; by June 13, the U.S. unemployment rate was 13.3%, much better than the 14.7% a month before. Still, we have a long way to go. Prior to the coronavirus ...
To the editor: Since Gov. Reynolds said that grocery stores don’t have to redeem cans and bottles due to COVID-19, people in cities and towns across central Iowa are struggling to find a place to take their containers. A lot of them are traveling to rural redemption centers like mine. I own ...
American taxpayers should not be handing out hundreds of billions of dollars in aid to businesses without having at least some idea of where our money is going. That seems obvious. However, demanding such transparency puts the U.S. Treasury Department — and some of the businesses being ...
To the Editor: What happened to George Floyd, the black man who died at the hands of a rogue police officer while in police custody in Minneapolis was reprehensible, outrageous and a tragedy. The behavior of the three other officers present not coming to the aid of Floyd was completely ...
A powerful symbol of the United States stands all by itself in the middle of the Des Moines River in Fort Dodge. It’s a large American flag flying from a pole that extends skyward from a block of concrete that once helped to support the Bennett Viaduct. Called Old Glory on the River, it ...
To the editor: I am writing an open letter to the police department . Do you train your officers to de-escalate? I just saw a man killed by Georgia police because he was perhaps drunk, fell asleep in his car and blocked traffic, hardly a capital offense. Perhaps, the situation could have been ...
Improving water quality throughout the state of Iowa is a massive task that has to start in small ways with projects that will add up to make a difference. One such project is getting underway in Webster County right now. A team of scientists is studying ways to control erosion along Soldier ...
To the editor: I am not shocked that a publication which continued to openly endorse congressman Steve King as recently as two years ago would use fear mongering to promote their political agenda. Claiming that calls to reform police departments through better allocation of funds is due to ...
Suppose you were strolling through Forest Park and came across a flattering statue of Adolf Hitler. Or Fidel Castro. Or Osama bin Laden. Of course, nations don’t generally bestow statuary upon enemies — unless those enemies happen to be Confederate leaders in the Civil War. Virginia Gov. ...
Every year, farm kids throughout Webster County spend hundreds of hours nurturing their livestock and working on their projects with the goal of winning a ribbon at the county fair. And to make it even more worthwhile, there’s the chance to make it to the iconic Iowa State Fair. As it has ...
As the nation began the process of “reopening” slowly but, we all hope, safely, there was encouraging news on the economic front. About two weeks ago, nearly 25 million Americans were receiving unemployment benefits, the Labor Department reported. By the beginning of June, the number had ...
To the editor: As more testing exposes more virus, we are more aware that the virus is out and about. Governor Reynolds is treating us like responsible humans to let us choose to make good decisions pertaining to our personal risk and the risk of others whom we are in regular contact. However, ...
Prosecutors in Minnesota made the right move by broadening the reach of their efforts in the wake of the killing of George Floyd. Now the three officers who stood by and watched Derek Chauvin press his knee into Floyd’s neck until he stopped breathing have been charged with aiding and ...
To the editor: Thank you to journalist Chad Thompson for your excellent reporting on “The change we seek” in the June 6 edition of The Messenger. How refreshing to hear Zachariah Nuzum’s message of community and peace and not days of reading and watching brick throwing, rioting, ...