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Opinion

Just Jonathan: The weight of reporting

Local Columns

Being one of the trusted few to document our community doesn’t come lightly to me. I never set out on this career path, but I’m honored that I get to serve a place that helped shape the young man I’ve become. After a long night of reporting and writing, that thought sat with me as I drove ...

Magic Mike 6XL: A Head Above The Rest

Local Columns

Have you ever seen the movie ‘Big Fish’? Yes? No? Well, if you haven’t, go watch it now, then come back and read the rest of the article. Don’t worry, I’ll wait. So, now that you’ve seen the movie, you know that there is a scene in there at a funeral. At the funeral, all these ...

BLINKIN’ AND SPEAKIN!

Local Columns

I’ve noticed a trend on the internet. They want to know if I’m human! I tried ordering groceries online, but they had to verify that I was human. Now, ordering groceries ought to have clued them in. I did expect them to verify that I have the moola in my bank account to place the order, ...

Just Jonathan: Mostly legal Northern Lights adventures

Local Columns

Tuesday night was pretty uneventful, at least that’s how it started. I finished some meetings and work, but still had piles of homework and a bit of work for my actual job. I was walking back across campus to my dorm on the far side of everything (I’m convinced I live the farthest from ...

You’ll Figure It Out: Dear Veteran

Local Columns

Dear Veteran, I would like to use this space here to say "Thank You" for being one of the selfless few Americans that has been willing to offer your life on my behalf. Thank you, thank you. Thank you for... Going into harm's way for me, so I can enjoy a peaceful evening with my ...

Brass Tacks from Rural Iowa: Washington Could Learn from Us

Editorials

It was maybe a happy coincidence last week that while I was following the news about Trump’s soybean deal with China that I also happened to tune into the Iowa Farmers Union (IFU) weekly “lunch and learn” on Facebook. Amid so much uncertainty, not just for farmers but all of us in rural ...

On Nature: Nuclear Matters

Local Columns

The projected rapid increase in electrical energy needs, particularly for massive new data centers, could derail our efforts to combat climate change unless ways are found to greatly increase the production of clean energy. Nuclear energy could help fill that need with the development of small ...

Just Jonathan: Stolen Nostalgia

Local Columns

When I started college as a music education major, I knew there would be field experiences in schools around a 45 to 50-mile radius of Wartburg. Secretly, I had one dream assignment in mind: Oelwein High School. So when the email came through assigning me to Oelwein, I’ll admit I cracked a ...

Letter to the Editor: The facts about abortion

Letters to the Editor

I tell John Sheda the facts about abortion. Abortion became legal in the year 1973 when republican Nixon was president by a republican control supreme court back then. Most of those judges on that court were appointed by republican Nixon and Eisenhower. Is Sheda going to tell us Trump never ...

Heather’s Highlights: County Government and You, October 2025

Local Columns

October has come to an end and most of the crops in the area have been harvested. My family was able to finish harvest early with crops being dry and the weather cooperating, which left us time to visit a pumpkin farm, carve pumpkins, and get some outside work done. I hope everyone had a great ...