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Suicide Awareness Month: Older adults deserve hope and connection

September is Suicide Awareness Month, which reminds us that every life is important and help is always available. Suicide can affect anyone, including older adults. By learning the warning signs and contacting those who may be struggling, we can help prevent suicide in our communities. As people age, they may face changes such as retirement, the loss of loved ones, health problems, ongoing pain, or needing more help with daily life. These challenges may sometimes lead to loneliness, sadness, or hopelessness. But suicide is not a normal part of getting older. Older adults deserve ...

Will AI cause doomsday?

In the satirical 1964 anti-war film "Dr. Strangelove," fears of a "Doomsday machine," an automated, unstoppable device programmed to trigger global nuclear annihilation if the Soviet Union is attacked, gripped U.S. leaders and the Soviet ambassador in the American "war room." Predictions of doomsdays by various means have gripped, even entertained the world for centuries. We are just getting over bogus predictions of "climate change" disasters and now comes artificial intelligence. AI insiders are telling TV interviewers that AI can potentially destroy the human race. Last weekend, ...

Empty Nest

Jim Atwater, of Ft. Madison, attended my creative writing class. This is one of the stories he wrote. He also good with Sci Fi. As you may, or may not know, I am a frustrated writer. Earlier this year I took a writing class, from a local legend (character). This is an excerpt from said writing: Life with Grandpa was not always a bed of roses. He was strict and could be harsh. I generally did okay with him because I was used to my father, who was likewise. Then there was, The Walk In the Woods. Along with everything else Grandpa made amazing slingshots. He had gotten a supply of half ...

Striking the balance: Local freedom and statewide protections

As Chair of the Local Government Committee in the Iowa House, I am often asked: Where should decision-making power reside? I believe the answer lies in the principled balance that local entities should lead on local operational needs, but the state must ensure consistency when constitutional ...

Saying yes to opportunity

I am writing to share my view on data centers and because I believe Marshalltown has an important choice in front of us. And I believe we should choose opportunity. For generations, Marshalltown has been a community that makes things. We have built products that are used across the country ...

Democracy grows from the ground up

American democracy succeeds by trial and error. Our history is littered with flaws and mistakes, corrected and amended, re-broken, and fixed again, often thanks to citizen input. That is why local government – bottom up, grassroots democracy – provides the best opportunity for ...