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Ask Augustine

My church calendar shows Saturday, August 15 as the “Feast of the Assumption of Mary.” (A) Where can I find the story of Mary’s Assumption in the Bible? (B) If it’s not in the Bible, how did it come about? (C) Finally what are your thoughts about Mary? Excellent questions. (A) While you can’t find Mary’s Assumption recorded in Scripture, Mary’s Assumption is one of the four Christian Marian Dogma’s. These four dogmas are (1) Mary’s Divine Motherhood, (2) Mary’s Perpetual Virginity (3) Mary’s Immaculate Conception (not to be confused with the doctrine of Jesus’s ...

Futures Files

Ukrainian Attack Damages Russian Grain Ports The Russian port of Novorossiysk suffered damage to two major grain export terminals as a result of Ukrainian drone and missile strikes Wednesday. Three people were killed in the attack. Four Russian warships were also hit. Novorossiysk is one of the largest Russian ports used to export wheat. Most of Russia’s Black Sea fleet is docked there. A major grain trading company confirmed that its terminals were hit. Russia retaliated by attacking Ukraine ports while President Putin threatened to attack areas outside of the Black Sea. Wheat ...

Y holds massive sleepover during RAGBRAI

They pitched a tent along the Linn Creek, they pitched their tent right by our front door and they tried to hang a hammock from our flag pole (rejected). Did you hear about the massive sleepover we held at the Y for several hundred people? Oh, you may have heard Marshalltown hosted the ...

They’ll come for baseball. They’ll remember Iowa

There is something pretty incredible about seeing the baseball world descend on a small Iowa town of just several thousand residents. Today, the Minnesota Twins and Philadelphia Phillies will take the field in Dyersville for the return of the MLB at Field of Dreams. For baseball fans, it’s ...

The right to be left alone

"The makers of our Constitution undertook to secure conditions favorable to the pursuit of happiness. ... They conferred against the Government the right to be let alone -- most comprehensive of rights and the right most valued by civilized men." -- Justice Louis D. Brandeis (1856-1941) The ...

Empty nest: An excerpt from “Dusty Women”

Author's Note: Diana Newquist Parson is from Ottumwa. She and I have something in common: we both know first hand The Big C, although mine is in remission, while Diana's is still snapping and snarling, gnashing its teeth and playing its tricks. I invited her to write the following piece. Her books can be found on Amazon. This is an excerpt from my upcoming book: “Dusty Women.” As in “Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust.” It’s a book about ordinary women facing death and handling death. While this section tries to capture what happened when I was diagnosed with uveal melanoma in my ...