rown and news of his death have shown that social media is a double-edged sword. Social media is a powerful and great tool, but it is no replacement for news. Sharing on social platforms is a great way to spread information and it’s an avenue news organizations use all the time. But too ...

As journalists, it is our job to find out the who, what, when, where, how and most importantly the why of any given situation. We seek to provide our community with answers and explanations for anything that has happened. But sometimes we can never find a reason why. We are heartbroken ...

Once a year, all local governments in Iowa are required to publish a public notice in a newspaper listing the salaries of every one of their employees. Anyone who thinks public notices aren’t important or aren’t read by the average Iowan should visit their local coffee shop the day that ...

Disaster response is both chaotic and frightening but it could not top the outstanding leadership of city and county employees in the wake of July’s EF-3 tornado. Thanks to that leadership, our community — while still suffering — is on the road to recovery six months later. As the ...

Mental health is a stigmatized topic. Some don’t even believe mental illness exists. However, mental health issues have a grave impact on our community, state and nation and we need to address them and support those who are struggling. One in five adults in American experience a mental ...

Kindness has been apparent from strangers and friends alike following the July 19, 2018 tornado. Without judgement and many times without being asked, people jumped in to help. It’s that spirt that helps make a community great for all. In 2019, we need to carry on that spirit with all our ...

Many things happened in Marshalltown in 2018­ ­— the July 19 tornado being the most prolific of all the events. Our town showed resiliency and unselfish giving. Marshalltown Strong was the theme of the year. Days after the tornado, we wrote that much of Marshalltown’s history would be ...

Now is not the time to be apathetic about our taxpayer dollars. A report from the State Auditor’s Office on Marshalltown Schools shows a more than $645,000 hit after a former district employee failed to perform job duties. News that a school employee failed to make payroll tax deposits in ...

Last week the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced it would not be providing individual assistance to Marshalltown and its residents hit hardest by the July 19 tornado. The news left a sour taste for many who wondered how FEMA came to its decision. Did the agency leaders not see the ...

We take our role in documenting history very seriously. Starting minutes after the July 19 tornado tore through Marshalltown, we’ve been keeping our community informed about the breadth of the devastation and recovery efforts. We’ve also thought long and hard about how best to capture this ...

Marshalltown has the chance to make lemonade out of lemons. The tornado destroyed downtown as we knew it, but it also opened a chance for rebuilding and rebranding. A community’s downtown is a key indicator of its success. A flourishing, vibrant, visually-appealing downtown makes life ...

November and December tend to be a time of giving and generosity. People make philanthropic donations, volunteer their time, give food items and initiate supply drives. So many organizations in our communities are worthy of donations as they work on any variety of issues to help those less ...

News that UnityPoint Health - Marshalltown would be eliminating its intensive care unit was another indicator of the cyclical issues the local hospital has faced. Simplistically, when businesses don’t make money, they can’t sustain all of their resources and when consumers believe an ...

Political ads, campaign stunts and election surveys are finished for the time being. Now, it’s time for action. The residents of Marshall County expect our elected officials at the local, state and national level to work tirelessly on our behalf for the issues that matter most to us. We not ...

Historically, voter turnout is always higher during presidential elections. From a magnitude perspective, it makes sense — it’s the highest office in the United States and the president is a leader who represents us all around the world. But from a more prudent perspective, turnout ...

October has been designated National Pork Month. That makes it an especially good time to reflect on the importance of the pork industry to this state. It’s unlikely that anyone who lives in Iowa does not already know that pork production contributes mightily to the economic vitality of the ...

Domestic violence is complex. It often goes unreported. It is often is repetitive. And it often is an unhealthy solution to relationship challenges. Domestic violence is also complex in who it impacts. Not only are survivors forever changed by the abuse they endure, many times children are ...

Managing taxpayer dollars is no easy feat. There will always be people unhappy with how the city decides to allot its budget. This week the city council was influenced by those constraints and made a decision to demolish the Senior Citizen’s Center. The decision was highly contested by some ...

Have you gotten your flu shot yet? Why not? Many health care professionals are urging the public — especially those who, because of age or existing health conditions may be more vulnerable to the flu — to get immunized as soon as possible. They have a very good reason for being worried. ...

While our newspaper has had many names and leaders over the years, our goal to keep Central Iowa informed has not wavered. A building fire in the 1900s and a tornado hitting our building a few months ago did not stop us from getting the news out. The strength of a newspaper goes hand in hand ...