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Opinion

A new book explores the housing affordability crisis

Columnists

Brendan O’Brien remembers growing up in Davenport in the house where his parents still live. Inside its walls, he raced toy cars and invented games with his brothers; outside, he spent summers playing with friends a short distance from where he went to high school. He says it’s a place he ...

Are you ‘woke’ or asleep to racial and social justice issues?

Columnists

Charlie Chaplin once said “A day without laughter is a day wasted.” Life around my Dad (Lester Corbin, 1909-2000) was filled with jokes, teasing and what became known as “Lester’isms.” Raised around the humor of Red Skelton, Redd Foxx, Jonathan Winters, Rodney Dangerfield, Richard ...

Suing for a livable planet

Columnists

Across the globe, people are turning to the courts to combat the worsening climate emergency. Since 2015, cases around the world have doubled to over 2,000, according to a recent United Nations report. They are also on the rise in the United States. In a landmark trial in Montana, a judge ...

Good versus bad math beliefs: Let’s remove the labels for kids

Columnists

Take a moment to reflect and answer this question: Do you like math? Overwhelmingly, both students and adults alike typically say that they do not. When asked why, the response is generally, “Because I’m not good at math.” It isn’t likely that we enjoy something that we are not the best ...

The hot spot

Columnists

Several months ago I wrote about the history of the last two stations that have served the State Center Fire and EMS Department — in City Hall prior to 1978 and our current facility. This month I want to share information about our current situation and limitations on how the department ...

There is more to serving than winning elections

Columnists

Back where I came from, you do not expect to have a bomb-sniffing dog circle your car when you pull into the parking lot for Sunday church services. But that is what occurred. After the dog’s sensitive nose checked our car, a man on the front step gave us a quick once-over with his ...