“Yes, if we don’t get what we want, one way or the other ... I will shut down the government,” said President Trump to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker-designate Nancy Pelosi, referring to his demand for $5 billion to build his border wall. If Trump insists, a good ...
The 2018 Adopt a Family for Christmas event for the House of Compassion was a great success. Community members and organizations of Marshalltown and surrounding communities came forward to help our community. Last year 145 households / 569 people were adopted. This year 225 households / 902 ...
The highlight of my artistic career consisted of an attempt at a clay vase that ended up looking like an old man’s face covered in gumbo. Then someone glazed it because, as everyone knows, making something shiny is the surest way to make something awful look good. This, of course, is the only ...
I recently was a patient at UnityPoint Health - Marshalltown’s emergency room and was very impressed with everyone. Doctors or nurses who helped me were very concerned and very caring for your wellbeing.
Christmas is a special time in our family. Our daughter Maggie loves decorating the tree, and her brother Robert is now tall enough to decorate the top third — which she and I cannot reach. This year, we waited until Maggie came home from college, so the tree went up a bit later than ...
It was Christmas Eve. Mary Murphy, of Mt. Pleasant, was told to go outside to a car where there was a woman who needed help. At the car, a beat up old Ford, Mary discovered a young woman who was very pregnant. The young woman, a girl really, looked at Mary and said, “Please, my mother ...
As traders, investors and farmers look ahead to 2019, many of their concerns remain the same as they had been throughout 2018. Trade disputes with China, Mexico and Canada still hang over all markets, especially major U.S. exports like grains, livestock and machinery. The United States seems ...
When news broke last week that a federal judge had ruled a New York law banning possession of nunchucks unconstitutional, I felt vindicated. You see, as a teenager growing up in New York City in the 1980s, I was arrested and thrown in jail for illegal possession of nunchucks. Really. During ...
Not long ago, agriculture was a crown jewel of America’s export economy. Then President Trump happened. He launched his “easy-to-win” trade wars, and our trading partners hit back right where the farm belt hurts. Soybeans have been our biggest farm export and China their biggest ...
During this holiest of Christian seasons, who could ignore the latest statements of Pope Francis about the festering child sex abuse scandal within his church? In a Christmas address, he spoke of priests who are “ready to devour innocent souls.” He declared, “To those who abuse ...
First, I want to thank the members of the Marshalltown School Board for the many hours of service they give freely to our public schools. I have been there and know how stressful it can be at times. But I also know how great it is to be a part of helping grow our next generation. I am very ...
My New Year’s resolution: Make a careful distinction between speech and violence. America’s First Amendment says “yes” to most speech, including speech that criticizes, insults — even speech that promotes hate. But the law applies only to government. Private organizations can ...
Donald Trump’s sudden announcement that he will withdraw 2,000 U.S. troops from Syria — triggering the resignation of Secretary of Defense James Mattis — augurs greater concern than ever about American foreign policy under an impulsive and inexperienced president driven above all else by ...
Osama bin Laden predicted it and his prophecy appears to be coming true. In his book, “The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11,” Lawrence Wright quotes bin Laden as saying: “Look at Vietnam, look at Lebanon. Whenever soldiers start coming home in body bags, Americans panic and ...
President Trump has been in office for almost two years, which should mean that by now, all the crazy talk in the media about his impending dictatorship ought to be abandoned. Democracy is still vibrant, as we saw with record voter turnout in November. But the wild conspiracy theories about ...
I was in Bill Clinton’s Cabinet when Newt Gingrich pulled the plug on the federal government in the mid-’90s. It wasn’t a pretty picture. A long shutdown hurts millions of people who rely on government for services and paychecks. Donald Trump’s shutdown also adds to growing worries ...
Marshalltown Community School District (MCSD) will offer the Seal of Biliteracy to eligible graduates earning this distinction beginning with the Class of 2019. The Seal of Biliteracy is an award given by a public school district to recognize students who have attained proficiency in two or ...
“I’m a good Christian. If I become president, we’re going to be saying ‘merry Christmas’ at every store.” — Donald Trump, December 2015 In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. ... Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth ...
In 1957, 4.3 million babies were born in the United States. In 2017, 60 years later, the number was 3,853,472. That’s an 11 percent decline, in a nation whose population has nearly doubled over those six decades. And though there are a few days left in 2018, the number for this year is sure ...
Dear Readers, The holiday season is upon us. It’s times of glad tidings, holiday parties and family gatherings. When we gather to celebrate, there is often food available that we don’t normally eat. It’s great food, and why not partake, it’s the holidays‚we’re supposed to eat ...