Everyone deserves a teacher, friend and mentor like Mr. Clark. Our friendship began about 15 years ago with a simple phone call. From that moment on, he became an important part of my life. Back in junior high, I wanted to be like him — and in 1973, that dream came true when I became a ...

As Ragbrai comes through town it is time for Marshalltown to open our doors to people from many different places. As a rider of Ragbrai long ago I do remember the need for rest and the comfort it was to have a night’s sleep after the hot ride or the rainy ride on the 7 day journey. People on ...

Whenever you begin a project that is years in the making, costs lots of money and tons of personal time, you keep your eyes fixed on the finish line. You know the community will appreciate it. All along the way, the group creating the project are dogged by the “we don’t need this, our ...

Political campaigns should be about ideas, leadership, and the future of our communities—not personal attacks aimed at families and small businesses. Recently, Annette Sweeney and her campaign chose to distribute misleading and negative mailers throughout Senate District 27 targeting me, my ...

I am disturbed by the recent spat of columns written by Mark Rohde challenging and undermining traditionally held Christian beliefs. He seems convinced that he alone is capable of going back into the Scriptures to find their *real* meaning, saying to 2,000 years of Christians looking over his ...

Lawmakers are now investigating toxic gas emissions from animal farming, including ammonia pollution that threatens nearby communities (The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, Feb. 17, 2026). For residents living near these facilities, this isn’t new—it’s daily life. We often talk about ...