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Recognizing everyday acts of kindness

Too often, people are quick to complain and slow to praise. Today, I want to take a moment to highlight something I witnessed that deserves recognition. On my way to work, I noticed a young woman walking along the sidewalk near a local auto dealer. She was wearing a coat and carrying a backpack, and I assumed she was heading toward a bus stop. Later, as I passed back through the area near the skate park, I saw her still walking. She looked tired and extremely cold, and I grew concerned. At a nearby gas station, I noticed a police car parked. From what I could tell, the female officer ...

Thankful for the MPD and Officer Wolf

To the Marshalltown Police Department, I am writing this letter to recognize not only the department as one, but to a very special officer that took lifesaving measures so I can be here today to talk about it, Logan Wolf. On Aug. 17, the evening you arrived, I was living in a lifestyle defined by fear, trauma, addiction and abuse that had become too heavy to carry alone. I was trapped in an ongoing vicious cycle of domestic violence living in the painful aftermath of sexual assault, uncertain if safety or peace existed anywhere in my life. My addiction had become both a symptom of ...

Property taxes

We own our home and pay property taxes. Our six kids own their homes and pay property taxes. Our 14 grandchildren will never afford a home. If elderly can’t afford property taxes, there are low-income apartments and HUD. We don’t qualify. My grandparents lived in low-income apartments. My parents could not afford property taxes on the farm, so they moved to town and continued to pay property taxes. They weren’t rich or poor. They continued to work, had a nice car and ate out on occasional trips to the casino. They had Medicare, VA and Blue Cross. The Hispanics are conservative. ...

Our inner self

Often, I watch people because they are so demonstrative in what they do. Who doesn’t want to watch some tiny person dancing in their dad’s hip-high galoshes, so unaware of what others think of what they are doing. They are zoned out following the tune in their head. It may only be a picture you see once in a lifetime. Her little arms and legs are choreographed to how she feels the music in her head. When our granddaughter was three, she attended a wedding with us. When it came time to dance we were treated to her version of how three-year-olds should move. We were so enamored by ...

Weak enforcement leads to dirty water

According to a recent news story, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency just gave a slap-on-the-wrist fine to a big cattle feedlot in northwest Iowa for “unauthorized wastewater discharges” that occurred over three consecutive days in March 2021. That seems like the wrong thing to do. The fine could’ve been $205,335 — up to $68,445 a day for three straight days of manure discharges. But instead, EPA went with a $20,000 fine because the feedlot has a “limited ability to pay a civil penalty.” My question is: if it’s short on cash to pay for its environmental violations, ...

Do not miss the next ‘Stop the Bleed’ training!

On Oct. 16, 2025, a dear friend and I attended the “Stop the Bleed” training at the Marshalltown library. By the way, we have a wonderful library here as acknowledged by a visiting friend from out of town who has visited many libraries. The program was given by an ER doctor and a female ambulance driver. We had a nice size group attending and all of us were glad we were there. We learned quick action things to do to help save a life — also reminded of staying on the phone with a 911 operator until they have all the info needed and they tell you you can hang up. Our two ...