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Garbage service discussion

The proposal to mandate all garbage to be picked up on the same day in a designated area of town would cause congestion as this puts multiple trucks in the same neighborhood on the same days. As stated by several individuals who have many years of experience in the business of hauling garbage, the current system works and people are happy with it. The individuals that leave their containers out for multiple days or garbage sitting loose in their yards need to be addressed with the offending people not making unnecessary changes to the current system.

A new chapter

Starting Jan. 1, a new Mayor (myself), a new Councilor with a seasoned veteran returning will be seated along with a returning Councilor that the residents saw the wisdom to re-elect. I am going to miss the smarts of Barry Kell, he was definitely an asset on the Council helping jump-start our progress in Marshalltown that you see today. But his kids are only young once. Our intrepid Mayor Joel Greer will be able to slide into a private life again. Joel has led us through a tornado, a derecho, a pandemic with a steady hand on the wheel. Kudos sir. To put it mildly, I am “wound up” ...

Atheism is Illogical

Atheism is a lack of belief in the existence of God. Atheists have a naturalistic worldview as there is no supernatural creator; humans resulted from chance random chemical accidents. They believe truth must be proved by science and reason; they believe religion ignores science and reason. (Science itself has no compassion for applying solutions in virtuous ways, it must come from someplace beyond science.) Naturalism believes the world is driven by environmental causes, actions and decisions are simply DNA-driven chemical responses in the brain; this means no one is really responsible ...

This church

Just walking thru those church doors I feel joy within my heart. And smiles on greeter’s faces Makes me feel that I’m a part! There are saints and there are sinners; There are meek and there are brave; There are teachers; there are learners; Some who falter; some who save. Some who speak and some are quiet Some are always singing, too. Some who ask to be forgiven Some who don’t know what to do. There are some who are in sorrow And feeling pain inside. Some are lonely and unhappy Missing someone who has died. There are some who come each Sunday And ...

Medicare Advantage provider access

The current Medicare Advantage plan provider networks have changed for 2026. If you have a Medicare Advantage Plan in central Iowa, you may want to confirm that you have in-network access to every provider you want. Mayo Clinic recently dropped Humana and United Healthcare for 2026. They are following suit with other Mayo Clinic locations to limit the number of Medicare customers in an effort to find a balance to remain profitable. In case you did not know, Medicare pays a fraction of what private Insurance (under age 65) pays them. So, they need a balance and if thy get too many ...

The need for animal shelter funding

Dear Editor, I hope this letter finds you well. I wanted to reach out about increasing the funding of the Tama County Humane Society-a decision that could mean the difference between life and death for many innocent animals who depend on human compassion. It is known that the Tama County Humane Society greatly relies on donations, volunteers, and temporary fostering. Last week, I visited the Tama County Humane Society looking to adopt another cat. I witnessed something heartbreaking: an old sickly cat, her eyes were filled with hopelessness and despair, as she had given up on life. ...