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Joshua and the stranger

Many centuries ago, there was a major land-battle shaping up. Joshua and the Israelites were following their God. It was during a time when God was cleansing the land for the Israelites. Many people cannot believe God would destroy folks in this manner, they believe this story didn't really happen. But it did happen and there is a lesson there. In a weary state, Joshua rested and began to contemplate the enormous task God had called him to. Looking "across the way" (across the valley) he saw a man not dressed in Jewish clothes and He was carrying a weapon of war. So Joshua confronted ...

The problem: United States debt

According to recent news items the national debt is over $40 Trillion dollars. People seem to ignore this issue because they feel they can do nothing about it. However, almost all families have debt, and they know what they must do if their loans become too large. Answer: They need to decrease spending and try to earn more income. The latest annual U S Government Financial Position & Condition Report was dated September 30, 2025. The web address is: fiscal.treasury.gov/accounting/us-financial-report/nation-by-numbers. This 180-page report summarizes trillions of dollars of transactions, ...

Data centers not a passing fancy

Dear Editor, Mayor and Councilors, Recently, I wrote an article about the data centers proposal likening it to an egg from a Golden Goose and cautioned about a moratorium. Since then, I have realized that a reasonable moratorium is good. It provides time to study a proposal and to develop our plan, requirements and strategies when presented with an offer from a data center. Data centers are not a “passing fancy.” They are here to stay because every aspect of our lives is affected by the Internet one way or another. So why can’t all of us buckle down and work together and give ...

Appreciation for construction of Garwin Emergency Services Building

Thanks to the tireless efforts of the Mayor, City Council and veteran leadership from the Fire Department Chief along with lifelong volunteer firefighters Rick Raymond and Gary Aldrich, the small community of Garwin is finishing up on construction of a new Emergency Services building that will house both the Fire Department as well as the Ambulance. Rick Raymond is a current firefighter with over 40 years of service and has donated countless hours towards the planning and actual building of the structure. It is clear that this dream of a new fire department building would not have been ...

Bring back Iowa Nice

It was disheartening to see hundreds of racially charged Facebook comments on the recent Times Republican article entitled, "9 Marshalltown residents arrested on federal meth trafficking, money laundering charges." I'm an Army brat. I can't say that I'm really from anywhere. I have now lived in Marshalltown more than twice as long as anywhere else, but my last name is not “from” Iowa. I became fluent in Spanish while living in Peru. Marshalltown’s Hispanic population is a big part of why I came here. I am so grateful to the staff at Franklin, Lenihan, and Dance Konnection that take ...

Data centers

Before the memories of summer are gone, I want to thank the city for the beautiful plantings around downtown, I hope they will be well cared for, honoring our nation’s 250 birthday with such a wide variety of activities and celebrations and putting a great face forward for our town in welcoming RAGBRAI riders, I heard such favoring comments from riders who were from all over! Great job city leaders, employees and volunteers! Now a fourth thank you to the city’s zoning commission for sponsoring an evening to listen to the facts and concerns regarding data centers. I know very little ...