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The Doodle Bug Club of America thanks Webster City for its wonderful hospitality

To the Editor: The Doodle Bug Club of America would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the entire Webster City community for the warm welcome and wonderful hospitality shown to our members during this year’s reunion.This year, we welcomed riders from as far away as Alaska, Florida, New Hampshire, New York, California, and many other states. Some members were attending a Doodle Bug reunion for the first time, and the experience was so enjoyable that they are already looking forward to returning next year. It would be impossible to thank everyone individually who helped make ...

Let not your hearts be troubled…have faith

What stills the heart and comforts the troubled conscience? Only the Gospel of Christ Jesus crucified and raised for sinners. Jesus says to His disciples in John 14:1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.” Trouble and worry can come upon us from all sides. Worldly dangers threaten our mortal bodies, temptations bombard us every waking hour, and Satan seeks to undermine our faith with the old evil question: “did God really say?” (Genesis 3:1). Psalm 46 and Psalm 91 remind us of the Lord’s providence and protection. The Holy Spirit says through ...

Is our team broken?

I believe in working as a team, I like building relationships, and I like to be open about everything that I do. Ask anyone who has ever worked with me. I give a lot of details. If you read what I write, that is often the case. But I’ve done this in every area of my career. I’ve created financial reports that are easy to read, information that goes to everyone that is involved. Newsletters that explain things in depth. Open conversations. So it’s disturbing when I hear from our elected officials that all the departments need to work together better, then not see them ...

Old station wagon helps us remember

My 40-something daughter loves learning. After earning her PhD and securing a good job she learned to play jazz guitar. More recently she began art classes. When she gave me a belated Father’s Day gift a few weeks ago, it was accompanied by her illustration of our family’s most memorable automobile ̶ a 1977 Dodge Royal Monaco Brougham station wagon. We acquired the station wagon a few months after our daughter was born. A Dodge Dart had taken good care of us until we also needed to take along baby things. Our four-year-old son was growing fast and now the Dart had become ...

Public meetings should be more public

The value of reading and understanding local issues has never been more important than it is today. It is such a basic part of our education and it is critical not just to learn, but also for making decisions. In public life and in the corporate world, board meetings are held to inform board members about what is happening when they are not in the room and to give them information to help make decisions. Detailed written reports, financial reports and summaries are usually part of what is given to board members. By not expecting this or not reading this information thoroughly, bad ...

Claims selective non-enforcement

To the editor: For weeks residents have attempted to bring a critical, life-threatening public safety hazard to the attention of Webster city officials; the severely unmaintained hedges at 1409 Second Street. Measuring well over 8 feet in height, this massive visual obstruction directly violates Webster City Municipal Code, Sec. 50-150 (Visibility at Intersections), which strictly mandates a maximum height of 4 feet within required corner-lot sight triangles and setbacks to prevent blind spots for oncoming traffic. Yet, despite formal documentation, photo evidence and a time-stamped ...