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Study impacts before we are in too deep

Letters to Editor

Slow Down Letter to the editor, Ever think things are moving too fast? Is AI being used to cure cancer and many other problems? I know it is used to sell stuff. Always about making a buck. If kids have their heads buried in their phones, why are school scores going down? Is the space race because they know we are killing this planet because of pollution and ignoring climate change? They are shoving data centers down our throats while the hype is alive and before companies quit because of cost. Everything connected to the Internet uses a data center. They are the physical ...

Viewpoints: A stronger community begins when we listen

Local Columns

I recently attended an out of state family wedding. It was a joyful experience, spending time with family I rarely see, and truly celebrating a great union. I felt fortunate to see so much love in one place at one time. But I also felt fortunate because we were talking face to face. To attend the event required traveling and I was fortunate to travel with my niece, Suzanne, who teaches vocal music in South Sioux City, Nebraska. We had a large amount of time together, to talk about teaching, family, and changes in our world. To me this was a great gift. Our life experiences ...

Water testing necessary to preserve ecosystem

Letters to Editor

Letter to the Editor Growing up in rural Iowa, I spent a lot of time at nearby waterways. I learned to tell the quality of a waterway by the ecosystem in and around it or the lack of one. Now, Iowa faces a public health and water crisis that demands immediate action. Our state ranks second in the nation for new cancer cases, with 87 of 99 counties exceeding the national cancer rate. With no comprehensive plan, this trend will continue or even get worse. The average nitrate concentrations in Iowa's drinking water increased between 2003 and 2017, with a concentration averaged across ...

An 8-year-old boy still lives

Local Columns

Country Roads Column for week of July 27, 2026 Seventy years ago many Iowa elementary classrooms displayed bright yellow cards appropriately called “dental cards.” The cards bore the signatures of dentists confirming that the student named thereon had visited said dentist and the condition of his or her teeth was duly approved. Most years the Huisman kids did not have a dental card pinned to the wall. Our parents took their six children to the dentist when the need arose but preventative dental care was not in the family budget. The first dentist visit I can remember occurred ...

Supports Jones in fight against nitrates

Letters to Editor

To the editor: I was recently carrying a jar of water from a local creek when a gentleman inquired what I was doing. I shared that I was testing for nitrates which prompted him to say, “At least it is getting better.” However, July nitrate readings of 30 and 20 parts per million in Brewer Creek don't indicate improvement. High nitrate levels are closely correlated with our increasing cancer rates. “Environmental Risk Factors and Iowa’s Cancer Crisis,” (2026) drew a straight line from synthetic fertilizer and agricultural manure runoff to cancer. While most states’ cancer ...

'Getting Old' is getting old

Local Columns

It came to me about a year ago. My brother and I were talking on the phone and I mentioned the phrase, which we both immediately agreed would make a good bumper sticker or something. That Christmas, a daughter-in-law of mine surprised me with two T-shirts that had the expression printed on them; one for me and the second for my brother. Not that everything is more difficult as we age. As one who travels quite a bit, I was actually disappointed when the airport TSA agent told me I wouldn’t have to remove my shoes as I was “obviously old enough”… and I even wear Sketchers simply ...