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Local Columns

A Fair View

Just want to get this out to the public: Unless those who have contracts with Salt Creek Wind and residents who are OK with turbine development start coming to the Board of Supervisors meetings, TCAT (Tama County Against Turbines) and this board are going to DICTATE what farmers can do with ...

Heather’s Highlights: County Government and You, March 2025

March has come and gone and we are now in the home stretch of the FY 25-26 budgets being approved. The Board of Supervisors and Auditor have spent over 40 hours in the office working on the budget, as well as several hours at home to ensure a balanced budget. We’ve reviewed each line item to ...

On Nature: Embrace the night

It is no secret that if you live in a city or town, you see fewer stars. The reason for this is that light escapes from where it is needed and forms a dome of light overhead. Although not obvious, this waste light brightens the night sky far into the country. Only a few places are far enough ...

A Fair View

After reading the article in the newspaper the weekend of March 29, I would say the Tama County Board of Supervisors should rethink their position on wind and solar instead of trying to dictate to farmers what they can and can't do on land they OWN. With what they say we have for a budget ...

Dengler Domain: Pharmacy Benefit Managers

When I was a child, I wandered the small pharmacy near the end of Second Street, formerly known as Wright Pharmacy. Now known as NuCara Pharmacy, most memories are of being with my grandma, Mildred, at the pharmacy after or before she picked me up from daycare. While this was over 25 years ago, ...

Laity Reflection: It’s now April. How are you doing with your goals?

Here is a most important thought about goals. Let's look at some goal related scriptures: Did you know God sets goals? God plans to bring all of history to His goal in Christ. Then Christ will be the head of everything in heaven and on earth!" (Ephesians 1:10) Your goals should bring ...

Fairy Tales & Cultivating a Christian Imagination

As a father, I have come to truly love the old fairy tales: Cinderella, Snow White, Jack and the Beanstalk… even the short, folksy tales like Three Little Pigs and Three Billy Goats Gruff. All of them are simple and memorable, yet profound. But why these stories? There was no great council or ...

Dengler Domain: Time to Fight for Rural Iowa

It is like a secret language, but when I am out in the wild – meaning, urban or suburban places – sometimes I come across those who grew up in rural Iowa. They might still live in rural areas, or they might not. This is always fascinating. As we start talking, we size each other up to ...

On the Record with Sheriff Schmidt: March 2025

It’s been great to see so many of you engaging with us on social media. I really believe in the power of communication, and social media is a great way to share information quickly. But over the last couple of months, I’ve started to notice the tone of some comments and the lack of respect ...

A Fair View

Well I took a week off. It is time to let Tama County citizen's know some facts. Three years ago, Tama County Against Turbines (TCAT) came to the Board of Supervisors and said they were petitioning us to stop the Winding Stairs Wind Project. The group told us that Salt Creek Wind was already ...