Here is the $64,000 question. Just exactly how old is old? In my teens, I figured it was about 35 but when I was getting close to that age, it seemed fairly young, but 50 definitely was old. No doubt about that. Fifty for sure, until I got there. Yeah, not as good a third baseman anymore but ...
Religious organizations have long enjoyed huge tax exemptions in our country, with a current estimation that churches in the US avoid paying $71 billion in taxes annually. Religious institutions pay no taxes; local, state, or federal. They pay no taxes on extensive investments, interests ...
When you become a senior citizen we have discovered you take time to appreciate life more than when you are young, particularly nature. During the evening through the summer, we would spend some time in our swing, watching and listening to birds. One morning when we were going out to go to ...
Radical conservative proponents, an oddly coalesced group commonly clumped together now as “White Christian Nationals”, constantly complain about too much government interference. This all while pushing for yet more harsh government controls regarding who can vote, what history can be ...
A couple weeks ago, September 4 and 5, to be exact, a whole bunch of Shedas gathered in the old stomping grounds of Chelsea, Iowa to reminisce of the "good ol' days." And they were indeed good. We all met on that Saturday for a Memorial Mass in honor of our Grandad, Anton A. Sheda, who came ...
Easy trivia question here, but do you remember Don McLean's record-breaking song, American Pie? The Day The Music Died! This iconic song culminated what perhaps was the essence of the '60's. So much happened in that decade and those of us who lived them, did so knowing that it was probably a ...
August rain grows the grain. Throughout the last half of August, northeast and central Iowa has been blessed with timely rains just as the area crops look to finish their productive cycle. These late season rains will help fill in soybean pods and add more weight to the parched corn crop. ...
Last week my hometown of Tama-Toledo, and the eastern part of the state of Iowa suffered what will most likely be one of the greatest storms it will ever see, if not the greatest. The monstrous storm came in without warning and just like that, left behind devastation of epic proportion. This ...
In communities across Iowa, we’ve seen numerous instances of out-of-state companies buying up mobile home parks, jacking up the rent, imposing surprise fees, and intimidating Iowans - many of whom live on a fixed income. It’s unfair, wrong, and un-Iowan - and it must be stopped. We must ...
The legislature adjourned for the year on Sunday, June 14. This year’s session was definitely different than previous years. While we didn’t get to all the legislation we wanted, we were able to accomplish a lot in the time we did have. Before we paused the session in March, the Senate ...