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Local Columns

On Nature: Nature and Climate

Reducing fossil fuel use to reduce climate change is critical, but removing excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is also important. A study published by the National Academy of Science found that nature is an important tool for accomplishing this. Reforestation is most important and ...

Dengler Domain: Concerts

Enjoying live music whether in a club or at a concert is wonderful. It can be an enlightening experience sharing a love for a musician with other fans as the said musician plays. Whether it is pop, country, or oldies, any concert can be a lot of fun. In my lifetime of going to concerts, ...

Dengler Domain: Plants

As I walk through the fields of corn and soybeans looking for any creature, leaf disease, or random imperfection, it is surprising how much each plant grows in a week. While humans do not grow at this exponential pace because humans have years to live and not a few months, these plants serve ...

Dengler Domain: War

When driving through Traer, there is a significant piece of the town’s history gracing one of its iconic landmarks, the Taylor Park arch. Built for $900 and dedicated on July 3, 1923, the arch has stood for almost 100 years in honor of the men who gave their lives to our country during ...

On Nature: Hydrogen Fuel

Hydrogen has long been recognized as a possible alternative to fossil fuels because it has a high energy content and its combustion does not produce any greenhouse gases, just water. However, the difficulty of producing it has kept hydrogen from widespread use. This is changing with at ...

Dengler Domain: Growing Iowa

On the May 12 episode of Iowa Press, Governor Kim Reynolds while talking about tax policy said, “People are making different decisions because they don't have to leave the state and go to Florida or Arizona where the tax burden is lower. They can now stay here and go down there for maybe ...

Dengler Domain: Water Quality

Water is what makes the world go round. It is fascinating that something as simple as water is so vital to the Earth. Without water, there would be no world and up to 60% of the human adult body is composed of water. Having high quality water is vital to human health whether it be in the city ...

Dengler Domain: Volunteering

Whether it is giving money or donating my time to an organization, it is always worth it. Volunteering in the community is important. I saw it with my grandpa’s participation in the Lion’s Club which consisted of grandma and grandpa cutting up onions for their dinner, driving the truck ...

Smash Your Smartphone, Part 4: Drastic Measures

Admittedly, “Smash your smartphone” is a bit of a dramatic exaggeration, meant to shock you into paying attention. I didn’t smash my smartphone. It wasn’t until I dropped my smartphone in the toilet that I finally got rid of it. My wife still uses her iPhone 6 for a camera. My ...

On Nature: Crops and Climate

If Iowa’s climate keeps changing as a result of increased atmospheric carbon dioxide from man’s activities, corn and soybean yields are predicted to decline by 39-68% and 86-92%, respectively, by 2050, according to an article in the journal Scientific Reports. Even worse, this is not the ...