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Opinion

The Sires Sentinel: Summer Update

Editorials

Hello, District 38! As summer winds down, I wanted to share some highlights from the season. After session ended, I traveled down to Des Moines to visit with school field trips at the Capitol, one of my favorite things to do as a lawmaker, since the students always have great questions and ...

Dengler Domain: Being Replaced

Local Columns

As I visited Clear Lake this weekend, I took a stroll through Ventura to my favorite ice cream shop. While seeing the sign for Ventura’s greatest basketball player, Lynne Lorenzen, who resided in Tama County for part of her youth before moving up to the Clear Lake area, the school district ...

Dining with Donaldson: Time to fill the freezer!

Local Columns

Welcome to Dining with Donaldson, the place where I try recipes so you don’t have to! Believe it or not, the school year is just around the corner! Last week, I shared some of my favorite tips and tricks for successful freezer meal prep. Now it’s time to put those tips to work and start ...

Dengler Domain: Winding Stairs Festival

Local Columns

Another Winding Stairs Festival is in the books. Like in years previous, it was a good one. I only showed up on Saturday. While rain affected the Friday turnout, it was near perfect weather on Saturday. A little warmer than needed but it is August in Iowa. When the sun went down, the weather ...

A Fair View: Tama County Treasurer’s race

Local Columns

Voters of Tama County! On Tuesday, Aug. 4, the Tama County Republican delegates voted against the results of the June primary vote. For 250 years in America, it has been the person with the most votes who wins. Not in Tama County! It is obvious that the delegates only care about their own ...

Dining with Donaldson: Freezer meal prep tips & tricks

Local Columns

Welcome to Dining with Donaldson, the place where I try recipes so you don’t have to! Believe it or not, the school year is just around the corner! This week, I will be stocking our freezer to help us prepare. It feels like the first week or two of school is always hectic, no matter how ...

Brass Tacks from Rural Iowa: Election Integrity or Intimidation?

Editorials

There’s been a lot of talk lately about election integrity, especially from the Trump administration. What’s disturbing is that the rhetoric doesn’t seem to be lining up with his administration’s actions. Take for example the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. Created in 2002 after ...

Heather’s Highlights: County Government and You, July 2026

Local Columns

I hope everyone stayed cool with the hot weather we experienced in July. County roads were one of the main topics of discussion during Supervisor meetings in July. E29 still has an embargo on it due to the West Bridge Approach being damaged. We’ve approved a quote for these repairs, but ...

Dining with Donaldson: SPAM-packed itinerary

Local Columns

Welcome back to Dining with Donaldson, the place where I try recipes so you don’t have to! As I’m writing this, I recently returned from a small family vacation to the Mall of America. I’m not a big fan of road trips, so I try to find fun things to do along the way to break up the ...

Support local small businesses during the Iowa Sales Tax Holiday

Editorials

IOWA – The State of Iowa will hold a two-day-long sales tax holiday during which consumers can purchase clothing without paying sales tax. The holiday will begin on Friday, Aug. 7, 2026, at 12:01 a.m., and last until midnight on Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026. No sales tax or local option sales tax ...