×

Local Columns

Dengler Domain: Everybody Knows Everybody

What I loved and miss from growing up in a rural town is everybody knows everybody. This is a double-edged sword because everyone can be up in everyone’s business. It might not be like stories I have heard from the past where people listened to other people’s phone conversations when lines ...

Dengler Domain: Planting Season

With the planting season off to a slow start thanks to the always compelling Iowa weather, it is the time of year when hope is at its best. Being a farmer, optimism is key to starting every year. Farming is truly blind faith. No matter what the plan for the growing season and how good it is, ...

Dengler Domain: The Difference

As I drove through parts of West Des Moines while a sleeping baby rested in his car seat, I was astonished by the homes. Despite this trip being slightly unique because it was due to letting a previously crying, very tired baby rest, I have always been astonished by these types of neighborhoods ...

Dysart Chamber Community Connections: Pausing the Farmers Market

Spring has arrived, and with it comes a fresh wave of energy across Dysart. You can feel it downtown. Events like Spring Fling brought people into 19 local businesses, and that kind of activity matters. It boosts visibility, builds connections, and reinforces just how important it is to ...

On Nature: Feedback Loops Troubling

It has been generally accepted that Earth’s global temperature is rising as the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide increases. However, temperatures currently are rising faster than expected from rising carbon dioxide levels alone. According to research reported in the peer reviewed ...

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

Happy Spring! The month of March was filled with weekly budget sessions as well as union negotiations for Tama County. This takes several hours of time but is critical to ensure the best decisions are made with Tama County taxpayer dollars. The County has been discussing the possibility of ...

Dengler Domain: Pharmacy

To see the Traer pharmacy close is sad. Hopefully, it will see a similar outcome like the medical clinic with a new organization. It may have been years since stepping foot in this small pharmacy, but it still evokes memories. After visiting the doctor’s office, the pharmacy was a hop and ...

On the Record with Sheriff Casey Schmidt

I want to shout out to the Tama County Board of Supervisors as they work through this year’s and last year’s budget. It is not an easy job. There are a lot of moving parts and no perfect answers. From our side, we understand the reality. Budgets are tight everywhere, and we are not any ...

Dengler Domain: Nitrogen

With a war in Iran brewing, one downstream effect is nitrogen prices rising in price with UAN28 leading the way with a 13% increase compared to last month according to the Progressive Farmer. Nitrogen plays a huge role in most farmers' cropping rotation. Nitrogen is necessary to have a ...

Dengler Domain: Newspapers

The North Tama Telegraph and the previous iterations of the Traer Star-Clipper and Dysart Reporter are recording history. While the content and people have changed over the years, the mission of informing the public has always stayed the same. While this newspaper might not have the most ...