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Local Columns

Pastor’s Column: Mental Health in the Bleak Midwinter

Here’s an experiment. An object lesson. Think about the last 20 people you met. Picture their faces in your mind. Think about their lives, their dreams. Think about the people they matter to, and the people who matter to them. If statistics hold, over the next few months one of these ...

Dengler Domain: Calendar Months

As the calendar turns from November to December, it is wild to think how fast 2023 flew by. As a child, the passing of a year felt like a long time. It took so many years to be able to ride in the front seat. Then it was so many years until I could drive the car. I could not wait for the next ...

On Nature: Foreign Carbon Polluters

Many ways of combating climate change have been proposed. One seemingly common-sense method is to put a fee on the carbon dioxide emitted by industry and give this money to each American as a cashback payment that would offset any increased costs of these products. Since all payments would be ...

Iowa Outdoors

The annual August roadside survey of pheasants found Iowa’s statewide pheasant population to be nearly 23 birds per survey route; a 15 percent increase over 2022. The biggest increases were in the southwest, northwest and northeast regions. Our pheasant population is the highest it’s been ...

Dengler Domain: Mascots Part II

In a state full of Hawkeyes, Cyclones, and a few Panthers and Bulldogs, some of the other schools get lost in the fray. These smaller colleges and universities also deserve their time in the limelight. This is not about the academics at the school, it is about the mascots. More importantly, it ...

Dengler Domain: Pen Color

From the Egyptian pyramids to Shakespeare’s plays, history has always had a form of writing exist in it. For each person, an important part of education is learning how to write. While technology makes it easier to communicate without the need to write, writing checks or signing documents ...

Pastor’s Column: Celebrating the “Christ” in Christmas

By the time you read this, it will be November. Crisp air, campfires, turkey in the freezer. The World Series will have ended, football will be in full swing, and the days–well, the days will be short, dark and sometimes dreary. This is the end of what Christians call “ordinary time,” ...

Dengler Domain: Reality Television

Modern day reality television has only been around for the last 30 years or so, but it feels like it has taken over society in this time span. Survivor was the first modern day hit with people dropped into a remote land while figuring out how to survive and win the competition. While it ...

Dengler Domain: Interstate

Four interstate highways traverse the state of Iowa. Traveling across nearly every region of the state, each highway has a different feel and provides a unique experience. If one has spent any time on either 35, 80, 380, or 29, one may be able to relate. 35 is the best interstate highway. ...

On Nature: Congress and Climate

This summer we have been shocked by climate impacts. Massive wildfires caused smoke to pollute our air, crops were affected by drought, and heat waves caused warnings to be issued as we endured the hottest July in 120,000 years. According to the World Weather Attribution team, these events ...