Mt. Pleasant News

To the editor:We would like to respond to Mr. Stan Hill?s recent letter.Dear Mr. Hill,We apologize for those who have been rude to you because you expressed your opinion. Expressing one?s opinion is a cherished right in our country.However, no one has the right to be deliberately rude and hateful.We received an informative brochure, via regular mail, that explains the talking points of the issues that are on ...

To the editor:On June 30, 2015, the Mt. Pleasant Community School District will ask voters to bond all our currently available sales tax dollars for various capital projects.According to Piper Jaffrey, the district?s bonding agent, there is $9.4 million available after interest payments.Using Piper Jaffrey numbers and assuming seven percent architect fees and eight percent contingency fees there will be $8 ...

Last week, I got in a little aunt/nephew time with my oldest nephew who is three-years-old.As I just recently moved to Henry County in January, he hasn?t had many opportunities to visit my apartment. So, when I got the opportunity to spend some one-on-one time with him, I decided to set up a play date in Mt. Pleasant.Due to the location of my apartment, I drive by the United Thru Play Playground at least twice ...

To the editor:Debbie Batey?s recent letter to the editor contained misinformation, half-truths, innuendos and mischaracterization of the facts. She always neglects to mention the many positive things for students that have occurred in the last two years. Board members, administrators and meeting minutes can verify the following:1. Depending on how you describe ?large,? there was not a large surplus when Dr. ...

Being raised in a two-parent household nowadays is much more unusual than it was 30 years ago. That?s not to say that two-parent households are becoming extinct, but they are declining in numbers.I was very fortunate growing up. Not only was I raised in a two-parent household, my upbringing was more of a three-parent family. My maternal grandmother lived with my family during nearly my entire youth.Occasionally,...

Last week, I was fortunate enough to attend the Iowa Preventing Abuse Conference held at Faith Christian Outreach Church, in Mt. Pleasant.Like many that also attended, and those of you that read about conference, I was deeply moved by the outstanding speakers that shared their knowledge and personal experiences regarding human trafficking. I was also challenged to do my part in helping to eradicate this evil ...

We?ve written a lot lately about the local Mental Health Institute, as we should, as it?s an important issue, not only to our community, but also to the state as a whole. But have we really talked about mental health?We?ve talked about the loss of jobs, the loss of an acute care facility in the southeastern quadrant of the state and the loss of support for the patients. And though this has sparked discussion ...

I?ve written a couple of articles about Wendell Mohr.He?s a rather famous Iowa watercolor artist, now deceased, who has blessed many homes, galleries, and art institutions with intriguing renderings of trains, boats, factories and seamy city scenes. While he was still alive, he resided and worked in an old two-story, brick schoolhouse across the river from Bentonsport, in what is known as Vernon, which is where ...

To the editor:There was an infomercial on television some years back that used the phrase ?stop the insanity.? I say this to Mt. Pleasant Community School Board and superintendent, ?stop the insanity!?Monday night at the monthly Mt. Pleasant Community School Board meeting, I saw a continuance of the charade that has gone on since Mike Wells entered our midst as superintendent. Our school district had a large ...

Matthew 7:24-27: ?Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on ...

To the editor:What has the penny done for Mt. Pleasant over the last 20 years? Look at these Mt. Pleasant projects that were either funded or helped to leverage monies for federal and state grants:? Aquatic center;? Airport improvements;? Police department building improvements;? Washington Street reconstruction;? Grand Avenue reconstruction;? Iris Street reconstruction.As former mayors, we urge the ...

To the editor:It appears that Mt. Pleasant will have lost if LOST (LOST stands for local option sales tax) were to be rejected by voters.The range of projects that have been completed, using funds from LOST, is certainly impressive. However, what is missing from the messages from Mayor Brimhall and from previous mayors, Hill and Freeland, is the fact that this is not a tax increase.It is already in place and ...