Opinion

Dutch Schakel, of Farmington, is 95. With his trademark beret, he has the timeless look of an artist years younger. He is tall and slim and can still get into his WWII military uniform, which he does occasionally, for parades and veterans celebrations. Dutch has lived in the same two-story house for 58 years. He taught high school English for 37 years, most of it in Farmington, now called Harmony. His house is ...

I can't stop reading. Printed material to me is like lifeblood. It makes no difference whether it's a hardbound book, the Kindle, National Geographic, Time Magazine, or newspapers?we get six of them a day?my brain requires a daily dose of written words.Here's three books I recommend for winter reading, all by the same author, Anthony Doerr. Doerr won the Pulitzer Prize in 2015 for ?All the Light We Cannot See,? ...

I attended my first legislative briefing on Saturday, Jan. 16, with Jared Klein and David Heaton representing the House of Representatives and Rich Taylor and Kevin Kinney representing the Senate. I appreciated the opportunity to meet all of them and appreciate the work they do not only for Washington Community Schools but all of the other constituents. In times of tough budgets, their work is as challenging as ...

January 18-22, 2016The second week this year was like many in years past. Everyone is running around getting their personal bills finalized, committees are hearing presentations, and committee chairs are assigning bills to get the process off the ground. I have finalized my own bills, and decided which bills I will be co-sponsoring for the session. I will also continue to play a role in bill assignment and ...

I was dog tired, both physically and mentally, from the stress of moving. Ginnie was staying overnight in Ottumwa, getting her house ready to put on the market. This would be our first night apart since we were married. Feeling like a crusty old zombie, I crashed and went to bed early.Around 1 a.m., the bathroom fan came on. At first, I thought the furnace had kicked in, but the noise was much too loud. I got up ...

The Des Moines Register. Jan. 12, 2016 Wellmark ruling reveals patient struggles.Iowa?s largest health insurer searched for any way to justify not reimbursing an Iowa City pharmacist for drugs he dispensed to hemophilia patients. Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield ultimately breached its contract with Michael Stein by not honoring 114 claims for drugs dispensed to 24 patients, according to a decision issued ...

Merry Christmas - no matter how you spell it.OK, that was a misquote of a Facebook post a friend sent me. She is Jewish and the line was ?Happy Hanukkah - no matter how you spell it.? She was wishing people well in the spirit of the holidays. Right back at you, Elisabeth ? I wish nothing but happiness for you and yours.It is a simple line but it raises a lot of thought, much like most of the other things she ...

Moving ForwardThe deadline for open enrollment is March 1, 2016, for next fall. This is an important issue for those that chose to make an educational decision that is best for their family. There are many reasons for open enrollment, ranging from certain programs a school offers, better fit geographically, participating in sports, or academic offerings. Washington currently has 144 students K-12 open enroll ...

What a year it has been!!!I grant you it is not quite over yet, with just over two weeks left. Still, it is kind of amazing to look back over the previous year as one entity instead of a group of individual happenings to rank how well we are progressing. We have had a few setbacks during the last year, as everyone does with every year. It is no surprise to me to announce that Washington is still moving ahead. ...

November 16, 2015Washington, Iowa To the Editor:Reference an incident, 16 Oct. 2012, and a shooting in Van Buren County, Iowa, as carried in The Journal, 9 Nov. 2015. I do not stand in judgment of the officer. I stand in judgment of the training. The hands of a shooter control the weapon! Thus the training emphasis must be toward the ?HANDS?! ?Drop your weapon? is an alarming command, and a suspect may ...

Mayor Ed King wanted to submit Barb Welander's name to the Mt. Pleasant City Council as his choice for the position of Building and Zoning Administrator. There had been many applicants for the 32-hour-per-week position and, of course, Welander was the only female. Welander asked Mayor King if she needed to attend the council meeting. He said it wasn't necessary.Mt. Pleasant would make national news that day. A ...

To the editor:There?s been a lot of press lately about the building of a new municipal pool and recreation center, the costs of doing so, and where the funding will come from for these projects.I haven?t seen or read a word about providing funding for the care and upgrading of our very popular beach at Waterworks Park (Lake Bonnifield).If the city of Fairfield is going to spend $2 million or more on a new ...