Opinion

Shh, don?t tell anyone, but I cheated once. I started a campfire with starter fluid.My daughters and I had rented a cabin and were planning on roasting hot dogs over the fire. I became a bit defensive when they voiced their doubts over my ability to actually get a fire going. So when the fire flared and died out twice, I became a bit desperate.After making sure the girls weren?t watching, I sprayed on some ...

This week was the ?Second Funnel? week. House files must make it through a Senate committee by the end of this Funnel, and Senate files must make it through a House committee. Probably the most interesting bill to survive the Funnel was the Nuclear Power bill.In the ensuing weeks, most everything we consider, with the exception of amendments, will have already passed the scrutiny of a subcommittee and a committee...

March 5, 2012Richmond, Iowa To the Editor:As a member of Residents for a Better Richmond (RBR), I would like to reply to the letter of Feb. 29, 2012, by Crystal Gingerich of Kinross.It is clear that she has been misinformed in a number of ways about the Richmond lagoon sewer project and RBR?s opposition to it. It also appears that her experience with RUSS has been quite different from ours.Ms. Gingerich ...

A 10,000-year clock By Andy HallmanThe JOURNALOne of the greatest engineering feats of all time is the Great Pyramid of Giza, which was built in Egypt in about 2500 B.C. For 3,800 years it was the tallest structure in the world. Modern skyscrapers have easily eclipsed its height but the pyramid?s longevity is still unmatched.I recently discovered that a team of scientists is working on building something ...

To the editor:October is Breast Cancer Awareness month.Women and girls deserve truthful and scientifically accurate information about risks that endanger their health and lives. The truth is that the use of systemic contraceptives, also abortion, can cause breast and other cancers and serious if not life threatening medical side effects.In 2005 the World Health Organization declared that artificial ...

To the editor:I would like to write concerning the milkshakes that used to be sold during lunch at Fairfield Middle School. As many Ledger readers may know, the school was required to stop selling milkshakes due to new health codes, which also prohibited some drink and snack machines; half have been eliminated. However, I would like to propose that they be reinstated.One reason that milkshakes should still ...

To the editor:Terrific and sad:Congratulations to Fairfield and Jefferson County on the completion of a trail system that would be the envy of any rural town! Many, many people have put a lot of effort into making this happen.I?m privileged to get to walk a portion of the trails 2-3 times a week.A few weeks ago, as I walked Cedar View Trail, I noticed a cement pad had been poured at the junction with ...

February 24, 2012Kalona, Iowa To the Editor:There was an interesting article, ?Wapello County denied withdrawal from RUSS,? in The Washington Evening Journal of Feb. 14, 2012. It reveals some shocking facts as it describes how Wapello County?s board of supervisors recently voted to end their county?s membership in Regional Utility Service Systems (RUSS).Aside from the management, accounting, and ethical ...

A year ago I wrote about Gabe and Michala Lemley from New London, who took their 3-year-old son, Ezekial to China for a stem-cell transplant. Ezekial has cerebral palsy and experienced marked improvement from the procedure, a procedure that is not allowed in the United States.A grandmother in Ottumwa, Kandy Johns, read the story and told her daughter, Tommie Johns. Tommie has a 4-year-old son, Carson, who has ...

Fall is a great time in Iowa. The colors are beautiful, the temperatures pleasant and farmers are in the field for the busy season of Iowa?s leading industry.As a result, October is a great month to visit get out of town and visit a farm near you.Pumpkin farms, apple orchards, wineries and a wide variety of other farms with an agritourism focus have activities and events that make it easy for visitors to ...

To the editor: I knew Steve Jobs was an amazing man. He was an inventor and entrepreneur. He was co-founder and CEO of Apple, Inc., and was chief executive of Pixar Animation Studios. When he died, he was described as a visionary, pioneer, and genius who profoundly changed the face of the modern world. But what I learned on Oct. 5 when he passed away brought tears to my eyes. He was an ADOPTED child! WOW! ...

This season in Iowa takes my breath away with glowing trees, crops turning from vibrant green to yellow, gold and brown ? the air is clear of summer?s humidity and blue sky and sunshine are deeply appreciated.We call it autumn, or fall ? but it also is change. Many of us resist changes. Learning a new way of doing a task, even though it may be more efficient, can be bothersome. Watching our children transform, ...