Opinion

To the editor:Has anyone driven south of town on Highway 1 and had the opportunity to see our newest business the Trading Post, if not you must. I go by there every day and I say to myself, how did this happen. I am not against private enterprise, everyone has the right to make a living. My question, however, is do they have the right to do so at the expense of the citizens of Fairfield. Have they no obligation...

To the editor:I would like to congratulate the U12 soccer team that participated in the Iowa Games in Ames this past weekend. They were coached by Felisto Guezimane and had a very successful weekend coming home with first place and the chance to represent Iowa in the nationals next year. It was very hot last weekend and these kids played to the best of their ability, didn?t complain about the heat, responded ...

I was excited to hear that another planet that could support life has been discovered in the universe. A few days ago NASA reported that one of its telescopes had discovered a planet, named Kepler 22-b, which is twice earth?s size and orbiting a sun-like star about 600 light years away. The surface of the planet is believed to be about 72 degrees.This is an exciting find because it means the planet could ...

What a year it has been! With Christmas and invariably 2012 just right around the corner, December is always a good time to reflect back on what has happened over the past year and what we can learn from it.Being with The Washington Evening Journal tends to make this easy for me. Have you seen the Top 10 ballot we have been running for the past few weeks? I?m the one who comes up with the stories that are ...

Nov. 28, 2011Ainsworth, Iowa To the Editor:I hope by writing this issue in The Journal, it will inspire parents and their children to realize the value of honesty and/or being a good example of honesty.Recently we attended a high school band concert. The students and teachers are to be commended and thanked for the many hours that went into practice for the event, and we thoroughly enjoyed watching ...

To the editor:During World War II, Jefferson County had two families each with five sons in service. And these two families lived less than a mile apart in Liberty No. 7 (Hebron) school district.The Canaday family lived south of the school and had sons Lloyd, John, Clifford, Dean and Robert in service.The Buerkens family lived north of the school and had sons John, Lee, Max, Gene and Bobby in service.A...

To the editor:For the past several years, the Fairfield Beautification Commission has brought ?Adopt a Home? to the Fairfield community, which spruced up and painted homes with paint provided by Diamond Vogel and a Keep Iowa Beautiful grant.This year on June 9th and 10th, 23 Cambridge employees partnered with the Fairfield Beautification Commission to ?Adopt the Elks Club.? This project focused on the back ...

Does anybody remember the pet rock?People bought in for a while, but ultimately, it failed. It failed because it was a dumb idea.Charging people money for a rock all their own isn?t going to work because somewhere along the line, they?ll figure out they can step outside and pick up a stone from the ground for free.Speaking of rocks ? and dumb ideas ? my alma mater, the University of Iowa, installed a ...

?Precise? is the best word I can think of to describe Mary Pettit.She was a retired Fairfield High School English teacher who also served as advisor for the student newspaper, the Troy Banner.Even late in the afternoon she looked like she just walked out of the beauty shop. Every detail of her appearance was meticulously tended to.Mary passed away a few years ago.The Friday before this past Fourth of ...

To the editor:Time to retire (again).I?d like to write a brief letter to thank everyone who gave me the opportunity to serve on the school board. It has been an interesting, and mostly enjoyable, experience these past four years. It certainly looks and feels different when you are on the other side of the table, and carries a huge responsibility with a huge amount of time, yet great satisfaction when it all ...

Tired of being stuck in a rut? Take a course at your local Community College. Classes are dirt cheap, and can rocket you into a new dimension of thought and self worth (to you and others?like an employer).I recently did just that and the results are amazing. I was wanting to enhance my photography skills, so signed up for a Photoshop class. I was also wanting to create my own Web page, so, you guessed it, ...

I think I was on my way back from Florida with my parents when I first experienced a video game called ?Pong? in an airport. My grade school-age mind was immediately fascinated by the desktop game that used lights to simulate the playing of tennis.Of course right now many people are busy checking out the real time imaging coming over the cell phone they keep in their pockets or playing the latest iPhone game ...