Opinion

?Nothing worthy of note, it being entire prairie.? - Surveyor?s Field Notes, 1855.?Then I discovered the prairie, and a slow healing began.? ? Stephen R. Jones, 2000.Our relationship with the prairie has always been a mixed one. Many of us look out upon the sea of grasses and see weeds. On the flip side, a smaller group sees home.This wide-ranging depth of feeling began with the first Europeans and ...

Nov. 5, 2011Kalona, Iowa To the Editor of the Washington Evening Journal:Your article, ?Richmond project to continue?, of Friday, November 4, 2011, appears to be based on statements made at a board meeting of the Regional Utility Service Systems (RUSS) that same morning. As a result, it presents a one-sided and misleading view of this entire project, and of the opposition to it by Residents for a ...

To the editor:Happy Independence Day.When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for a small jet training base commander to decide to have the best and biggest Fourth of July fireworks, wheels are set in motion.Two intrepid old jet pilots decide to take the base Beechcraft D18 (a decrepit World War II type aircraft with two engines and a tail wheel) from south Texas to Yankton, South Dakota. ...

To the editor:I subscribe to the Smithsonian magazine. The July/August issue came the other day, containing the results of their eighth annual photo contest. This year nearly 12,000 contestants from all over the world submitted 52,000 entries in five categories. The magazine showed prints of the winners.What a surprise to see that the winner in the Natural World category was a charming photo of an illuminate...

To the editor:I am 83. I live down on a dead end county road and I didn?t own land south on the east or west side so the county needs to grind and put on rock.The county has not grinded or put on rock for three years. I have called and talked to county engineers and maintenance and supervisors.I have put rock on the end of the county road two years ago. I have not got the road done.They have raised my ...

Our complicated world just gets more complicated.I hope Fairfield never gets around to installing mounted cameras above our streets to record traffic violations.Last month I received a letter with a nice snapshot of my car near Menards in Muscatine. It was only a warning and informed me I was going 59 miles per hour in a 45 speed limit area.About the time I started thinking it couldn?t have been my car, ...

Nov. 9, 2011Washington, Iowa To the editor,Each night we read in the newspaper, ?barking dog? and I think that it is true dogs do bark. But they don?t bark because they like the sound of their voices.There is usually a reason and it would be a good idea to find out why they are barking.Several years ago when the first animal shelter was located in Dr. Leazenby?s building, a man came in and ...

Halloween is less than a week away, and both kids and adults are hurrying to make and purchase costumes for their parties. I have not attended a Halloween party for a few years, but the last one I attended was a memorable one. The year was 2007 and I was living in Mexico.Mexicans do not celebrate Halloween traditionally, although they celebrate a holiday around the same time with supernatural themes known as ...

The Washington Community School District just finished its first quarter of the 2011-2012 school year. I hope to update patrons on the recently completed enrollment reporting and possible effects on property taxes for next year, facility updates and a Kirkwood Center update. Certified Enrollment and Possible Tax ImplicationOct. 1st is the official count day for school districts. While it seems that it ...

It was cold this morning. I realize this is probably a very unnecessary statement for people who were outside at all today, but it is still one I felt the need to make.I started my morning by shivering as I went downstairs to my living room for a few minutes before getting ready for work. The sun ? what sun there is today ? hadn?t come up yet. I sat there and shivered for a few minutes before finally giving up ...

During a long road trip the other day, and having quite a bit further (or is it farther?) to travel, I decided to treat myself to some convenience-store popcorn, more for something to do with my mouth rather than need. I knew a particular convenience store for its seedy popcorn?also known as ?witches?--but figured my lower-digestive tract could use the roughage, and my blood pressure the salt. I whipped in and ...

To the editor:Thursday, June 23, there will be a public meeting at the Fairfield Public Library, 7:30-9:15. Find out what is already being done in Fairfield to help stop and reverse the erosion of our constitutional rights, and to open up direct and honest communications with all our elected officials and law enforcement officers. Don?t just complain about how things are, or criticize others while you wait for ...