Opinion

To the editor:During the 2013 Jefferson County Fair, a family traveling from South Carolina through Iowa had stopped in to experience our Fair.While they were here, a member of the family set their brand new Sony camera down in the Show Arena and forgot to pick it up! Some Good Samaritan found that camera and turned it in to the Extension Office.The next day, the owner of that camera called to see if perhaps, ...

I had to put serious thought into my decision when I was offered the sports editor position here in Fairfield.Two questions kept racing through my head. The first question was whether or not I would even take the job here. I had another job offer in a town just as homey as Fairfield. It was even in Iowa. Which place would be best for my future?The second question that plagued me was could I live in this small ...

When I was in eighth grade I split time between junior high baseball and a YMCA youth football league. I grew up in Quincy, Ill. In the great state of Illinois, junior high baseball is played in the fall and high school baseball in the spring. Everyday after school I would go to baseball practice and then get a ride across town to football practice with a friend.My mindset had to completely change when I ...

Quad-City Times, Aug. 2School boards should set calendar If Iowa legislators actually listen to thousands of locally elected school board members across the state, its decision on school start dates should be easy.The State Board of Education on Thursday wisely dismissed a Department of Education proposal to restrict the start of the public school year until after Sept. 1.?This needs further discussion than ...

I?m starting to think that the more dependent on technology we become, the harder things are for us. The world?s geniuses have come up with so many quick fixes and appliances geared toward convenience that soon, there will probably be a gadget that will get out of bed for us.That?s all well and good, until the technology breaks down. That?s when a back-to-basics movement looks like the ticket after all.A few ...

On December 11, 2012, there was an accident that claimed the life of my husband, Patrick Gridley, and injured my son Donald. Now, seven months later, they have charged my son as the driver.If anyone knows Pat Gridley, they know he would never let anyone drive him home, much less Donnie. It?s a known fact in town! As far as I know, Don has never run from any charges, never struck an officer or never had a weapons ...

My husband, Roger, and I celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary last week. Statistically speaking, we?re a marital miracle.The divorce rate for first marriages is reportedly between 40 and 50 percent. But for second marriages, in which at least one of the spouses has been married once before, the rate jumps to between 60 and 67 percent. We have managed, thus far, to beat the odds.The biggest challenge in our ...

When Barack Hussein Obama says trust me, watch your back. He won?t need 3 ½ more years to completely destroy our great country.If you voted for Obama the first time I forgive you; if you voted for him the second time, God forgive you. No offense to the deaf, dumb and blind, but not seeing what this administration has done to our country, liberty, faith, morals, military and Constitution is unbelievable.You ...

More than ever before we need to hold our elected officials accountable for their words, actions and inactions. Words can inspire, but they can also enslave us, especially when our lawmakers do not say what they mean. When leaders have no vision, but merely tell their listeners what they wish to hear, when they avoid communicating responsibility with transparency, and when they fail to demonstrate servant ...

The Hawk Eye, July 15Sexism redux: Iowa Supreme Court backs lusty boss The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled soulless corporations are people. They have rights and feelings, too.Following the same sort of logic, the Iowa Supreme Court has ruled for a second time that an employer?s feelings count more than an employee?s when a boss fires a subordinate because he fears he might succumb to her charms and initiate an ...

My oldest daughter, Addi, is just beginning her second year of a two-year radiology technician program. Wanting to make herself marketable, she?s also taking EMT training two nights a week. What does this mean for my husband and me, or Pop and Mia, as we are now called? More time with our grandson, Garett.I have not yet accepted the impossibility that four of our six children have graduated from high school. As ...

With the recent article: ?Utility Committee Supports Rate Hikes,? June 6, 2013, (The Fairfield Ledger) there have been many comments about the current proposed rate hikes that I would like to address.Since August of 2002 I?ve been councilman for the 5th Ward. I was appointed as a member of the Utility committee that year and in January of 2004 I was made chairman. For these past nine years I?ve dedicated many ...