During this time of Thanksgiving, MANY THANKS to all past and current veterans, all law enforcement individuals, all First Responders, all Fireman - Thank you for your service in keeping us safe and protected.

I recently read an article in the Ottumwa Courier entitled, "City's concentration of power concerning." It was an interesting article, and seemed to point out a very problematic issue with the way our current administration, council, and Mayor have handled particular situations as of late. W…

The laws surrounding consent may vary state by state, but you don’t need to be a legal expert to understand how consent plays out in everyday life.

The Pages for Pennies Book Sale Committee would like to thank everyone for another successful sale.  For our 8th Annual sale we set records and are so excited for the continued success of this event that benefits the Ottumwa Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, Bridge View Inc., and the Ot…

Renewable energy is cheaper and more efficient than ever before. Because of that, Iowans should support its growth across the state. But we need to make sure it’s done fairly and that its policy is responsive to the growing demands of the energy grid. That’s why we need to support HF 669/SF 583.

We are writing this letter with regard to accessibility to voting in Wapello County.

I am writing this letter as a resident of Wapello County and a current board member of Heartland Humane Society. You may or may not know the shelter is funded almost entirely by your generous donations and Wapello County does provide some financial support. Currently, none of the cities in W…

My wife and I are residents of Wapello County. We raised two boys and have worked here all of our lives. We as a community should feel fortunate to have such a highly qualified candidate as Don Phillips running for our sheriff.

I have heard the tax-hungry Iowa legislators are seeking to abolish the Forest Reserve Program. I know the argument. Land owners with timber in the program are not paying their fair share. Does Iowa have abundant forest land? Too many trees? Big Business receives tax exemptions all the time.…

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and God’s Blessing to each of you!

I am writing this to save someone from making the mistake I made.

It’s our seventh year to sponsor “Christmas for the Youth” at the Agency Shelter and the newer Corinthian House. Our commitment to American Home Finding Association is specific to these two facilities – a 15-bed emergency care facility and a separate eight bed Comprehensive Group Home, respe…

The Ottumwa school board is reviewing the athletic sharing agreements and voting on same on Nov. 12. I have been involved with the girls and boys swim teams running the timing equipment for many years.

Iowa Consumer Advocate, Mark Schuling is opposing Alliant Energy’s smart meter rollout at an Iowa Utility Board hearing Nov. 5 in Des Moines. Attorneys General and state utility boards around the country have opposed smart meters due to many studies showing no cost benefit. Smart meters aver…

Anyone can claim to have the experience or background to do a job. Jerry Parker has 20 years of experience as our supervisor. The knowledge of how everything runs and not having to be trained is a gold mine we should not ignore. He has many titles and serves on many boards. Here is a small l…

I’m supporting Mary Stewart for Iowa District 41 and I hope you will too. She is truly a listener and works hard to put her hand out and help people. I am a retired elementary teacher, having worked for many years in an at-risk school where children and families came with many needs. I’m cer…

If I was to describe Mary Stewart in one word it would be genuine. Mary Stewart has tirelessly traveled the district not politicizing but listening to the concerns of her constituents. Mary Stewart understands that politicians can not properly address a problem until they understand the prob…

Mary Gaskill doesn't vote to represent her district. We need someone to put Wapello County first.

I am the husband of Mariannette Miller-Meeks. I write in response to a previous letter that accused her of “abandoning Ottumwa” and looking to “get ahead … at any cost.” Our national politics is filled with personal attacks but I never thought this style of politics would reach Ottumwa. Regr…

Here we go again.

I am voting for Dr. Mariannette Miller-Meeks this November for the Iowa Senate and I hope you do too.  I met Mariannette many years ago when she became my eye doctor. Since then I have watched her demonstrate her leadership as a veteran, business women, Director of the Iowa Department of Pub…

The Wapello County Car Passenger Safety Program wishes to thank Legacy Foundation, Ottumwa Regional Health Center for providing us with a grant in the past year. Five car seat safety check events, four educational programs for parents on car passenger safety, and 96 child passenger safety ch…

We have an election coming, and I think Wapello County residents would be wise to closely look at the candidates for county attorney.

I am writing concerning the constant blocking by trains for over the allotted 10 minutes at Quincy and Blackhawk. I along with several other businesses are located on Blackhawk Road. I constantly have customers that will tell me they have waited for over an hour for the train to move off the…

“Iowa’s Medicaid’s per-member cost increases nearly triple since privatization,” was the headline that jumped out at me from the Des Moines Register’s online Top 5 for September 20. Wasn’t this quick change to privatization that our previous Republican governor pushed through and that our pr…

Let me tell you about a friend, who is kind and considerate, the kind of person that comes into your life rarely. This person has dedicated her life to helping folks. Her real-life experiences put her in a unique position to bring about positive change for us. Her name is Mariannette Miller-…

What can a person do to protect their privacy from peeping toms that use a security camera to watch their neighbors and post pictures on the internet, to get their kicks off? I know someone that their neighbor has security cameras pointed directly towards the neighbor’s home and watches thei…

Please accept this as a letter of support for Ed Malloy as he continues his road to become an Iowa State Senator.

This letter is the second in a series from the Ottumwa Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) in celebration of May as Historic Preservation Month. Mayor Lazio proclaimed, and the City Council adopted, that resolution on May 1. The HPC wishes to share our mission to preserve beautiful, histo…

The City of Eddyville planted trees on Friday, April 20, with help from employees of Germ Ethanol Division of Cargill and Ajinomoto Hearland. Parks and Rec., citizens of Eddyville and city employees all working together to plant trees to celebrate Earth Day.

Thanksgiving has come and gone. Many have long ago turned their thoughts to the Christmas season and perhaps even the New Year.

I am opposed to filling the pond on Wapello Street pond with dirt for another ball field.

The rapidly growing body of evidence finds that football is associated with an intolerable level of injury with permanent effects. Over the past 25 years I have had three grandsons with serious, career-ending football injuries, namely a dislocated hip, a concussion with intracranial bleeding…

I wanted to take a moment and congratulate and thank all of the School Board candidates for making the commitment to volunteer their time for the students of the Ottumwa School District. Being married to a grade school teacher, I learned many years ago from my wife Lynda all the personal sac…

Sadly, we live in an age where the world is wracked by terrorism committed by Islamic extremists. But Christians are also guilty of extremism and, in fact, the Bible contains calls to war that are far worse than anything found in the Qur’an. For instance, in 1 Samuel 15:3, the prophet Samuel…

Listen up northsiders of Ottumwa. Let me clue you in. If you agree to let the city annex you how you will get shafted, as the people on Lake Road have for 42 years.

On July 13 I called 811 to have lines marked in my yard, as I was having a deck built. They asked where the property was, county or city, township, etc. They asked where the digging would be in relationship to the house. This information was given. I was gone when they came to mark where the…

Aside from the fact that the N.W.S. completely blew a 100 percent forecast for 1-2 inches of rain Wednesday. This was not the first time. In the past three months of this drought two other flood watches were issued, along with a few severe thunderstorm watches that produced sprinkles. It is …

Iowa has laws for a reason. Did the Bloomfield City Council violate laws and other state and federal laws when they held a public hearing Thursday, July 20, 2017 to eliminate 41-55 parking spots around the Bloomfield square by refusing to allow several members of the public to speak at the p…

It is unfortunate that an election has to take place for a replacement for Representative Curt Hanson. I may not have always agreed with Representative Hanson, but I knew he would listen. I have served on the Southern Iowa Electric Board with Travis Harris, and I know that Travis will also b…

A few years ago I remember when Drakesville held a Country and Western Musical Festival. People came from far and wide to attend. I have friends who brought their camper and commute to Ottumwa for work. Some came from other states. We went several times that week. Well, the town fathers deci…

I was fortunate enough this morning to attend the 4-H Expo, visit with the exhibitors, enjoy the projects and livestock. I would encourage you to attend and support the families and individuals who have made this all possible, both young and old. What a perfect use for this land and facility…

Time is running out! School starts in less than seven weeks. All seventh and eighth grade students need immunizations before the first day of school. For seventh graders the immunizations include a meningitis shot and a tetanus shot that also has pertussis (whooping cough) as part of the vac…

The senate just unveiled their “health care bill.” This bill proposes cutting Medicaid by over $800 billion and giving that $800 billion in tax breaks for the wealthiest people, insurance companies and corporations. Why should we care? What is Medicaid anyway and how will it affect me?