Viewpoints

To the Editor:

Have you noticed the handsome, new, black, sturdy trash receptacles placed on the corners of Main Street in downtown Waukon? If you have, did you wonder where such attractive objects originated?

These containers were fashioned, designed and welded by the Waukon High School students in Mr. Caleb Ferring’s welding class. Also, a special thanks to Benjegerdes Machine and Kol-Gol for working with the students.

Our community is fortunate to have such talented students learning the trade from Mr. Ferring at this young age.

Harvey and Betty Estebo
Waukon
 

To the Editor:

Our country faces significant challenges and unsettling times. Northeast Iowa Community Action Corporation (NEICAC) joins the nation in the devastation of recent events that has, once again, put the spotlight on how the unfair treatment of people of color has impacted communities across our country. Over 55 years ago, community action agencies were born out of the civil rights movement and it was then they committed to the alleviation of poverty and changes to public policy that created economic inequities. Because poverty and race often overlap, we must not only fight poverty, but also battle racism by addressing systematic biases and injustices that often lead to poverty.

To the Editor:

To the Editor:

I would like to share a little information about the Freedom Rock. It all started when Ray “Bubba” Sorensen painted a 12-foot tall, 60-ton boulder near Menlo in Iowa honoring the military men and women. People liked what he was doing and so the Iowa Freedom Rock Tour was created. Each county in Iowa was to have a big rock on which Mr. Sorensen would paint something military honoring our veterans. So far, he has painted about 87 Freedom Rocks in Iowa. To view the Freedom Rocks, go to Freedom Rock Iowa on your computer. Mr. Sorensen has three goals with The Freedom Rock Tour, and those are to honor America’s Veterans, promote Iowa tourism and provide for his family.

To the Editor:

During this pandemic crisis, with the importance of lung health well established, the current administration is working against us. They are doing favors for polluters, weakening health safeguards that could lessen air pollution. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is planning a rollback on protections against mercury in our environment. There is no crackdown on industrial soot. They are gutting clean-car standards, increasing air pollution and fuel costs. The EPA is inviting industrial facilities to stop monitoring and reporting dangerous air and water pollution during the pandemic.

To the Editor:

Is there something about the water in small town northeast Iowa... benefiting Minnesota and the world?

Upon researching the history of Waukon’s Michael Osterholm, I am struck by the uncanny life and career similarities between him and another of Iowa’s famous sons and University of Minnesota’s most highly esteemed alumni, 1970 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate the late Dr. Norman Borlaug.  Dr. Osterholm, of course, is a current world-renowned professor and director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University.

To the Editor:

June 15 - 19 is World Elder Abuse Awareness Week. Throughout that week, communities in the USA and all over the world will sponsor events to highlight the growing tragic issue of elder abuse.

The United States Administration on Aging estimates that as many as 1 in 10 older Americans are abused or neglected each year. Older adults are contributing members of American society and their abuse or neglect diminishes all of us. America has confronted and addressed the issues of child abuse and domestic violence, but, as a society we have for too long ignored the issue of elder abuse.

To the Editor:

If you are looking for ways to combat racism in our country, in addition to or instead of protesting in the streets, here are just some of the things you can do:

I was sort of at a loss for an article to put in the June church newsletter and I’m not much more inspired for my turn at the newspaper article! I know the State Of Iowa is slowing “opening” up from the COVID-19 shutdown but there is still quite a bit of feeling like we’re in some sort of a holding pattern. I know many parishioners have been more than ready to return to in-house/face-to-face worship but it can’t and won’t be exactly like it was before the shutdown.

Oh, and speaking of “shut down” I must echo what I have read and heard repeatedly: the Church was not “closed” just the buildings were. The Church is the people - the living breathing Body of Christ on earth - so we never “closed” the Church. Rant over.

To the Editor:

The current administration has reversed, or is reversing, nearly 100 environmental rules. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was begun by executive order of President Nixon. Many of us remember the smog of Los Angeles, polluted Lake Erie, and the burning Cuyahoga River. These were examples of our dirty environment that have largely disappeared due to EPA regulations, with sincere thanks to that administration.

Now, however, we have more subtle effects of environmental degradation. Iowa’s waterways are polluted. Impaired waters abound, including the Upper Iowa and Turkey Rivers. Our air quality is threatened by relaxing regulations on carbon emissions. Transportation has been America’s number-one source of air pollution, with greenhouse emissions from cars, trucks, buses and other vehicles surpassing every other source.