Viewpoints

To the Editor:

Iowa has a nitrate problem in its water. A large part of the problem stems from water run-off from crop land fertilizer as well as farm animals’ waste.

We know that Iowa has multiple creeks, streams and rivers which feed into the Mississippi River. In fact, most of Iowa’s waters flow east. That takes in millions of farm acres where run-off accounts for the large majority of the nitrates getting into our water. Adding tile in the fields quickens the water movement.

In Allamakee County, our drinking water comes from wells, both private and municipal. Our porous bedrock is the problem. Go further south and some west, and many of the larger cities in Iowa pull their drinking water from rivers.

The Raccoon River is central Iowa’s main drinking water source.  The Des Moines River is used for the Des Moines metro area. Cedar Rapids pulls water from the Cedar River. Iowa City draws water from the Jordan Aquifer.

“All Men are Created Equal”

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” These are words every United States citizen should cherish and hold dear from the Declaration of Independence, signed July 4th, 1776. These are powerful words. Yet, these ideas are nothing new in the history of the world. While they might be unique in a founding document for a nation, they are not new. These ideas are rooted in Christianity. 

To the Editor:

Iowa is facing a public health emergency that demands honest conversation. According to the National Institutes of Health, Iowa now ranks second in the nation for cancer incidence - with an overall cancer rate more than 10 percent above the national average - and is one of only a handful of states where cancer rates are still rising. Every year, more than 21,000 Iowans are diagnosed with this disease. We deserve to know why.

The answer, increasingly, points to our environment. A March 2026 report from the Iowa Environmental Council and The Harkin Institute - the result of 16 listening sessions held across the state - identified four major environmental risk factors linked to Iowa’s cancer rates: pesticides, nitrates in drinking water, PFAS (“forever chemicals”), and radon.

To the Editor:

Maybe you’ve heard, Texas has a screw worm invasion from Mexico, caused, say government officials, by President Biden letting in all those “illegals”.

Fact Checks:
1) As of June 10, the invasion of five infections: three cattle, one dog, and one I don’t know what. But it can easily grow. (Editor’s Note: The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service reports, as of July 1, there are 31 active infections).
2) The last time the U.S. had screw worms was in the 1960s, and they were eradicated with the sterile male flies, and then a monitoring program was put in place to keep an eye on the little buggers.

But, in March of 2025, when Secretary of Agriculture Rollins took over, the monitoring program was cut. Elon Musk’s DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) decided it was an unnecessary cost, I guess, or maybe the Secretary of Agriculture made the decision.

To the Editor:

I don’t know a thing about soccer, but I am enjoying the reactions of the soccer fans who have followed their country’s teams to the USA. The World Cup games are being played in small and large cities across our country. The interactions between these visitors and ordinary Americans have been fun, respectful, and joyous.

Videos of the Scotts drinking Boston dry, the Norwegians rowing, the Aussies discovering Walmart, an Englishman gushing about being able to drink Pepsi with free refills. It’s a reminder of what it means to be an American. We are the land of opportunity, of welcoming the stranger, of helping others improve their lives.

It’s only fitting that this year, our 250th as a nation, we remember who we are. That we are more alike than different. That we are guaranteed the freedom to express ourselves in our speech, our religion, our free press.

Wanderings of a Wayward Follower of Jesus

What is Christian Love and how do we as Christians live into it?  Let me start off by saying the love our Triune God has for all of His created beings (i.e. Humanity/Us) and how we are to exhibit to one another is not inclusive to one’s salvation. But, that discussion will need to wait for another time.

On to Christian love… I look at Christian love using this premise; I can agree to disagree with you on how you do or see or believe X, Y, or Z. But that does not in any way take away from the fact that you are a creation of God with great worth. Regardless of “X, Y, or Z” or whether I like you or not, I can share everyday life experiences with you… I can laugh with you, I can cry with you, if you are in harm’s way or need assistance, I will be there to intervene. We can co-exist, but we may not be able to co-habitat.

To the Editor:

You know us, the three Anns, two Karens, Kathy, Katie, Lori, Nancy and others who send in these letters. We are in the minority in our county as well as the state. But we believe that small and mighty can prevail.

Remember Obama’s slogans? Believe, and Change. Remember what happened in 2008? Obama carried Iowa and Allamakee County. Change can happen, but it takes commitment from all who care about what is happening in our country. If every one of our “minority” were to believe in change, we can make it happen again.

That means we all talk to our friends and neighbors, and encourage them to make their voices heard by voting. Every vote does count. We see time after time where a candidate wins by mere 10s or 100s of votes.

To the Editor:

Senator Grassley’s recent editorial supports the Rural Health Transformation Plan (RHTP) and the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB). My five attempts to him questioning this have received “canned” responses failing to address the concerns Iowans face with their health care.

Multiple letters sent to Iowa’s other five congressional office holders in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives have been totally ignored. “Please explain why you support the RHTP that will provide Iowa with $209 million over the next five years but voted for the OBBB that cuts $2.7 billion from Iowa’s rural health care needs over the next decade?”

To the Editor:

If you were President, and had all the billions of dollars that Trump has spent on his ego, through wars, ballrooms, paving over the rose garden, gilding all the rooms in the White House, painting the reflecting pool blue, and I don’t know what else we haven’t heard about, what would you do with it?

Would you fund such “unnecessary” things as preschool for all children, maybe free meals, breakfast and lunch. We know kids learn better when they are not hungry. Maybe a new health system, where everyone has access to medical care, no matter how rich or poor. A great way to help that would be funding local hospitals and clinics, raising wages for the nurses and aides, and all the people who are instrumental in keeping the doors open.

Why not help students afford to get the education and training they need to fill our need for health workers, and all the general trades that are crying out for new high skill workers.

To the Editor:

Regarding the problematic role of 200 Main Street in the Main Street right-of-way (Hwy. 9) project. Come Fall 2027 the project is scheduled to begin.

As you may have observed, the condition of the building’s rear exterior is in need of work with bricks and stones from time to time having tumbled to the adjoining sidewalk and alley. Thus, the alley exit/entry is barricaded.

Because of the critical location of the building in the right-of-way project, the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) hired a consulting firm to evaluate the physical condition of the building’s interior and exterior. Given the age and condition of the building’s exterior they expressed concern about the impact of vibrations from construction activities too close to the building.