Opinion

This month in the Youth and Special Services Department at the library, we have the following activities and events: Story Time is each Tuesday at 11 a.m. Please come for stories, songs, crafts, and play-play-play. Feel free to bring a friend. Big People are always welcome too!...

On these sports pages 45 years ago, a headline read: "The Bravettes Are A New Scene In Cherokee." We're talking the inaugural girls' basketball season 45 years ago in our town! That's when long time Cherokee track and football Coach Chuck Black and his assistant, Diane Wigdahl, took on the task of developing a girls basketball program here from...

I’m going to geek out for a second. Well, geek out more than I usually do. A few weekends ago, I went to Chicago for the annual C2E2 convention, a place for comics, games, and all other sorts of nerdery. Of course I dressed up for the con (I was Ness from Earthbound and the Super Smash Brothers series, if anyone was interested) and my brother, who went with, said “No one is going to recognize you and it’s a dumb costume.” I knew he was wrong, so I say “Don’t underestimate it. ...

A new running track has just been installed at the school in my hometown of Aurelia. This is certainly the best track Aurelia has ever seen, as it’s made of a composite rubberized surface. These types of tracks used to be referred to as “all weather” tracks, but since meets scheduled on these tracks have often been postponed due to adverse weather, ‘all weather’ may be somewhat of a misnomer...

The 2017 Legislative session finished up early Saturday morning.  As many in the media noted, this session saw the most action ever taken in the legislature.  There was a lot of debate, and issues that were always voted down in years past finally got a full hearing.  The session was filled with passion on both sides but as the final gavel fell, the book closed on one of the most monumental session in Iowa. Thank you for allowing me to represent you!...

Coming to a library near you….so much more than you could ever hope for! I can hardly wait to tell you about all the great summer plans we have in store for the children’s department. It may be a bit premature, but I am excited to let you in on our activities and events. Our summer reading event schedule will be published soon...

Today I salute one of my favorite composers, the late Shel Silverstein. Silverstein was one of those rare individuals often described as a “Renaissance Man.” The dictionary defines a Renaissance Man as a “ person with many talents or areas of knowledge,” and the term certainly applied to Shel Silverstein...

Golf season is here and I suppose we'll all hear the same old worn-out clichés and comments while out on the course this season. You know, tired old sayings like - "Awesome!" "Get in the jar!" "Hit a house!" "Sit!" "Drive for show, putt for dough!" “Right down the old FM!” "Never up, never in!"...

National Library Week was a success! I want to extend my deepest thanks to everyone who stopped by this week, especially to our Chamber Coffee. It is my first National Library Week as a director and I can’t wait to see what next year has in store. Spring has also officially sprung. ...

Dear Mr. Businessman: This is just a note to remind you that my son Silverspoon has been selected to play for the North Team in the 2017 Iowa Musical Chairs Competition in Truesdale. He has worked very hard at being the very best he can be and has made many sacrifices throughout his prep career. An honor student with a C-minus grade average, he built his very own chair in shop class and has compiled a collection of all the popular musical chairs songs so he can practice, practice, practice...

April is National Poetry Month. Though many people may not consciously include poetry in their lives, it seems to show up in consistent though inconsequential ways. Many children’s books have poetic gestures, even if it is simple rhyming that stays with you long after the book had been read, similar to the song that plays over and over that you liked enough to remember...

The following song is to be sung to the tune of The Beatles' "Day In The Life" from their Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band album released in the hip 1960s, when weed was the second thing John, Paul, George, and Ringo packed before traveling, right after their Buddy Holly records...

We’ve all heard the past few years that more and more high school kids are disdaining participation in athletics because they think they can’t compete with other team members, or they want to focus on part-time jobs, vehicles, girlfriends or boyfriends, computer games, funky clothes, jewelry, academics, college plans, family situations, careers, drugs and alcohol, etc...

This week is a “funnel week,” so committees in the House were busy considering Senate bills last week. There was also some floor debate, as House files moved over to the Senate, but most of the bills were non-controversial. Next week’s activity will determine the fate of many bills. That is okay, because it is time to finish policy work so we have more time to spend on the State budget. It is time to go home...

At the library we look for ways to better utilize the time we spend working, and which tasks require a little tweaking here and there. In terms of efficiency, I can honestly say we are spot on. Researchers claim that efficient work behavior makes encounters we have with patrons more successful. ...

On a recent cool and windy day, I took a stroll down the quiet halls of what once was a "full of life" Immaculate Conception Catholic High School here. It was sad and too quiet. The lights were dim. You could hear a pin drop. Something came over me. I felt myself missing the hustle and bustle of this hallway on game days. The anticipation and excitement of tonight's game. The green "beanies" on every grade school boys' head. Everyone in Irish green and white. The sainted sisters proudly...