Opinion

The wisdom and compassion of our youths was on full display at a recent Cherokee Braves basketball game when Cherokee students and team donned “ties” in honor of the late, beloved Junior High Principal Larry Weede tragically killed in a car accident...

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you had a wonderful and SAFE New Year. I was asleep by 11:30, so it was a good night for me. In case you are wondering, yes, my first book of the year was finished on January 1st. I say I’m off to a good start! I asked our READit group for some of their favorite books of the year. We have so many voracious readers in the group, they did not disappoint. Here are a few of their selections:...

Fake news seems to be the trendy sort of label that we’re told most of us get now but is that approach common in other parts of society? What about intentionally misleading or confusing news items as well? A local news report commented on the increase in price of a breakfast cereal. Actually, it was the same price but a decrease in volume. Apparently the smaller size was “more popular,” as so said the company’s corporate spin doctors...

It is said that politics makes strange bedfellows, but envisioning 4th District Congressman Steve King (R-Kiron), 2nd District State Senator Randy Feenstra (R-Hull), King’s failed challenger JD Scholten (D-Sioux City), and President Donald Trump (R-Wall Drug) as bedfellows beckons one to wonder...

Judging by trends the past too many years, the ungodly influence of a morally corrupt president and corporate world, and burgeoning habits of millennials and Generation X, churches and their religions may be spiraling down and out of the American conscience...

As Iowa Food Group of Cherokee continues aligning its management teams, various vendors, and work force, while targeting a January 15 opening, a burning issue remains available housing in the community for the burgeoning IFG work force. To help in this endeavor, we might mention Cherokee’s two “trailer parks” - the former Olhausen Trailer Park on South U.S. ...

As 2019 dawned on a fresh day we sit back and ponder, “Lord I hope 2019 is better than 2018.” We say the same thing every year, but does it really get better. I guess one might say life is what you make of it. For every bad thing that happens we can look at the alternative that “this” not have happen then it would not of led to “this. ...

The dead mouse in the Chinese wine sure looks nasty, and the maggots in the cheese tend to put people off. But nothing is more horrible to an unaccustomed palate than the Icelandic fermented shark. It’s the worst. Or so says the experts. “It tastes like chewing on a urine-infested mattress,” said the curator of the Disgusting Food Museum, who knows a thing or two about unpleasant victuals...

ust sit there and look pretty. And if your sweater fits in a comely fashion and your skirt rides up just a modest bit, well that’s a real bonus. You’ll have a wonderful, successful, financially beneficial career here at LEER TV. If those aren’t the exact words a producer conveys to an aspiring female TV “journalist,” it’s the exact perceived requirement for a woman to get the job. The problem with it is that most of these women have no problem with it...

USA Defense Secretary General Jim Mattis quit so President Trump fired him. If we pause and think about the absurdity involved in this, and begin to connect the dots, the dastardly, childish behavior and pathetic leadership traits of Trump come gushing to the fore...

It’s just a matter of time until Old Man Winter blasts us with rain, ice, snow, wind and cold temperatures, and it’s time for each of us to think about the dedication to duty of our street and road crews, utility workers, law enforcement officers, fire fighters, and emergency responders...

Come they told me It’s time to dump Trump A new born King to see It’s time to dump Trump Our finest gifts we bring It’s time to dump Trump To lay before the King It’s time to dump Trump It’s time to dump Trump It’s time to dump Trump So to honor Him...

More than 5,000 United States stores in 2017 and another 5,000 in 2018-19 have, or are scheduled to be closed, most of those placed on the corporate chopping block for admitted “profitability” issues, faltering sales trends, and bleak economic forecasts...

We’re sorry for the angst and disappointment many Cherokee residents feel about the announced wham-bam closings of our Kmart and Shopko stores. As we’ve said before, Cherokee this is not your fault! Don’t feel guilty, helpless, or hopeless. A town of 5,000 and County population exceeding 11,000 certainly need a department store where basic consumer goods can be purchased. Someone will learn of and fill that void...

According to various reports from reputable newspapers and TV news, and from leading Democrats and even some respected Republicans, it appears there is a possibility of indicting or impeaching Individual 1. And lo and behold, that wonderful, beloved White House tenant is not happy with this...

Can you believe winter break is almost here?! While we at the Cherokee Public Library certainly hope it will be a peaceful and restful one for your family, we also want to make sure your children go back to school in January eager and ready to learn, and that can be a little difficult breaking the normal school-day routine. Here are a few tips that we have which can help make sure the holiday break goes over well!...

We appreciate and applaud all those who entered floats and displays in Cherokee’s annual Lighted Christmas Parade last week. It was beautiful! We know the team work, conviction, and labors it takes to create a colorful, meaningful parade entry, and the happy, hearty souls who man those entries and those many supporters who endure the winter weather to attend the popular Christmas event...

Cherokee residents should cease and desist with the teary-eyed wringing of hands over the announced future closing of the local Shopko Hometown Store. Coming on the heels of the October announcement from Sears Holdings bankruptcy filing to shutter the Cherokee KMart Store, along with a couple downtown retailers calling it quits, it is understandable for Cherokee County residents to be shocked, disappointed, forlorn, humbled, and concerned about where to go when for basic consumer purchases...

If recalling the life lived of beloved President George H.W. Bush who died last week doesn’t give Republicans pause concerning the ogre currently in the White House, nothing will. The last true patriotic statesman to serve as President, Bush had it all and did it all serving his country. ...

It’s December! Which I really can’t believe. I’m pretty sure I just wrote my first article of 2018, but, here we are. We’ve got a lot of great stuff coming up in December that I will tell you about, however, I want to let you know about our new furniture. ...

Dozens of Iowa inmates have filed a lawsuit challenging a ban on pornography in prisons. The law, which took effect Nov. 14, prohibits pornographic material and puts an end to “pornography reading rooms” in all of Iowa’s nine state prisons. Allowing prisoners access to porno reading rooms is like giving a starving diabetic the key to the bakery...

As the City, County and Cherokee Regional Medical Center conduct their respective searches to fill vacancies at critical positions, we wish them well in this vital undertaking that will impact their operations and this community far into the future...

My column is Random Thoughts and that is what this one is. It’s a list of my pet peeves. • Cars that get on your butt, pass you, only to turn off within the next mile. • Cars that go under the speed limit • Cars that go the speed limit • Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving...

December Tidings I hope all our readers had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday filled with family, friends, and of course, food! I know at the library staff were talking about our plans to head off on destination Thanksgiving gatherings, and in some cases staying home to help care for family members. Anyhow, now that the turkey has officially relinquished its hold on the month, it’s time for Christmas, and the youth department has a TON of activities happening in the month of December...