Thursday, May 21, 2026
Our Reach: 36,690,877 views

How Vinton area public servants live up to that name

     Vinton-Shellsburg School Board member Megan Rickels sat next to the pool, her two young sons in her lap, getting splashed as she watched the Vinton-Shellsburg boys swimming meet at the IBSSS pool on Tuesday evening.

Vinton's connection to ancient English literature

       Imagine reading a book from a century and a half and an an ocean away, and seeing in that book a name that you see every day on your way to work.

Have you seen my glasses?

Have you ever been looking for something and can't find it, then you find it in your pocket? My favorite is when I'm looking for my glasses.

Patriotism, satire and mosquitoes

       One of my favorite humorous poems has always been an 120-year-old ditty called “The Mosquito Hunt.”      The poem, from a book of poetry dated around 1860, tells of the story of a couple trying to kill a mosquito that threatened to interrupt their sleep with a painful bite.
Article Thumbnail. A grainy picture of the old Bridge

The old Iron Monster

The other night while driving into town, I came to the bridge and headed across.  The routine trip across the bridge brought back memories of crossing the bridge so many times when I was a kid.

Needed: An energy policy smarter than a fifth grader

        First, a question:       If a fifth grader can use a $2 magnifying glass to bring a piece of paper to 451 degrees Fahrenheit and start a fire, why has not our nation full of scientists and a government full of agencies dedicated to energy figure out how to use natural resources to replace our dependence on oil?       Whether you believe that our planet is in peril, or you think global warming is something that is long overdue in this part of the country…      Whether you think invading Iraq was a mistake, or you think we should have finished Saddam Hussein in 1991…      Whether you think government is too big, or too small…      … I think you will agree with this column.

Why the federal budget deficit is my fault – and possibly yours, too

    According to a recent CBS news poll, 86 percent of Americans think government needs to cut spending to reduce the deficit.     So why can’t – or won’t – Congress cut the budget?     Because Congress represents us, and we don’t want Congress to cut the budget.