Comments on the SOTU response by Gov. Kim Reynolds 

Dear Editor,

By Shane Goodman

“I never thought I would witness the day when reporters were more scarce than bald eagles.”

That’s a quote from a newspaper publisher who was referencing a recent story in Daily Clips, a publishing industry newsletter. The story is entitled, “Our Local-News Situation Is Even Worse Than We Think.” The headline is startling. The numbers are frightening.

Consider this from the story: From 2004 to 2020 the number of…

Dusty people

 By Rev S. Kim Peterson, pastor at Good Hope Lutheran in Titonka

It is that time of year when you will hear about some churches placing an emphasis on Lent. On Ash Wednesday you might see some people running around with a cross made of ashes, a mark placed on their foreheads from an Ash Wednesday service.

By Brad Hicks - Publisher

Giving us gas

President Biden, it is reported, plans to release oil from strategic reserves in an effort to tamp down gasoline prices at the pump. There is also talk of eliminating the federal gas tax for a period of time.

By Maureen Elbert

KPACEDC

Why let Europeans control America?

To the Editor:

What’s wrong in America – letting the Europeans control how American live? We won the war in Germany and have spread our free world values to all the European countries. The Russians have already lost everything, except their land, and they can stay over there in my view.

By Jim Sloter

Nestled in the Pyrenees mountains with one main road, four rivers and 32,000 citizens, Andorra intrigued us – so much packed in so little space. 

By Gene Miller  - Out of the Past

150 Years Ago

Subscribe for the Algona Times, the only straightforward Republican paper in Kossuth County. The Times is not the organ of any clique or faction, but a bold, outspoken journal, devoted to the interests of Algona and surrounding country.

125 Years Ago

By Shane Goodman

Jim Croce asked for help from a telephone operator to place a call in his 1972 hit song “Operator (That’s Not the Way It Feels).” And in 1972, using a telephone operator for assistance was common. But what about today? When was the last time you spoke with an operator? Even the term operator seems antiquated now. Sounds more like a surgeon.

See the way

By Rev. Patrick Mostek

Assistant Pastor - Grace Church, Algona

Most people who know me, know that I usually wear a pair of glasses. There’s a reason for that. I am pretty much blind without them, particularly at long distances. I am nearsighted. I can’t see very well past 20 feet. But that was not always the case. 

By Geitner Simmons

Columnist

Reprinted with permission

The whole world is watching as Russian arms put a free people’s fate under siege. Here in the Midlands, it’s an appropriate moment to appreciate how, believe it or not, a statue in Algona, Iowa, has special relevance to the Ukraine crisis.

By Nick Diers

City of Algona

Make time for fun with Algona Parks and Recreation. Planning is underway for spring and summer programs.

We are gearing up for fun in the Algona Parks and Recreation Department. Registration for spring and summer programs is open, park redevelopment plans are moving forward, and the search is on for summer staff positions.

By Molly MacDonald

Dear Readers,

 Since last we met, I have flown to Los Angeles and back and dealt with the following adventures: a screaming computer (not a whistling one as before), a leaky pipe in the basement (again, a different one from before), a forgotten wallet (I know, Deja vu all over again).

By Jim Sloter

Q’s for Stone

To the Editor:

I read in the Advance that State Rep. Henry Stone is sponsoring a bill to prevent schools from requiring students to be vaccinated against COVID-19. I would pose these questions to him:

1. Would he support a bill that would allow students not to be vaccinated against polio, tetanus, measles, or any of the other six diseases against which Iowa law requires K-12 students to be vaccinated?