Opinion

Local conversations reveal true concerns about education

L&T Publisher Earl Watt

So far the USD No. 480 School Board has met several times in the month of January to address concerns that were initially exposed when head football coach Bryan Luetters stepped down because of the adjustments in pay that adversely affected his assistants.

The public became aware of how much of a challenge the district has with trying to find certified instructors, and in addition to that, how interim instructors who are trying to fill the gaps have been compensated.

Talking to a friend

THE POSTSCRIPT, Carrie Classon

Yesterday, I got to talk with an old friend.

I used to see Cheryl almost every day. But for the last several years, we have seen each other once a year, at most. She’s going to direct my show, so we’ll be working together again. We had coffee and soup on a very cold day, and I had this strange feeling I had slipped back in time. I didn’t need to explain a thing, talking to this old friend. I knew her and she knew me, and I lost track of the number of times we finished each other’s thoughts.

Insights on advocating to legislators

GUEST COLUMN, Tod Bowman, Center for Rural Affairs

Effective advocacy requires understanding the legislative process and employing strategic communication. Constituents can impact legislation by providing their perspective on a bill and explaining the reasoning for their position.

As a former Iowa State Senator from Maquoketa, I served in the Iowa Senate from 2011 to 2019 and saw countless examples of advocacy in action.

Notice anything about the Hawaii and California fires?

LETTER TO THE EDITOR, Reita Isaacs, Liberal

Here I am again with my feet up and phone in hand hearing about the sixth major fire in what seems to be targeting one huge incapacitating area of California.

Let’s go back a few years to the incident that destroyed Maui, remembering the unusual pattern of destruction: Nothing covered with that strange color of blue was burned, especially Oprah’s and Don Johnson’s properties; the cars not protected had pools of metal that could not be melted by anything; 10 out of 11 school buses burned, the 11th unaccounted for (used to transport the 1000 missing children possibly), and we’ve never heard about them since.

Eye toward the future

GUEST COLUMN, Glenn Brunkow, Kansas Farm Bureau

We are in the middle of what I call meeting season for Kansas Farm Bureau (KFB). The legislative process for both the state and federal governments are started. We have already had KFB Annual Meeting, the Young Farmers and Ranchers Leaders Conference, and by the time most of you read this, the County President’s Conference and Day at the Statehouse will also be in the books.