I salute you-well some of you

I wrote a column last year in honor of Labor Day, and I updated it this year as an ongoing salute to working Americans who fuel our country’s economic engine.

I salute working Americans who take pride and satisfaction in a full day’s work, recognizing that anything less than 40 hours per week is a part-time job.

I salute working Americans who appreciate the satisfaction in feeling tired at the end of the day.

Near or Fear

By Pastor Dan Jordan- Evangelical Free Church, Algona

I was at a guided Soul Care retreat for pastors that began with a question, “What do you feel when you neglect time with God”? The responses were all negative: anxious, barren, weighed down, overwhelmed, alone, irritable, trapped, etc. Not one person had a positive experience from investing less or no quality time with God in His Word and prayer.

POP Quiz for 2024 Election

Letter to the Editor:

1: Who blocked Iowa kids from receiving $29 million dollars in Federal tax money returned to the state to provide USDA Summer Childrens Feeding Program ?

2: Who decided they knew best what our young people should read by banning access to 3,400 books in Iowa Public School Libraries ?

Whittemore woman picked up by a tornado

150 Years Ago

Some people make religion go a long way.  A good woman bought a lottery ticket the other day, accompanying the purchase with the soliloquy:  “The Lord knows how it ‘ll turn out.  It’s all in the hands of the Almighty, I s’pose.”

125 Years Ago

It’s time for school to start!

By Christy Peterson, Bishop Garrigan

The beginning of the school year can bring a mixture of excitement and anxiety for many students and parents.  Whether you are sending your child to school for the first time or beginning their final year, there are many tips that can help this be a successful year.

What will the next decade bring?

Like many of you, I was surprised to see American sprinter Noah Lyles competing in the Olympic Games after testing positive for COVID-19. Just four years ago, any athlete testing positive was not allowed to compete and was immediately placed into isolation. My, how times have changed, and not just with COVID policies at the Olympics. Here are a few more examples that define how most all our lives have transformed — and quickly.

Of my day of misadventures

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1

By Walt Reemtsma, Pastor at Burt and Lone Rock Presbyterian Churches

My wife and I stayed up past our normal bedtime on the evening of August 1 as we watched the three individuals who had been prisoners in Russia fly back to the United States and once again step foot on American soil as free people.

From the April 2, 1981, edition of the Algona Upper Des Moines

By Michael D. Newton

Note: Newton is a descendant of the Call family, which founded Algona. A native of Houston, he is staying with his grandmother, Mrs. D.C. Hutchison of Algona, and planning to attend the University of lowa this fall.

Former food critic tells all

Love is My Favorite Flavor: A Midwestern Dining Critic Tells All

Wini Moranville

University of Iowa Press

ISBN 978-1-60938-961-1

$22

When Wini Moranville waited tables at the tender age of 15, little did she know she would become a dining critic known worldwide, traveling the globe in search of the perfect restaurant experience.

Save those for the old people

Boxing promoter Don King once said, “Only in America will you see people circling the parking lot looking for a close space at a gym.” How ironic, and, unfortunately, how true.

I read another quote about how people will walk for miles inside big box stores but are too lazy to push their shopping carts into the cart corrals in the parking lots. Yep.

Over 13,000 attend the county fair

150 Years Ago

The Republican voters of Lotts Creek township will meet in caucus at the Walker School House on Monday, August 24th at 4 o’clock p.m., to select two delegates to attend the County Convention to be held in Algona, August 26th. H. L. Goodrich, Tp. Com.

125 Years Ago

Below in order:

Sauerkraut Day, Germania, present day Lakota. Photo from Ben Reed’s History of Kossuth County Vol. 1.

Principal business streeet, Burt. Photo from Ben Reed’s History of Kossuth County Vol. 1.

Main Street, Titonka, before the fire. Photo from Ben Reed’s History of Kossuth County Vol. 1.

Working for the imperishable

By Pastor John Heille - Good Hope, Immanuel & St. John's Lutheran Churches

Jesus talked about working for the bread that will last.

He talked about living our lives for things that won’t spoil.  That’s got me thinking.  This time of year, many people try to preserve a little bit of their summer garden produce. Beans and corn make it to the freezer. Tomatoes are turned into sauce. And then comes the cucumbers.

High ratings in science expo (photo above)

From the March 5, 1981 edition of the Algona Upper Des Moines newspaper.

The St. Cecelia-St. Joseph Middle School Science Expo was held Friday, Feb. 27, with 131 students participating on a voluntary basis.

Winning top awards (eight superior or excellent ratings) were, front, from left: Steve Steil, Jim Degen, Carla Lickteig and Mary Altman.