Democracy is messy, we are told.
 
Read what Brad thinks about outbursts at school board meetings in the Oct. 14 Advance. 

All-terrain and utility vehicles have skyrocketed in popularity the last couple of years. You see them on streets in our towns and you see them in fields across the countryside. You may encounter some on gravel roads if you travel those. Their popularity as work and play vehicles continues to rise. As with anything, however, government’s response is slower than what the citizenry as a whole embraces. 
 
Get the full editorial in the Oct. 14 Advance.

Psalm 78 is one of thirteen maskils. These are wise, contemplative hymns of various topics sung publicly for the benefit of all. This maskil is a parable of “dark sayings of old” which have been heard and known and have been passed down from previous generations. 
Asaph, the human author, effectively underscores the need for everyone to “Listen. Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.” 
 
See the Oct. 7 Advance for the entire pastor's column.

Since I have a love-hate relationship with all things cyberspace, I am ultra-careful in my dealings with those mean cyber elves. I try very hard not to offend them. However, they are just plain cruel, because they are always tricking me and messing up my emails. And my Google searches. And anything else I try to do on my computer.
 
See the Oct. 7 Advance for more. 

On Aug. 1, 2013, the Kossuth County Ag and Motorsports Museum opened its doors. The museum houses artifacts of Agriculture Motorsports and the Ben Scooter train station. 
In the motor sports section, we have a number of cars that were raced here in the past years. A number of trophies of other people in racing are displayed upstairs at the Museum. 
 
Catch all of this week's Our Kossuth County column in the Oct. 7 edition.

Who signs up for this kind of work these days? There are regular evening meetings. You have to work at fundraisers in order to help buy the equipment you need for the work. The tasks are always dangerous and at times life-threatening. In your career, you may see things you just cannot unsee and you may be exposed to toxic elements. By the way, it doesn’t pay enough to be a job – the pay is a small stipend.
 
See the full editorial in the Oct. 7 Advance. 

A story earlier this week in The Des Moines Register centers on the death of Randy Meyer at a hog confinement site south of Algona. It involves a review of complaints about the odor that emanated from the manure tank on that site, what the tank was permitted to contain, information filed with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, and other technical data and state records located by a Register reporter.

Back in the day, I’d say around the 1950s and 60s, there was a surge in people gathering for worship on Sunday mornings. The parish that my father served for over 27 years in Moline, Ill., grew from a membership of around 600 to over 1,300. As a teenager at that time, I was in awe at the crowds of people. Today, Salem Lutheran Church is still functioning and its attendance is around 200 each week.

Questions about eminent domain are being raised as two companies want to bury pipelines through Iowa farmland in order move captured carbon emissions to underground storage facilities. Kossuth County will be impacted.
 
See the full editorial in the Sept. 30 Advance. 

Forty days for life: This past Friday, Nancy Pelosi, who claims to be a “devout” Catholic and the House Democrats voted and passed the so called “Women’s Health Protective Act”. This will allow abortion on demand up to birth. It will force us as taxpayers to pay for these abortions. It will also force healthcare workers to perform these abortions, disregarding their religious freedom...

Chris Heyer of Titonka stands next to his state fair award-winning photo.
 
Stinson Prairie Arts Council has upcoming watercolor classes, an art exhibit, a photography exhibit and is planning a community theater presentation. 
See the Our Kossuth County column in the Sept. 30 Advance. 

Reciting the Pledge of Allegiance was a no-brainer for most folks in my age group. We started doing it at some point in elementary school. In my schools, the day started with a recitation and announcements over an intercom system. 
 
See the Sept. 30 Advance for Brad Hicks' full column. 

W hat’s the best squash for pumpkin pie? Well, that’s kind of like asking about the best dill pickle recipe-everyone will give you a different answer. Over the years I’ve tried nearly every different type of squash in a pumpkin pie or pumpkin bars. 
I enjoy doing taste tests on pumpkins and squash to see what types are the sweetest. So, which one is the best? I can only say this  – it’s hard to go wrong when you start with a fresh-picked squash or pumpkin.
 

... So I walked up and sure enough there was a knot in the line.
While I stood there looking at the knot, I couldn’t help but think to myself, “How did you do that?” But after a few moments, to collect my composure, all I said to my son was, “okay sure… let me see it and I’ll fix it for you.”
But my son refused to hand the rod over. “No dad. I got this.”
 
Read the rest of the weekly column from a local pastor in the Sept. 23 Advance.
 
 

Last week, a unanimous Kossuth County Board of Supervisors approved a resolution that declared Kossuth County to be a Second Amendment sanctuary. There was some discussion about what that really means, and what it would accomplish. No one was really able to put it into words. I’m sure there were those who wanted to say this: “Don’t come for our guns.”
 
Read the full column in the Sept. 23 Advance.