Given the state of private insurance reimbursement, tamped down Medicare reimbursement and delays in payments through the state’s Medicaid managed care program, local ambulance and responder services are left operating the on edge with little money for anything beyond basic staffing and limited equipment, gear and vehicle upgrades. What does it say about our values that this vital service is relegated to beef burger dinners and pancake breakfasts to raise money for necessities?
 

... As a moving gift, I presented myself with a snowblower. I imagine that’s a rite of passage for those over age 50 – that one dumps the shovel for a machine. I was well overdue by those standards but way too cheap to employ modern equipment. ...
What happened with Brad's snowblower? See On the Side in the Jan. 28 Advance.

... I only bring this up because if you believe in karma, it came back to haunt me last week. I was walking Seamus in the snow when I hit a patch of ice and my feet went skyward. ...
So, what happened with Molly? See the Jan. 28 Advance to find out.

The good news is – vaccine clinics are happening in Kossuth County. We are so glad to be able to distribute the vaccine to more people, including all people age 65 and older. 
The not-so-good news is – vaccine supply is still scarce. Getting vaccine to all the people who want it will be a long process. We are moving forward, but for those who are eagerly awaiting the vaccine it may feel like the pace is slower than molasses. 

...I’m just tired. How about you? ...  But fortunately in the pandemic of sin, we have a fool-proof solution with 100 percent effectiveness. 
In Matthew 11, Jesus says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

... As a practicing Christian, I find it difficult to see much in Mr. Trump’s time in office including his thousands of public statements that are consistent with Gospel values. I am convinced that Jesus would have been far more willing to speak out than has been the case with many of Mr. Trump’s most enthusiastic supporters in church congregations. ...
Read a letter to the editor from a former Algona resident in the Jan. 21 Kossuth County Advance.

So what was daily life like in Hitler’s Germany for the average family? 
That’s the question L. Annette Binder tries to answer in her gripping and memorable novel, "The Vanishing Sky," a fictional treatment inspired by her father’s experiences as a Hitler Youth in Nazi Germany. 
 
Read Michael Tideman's review of the book in the Jan. 21 Kossuth County Advance.
 
 

... In 1993 I was afforded the opportunity to attend a presidential inauguration. My uncle, Bart, was in his final year of working for the United States Treasury Department, which is located in the first building east of the White House, and he issued an invitation to come and watch Bill Clinton and Al Gore be sworn in. He helped to secure the necessary tickets and off we went. ...
Read all of Gene Miller's Out of the Past column in the Jan. 21 Kossuth County Advance.

... People’s sense of fairness and their search for absolutes often arise during these debates. We are likely to see that on display again in our state Capitol. Republicans again have raised the concept of restoring the death penalty here. Early reports say the ultimate penalty would be only available if a first degree murder involves the death of a minor – someone under the age of 18. In Iowa, judges follow state law on these types of sentences ...

We are halfway through the school year, and I could not be more proud of the students, staff, and families of the Algona Community School District. Certainly this has been a school year unlike any other, and as a society we have all had the incredibly difficult task of navigating through a pandemic while still putting students first and doing what is best for kids.

Bless, blessed, blessing. These are big words in the church. They are big word in the Bible, too. In the Revised Standard Version of the Bible one can find “blessed” 286 times in 270 verses, “bless” 133 times in 122 verses, and “blessing” 71 ties in 68 verses. Definitely a big deal! We use them in a variety of ways in a number of contexts.

Rep. Stone "

Here is an excerpt of this week's Families & Faith column in the Kossuth County Advance, this week written by the Rev. Thomas Cowell. Get the full column in the Jan. 14 Kossuth County Advance.
 

Here's an excerpt from this week's Inkspots column by Molly MacDonald:
...However, my hands and feet kept turning to blocks of ice the last few weeks. So I ordered a hand-warmer on the internet. It came with rather puzzling directions. Turned out it was made in China and their interpreter must have had a hangover when he translated the instructions. Or else, he let his five-year-old take a stab at it. Here are the directions in their entirety:..
 

...Recalling the insurrection at the Capitol the day before, I thought of all of us immigrants coming to our Promised Land in the United States, whether via the Bering Land Bridge, by ship from Europe or Asia, walking from Central America, by plane from some troubled place in the world, or forced to come from Africa, and how we are now disrespecting and undermining our country through hatred, violence and division. That must stop. We have no other Promised Land here on earth....