Opinion

by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby Central School Preservation board president Century Farms are an important part of agricultural heritage here in Calhoun County and across Iowa. The Century …

If you liked “A Man Called Ove” by Fredrik Backman, which was made into the movie “A Man Called Otto” starring Tom Hanks, you'll no doubt take a shine to “The Secret Diary of Hendrik G…

By Darcy Dougherty Maulsby Central School Preservation board president Last summer and fall I worked with the Twin Lakes Restoration Association to write and publish the book “Twin Lak…

I often wondered what those old rusty farm contraptions were sitting in the far corners of hay fields. Obviously they had something to do with hay. Well, duh! They looked sorta like a …

A century ago, Memorial Day wasn’t a three-day weekend. It wasn’t even called Memorial Day. It was Decoration Day, and it was always held May 30. Let’s take a look at the May 28, 1925,…

By Darcy Dougherty Maulsby Central School Preservation board president Did you take note of May 8 this year? This marked the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (V-E) Day. On May 8, …

Like most everyone else, I was shocked by the gruesome murder of Brian Thompson, CEO of United Health Care (UHC).  He was shot in the back as he walked across the street in Manhattan. …

by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby Central School Preservation president Where were you on Mother’s Day a decade ago? If you were in Lake City, you probably remember exactly where you were and…

I wasn't going to read Williams' book about the horrendous murder of three women in Mt. Pleasant back in the late 70's. Why? To be honest, I was envious. I wanted to be Mt. Pleasant's,…

by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby Central School Preservation president How time flies! It’s hard to believe 10 years have passed since a tornado hit Lake City on Mother’s Day on Sunday, May …

 Every year around Arbor Day, I like to plant a tree.  Last year it was a Colorado Blue Spruce that I planted where one had died in our wind break.  (The rabbits chewed it up good this…

By Darcy Dougherty Maulsby Central School Preservation board president Since it’s planting time, I started thinking about the hybrid seed corn companies that are part of Lake City’s hi…

I had been clean and sober 15 years when I found myself out late, on a cold winter's night, on my insurance business.  I had skipped supper (well, I had a Salted Nut Roll) so was more …

By Darcy Dougherty Maulsby Central School Preservation board president Think back to when you were in high school. If you’re like me, you rarely considered that your teachers had a lif…

When I was in college, one of the part-time jobs I had was working for Terrible Terrance  Tree Service.  Terrance's full-time job was working for the college in building and grounds, m…

By Darcy Dougherty Maulsby Central School Preservation board president With all the talk of tariffs and a renewed focus on products made in America, this got me thinking about products…