Tag: Iowa

Agriculture, Commentary, Environment1 Comment

Farm insurance unfairness: Taxpayers foot the bill, but only for the ‘golden crops’

Gary Dickson

Farmers in Iowa face challenges getting insurance coverage for agritourism due to high premiums and limited options. The federally subsidized insurance largely benefits large-scale commodity crops, leaving smaller-scale farmers with limited support. Calls for reform and reduced subsidies highlight the disparity, with Republican lawmakers advocating for increased support for the “Golden Crops.” The author questions the fairness of taxpayer-funded support for crop insurance while essential public services remain underfunded. Continue reading Farm insurance unfairness: Taxpayers foot the bill, but only for the ‘golden crops’

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Restaurant inspection update for April: Undated food, dirty carts, bare hands

Gary Dickson

State, city and county food inspectors have cited Iowa and South Dakota restaurants and stores for hundreds of food-safety violations in recent weeks, including unsourced beef, lack of food thermometers, unclean equipment, handling food with bare hands, repeat violations and dirty kitchens.

The findings are reported by the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing, which handles food-establishment inspections at the state level. South Dakota food establishment inspections are handled by the South Dakota Department of Health. Listed below are some of the findings that stem from inspections at Siouxland restaurants and convenience stores over the past four weeks or so.

Continue reading Restaurant inspection update for April: Undated food, dirty carts, bare hands

Commentary, Justice3 Comments

The media should shut up about the Trump jurors

Gary Dickson

I was astounded Tuesday evening when I turned on CNN and saw anchors and analysts revealing details about the seven jurors picked so far in the first criminal trial of Donald Trump.

There weren’t any names or faces revealed, but many other facts were. At the risk of compounding the error, but citing one example to make the point, here’s how CNN described a juror.

“The third seated juror is a corporate lawyer. He’s originally from Oregon. He gets his news from The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Google. He’s a younger man who’s never been married and doesn’t have kids.” Continue reading The media should shut up about the Trump jurors

Crime, Government, JusticeLeave a comment

Union County Court: 3/25 – 4/12/2024

Gary Dickson

As the band Emerson, Lake and Palmer sang in their 1973 classic tune, Karn Evil 9:

“Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends
We’re so glad you could attend,
Come inside, come inside . . . ”

So too, the words might be said about the regular case dispositions by our county/state judiciary system. Following are three weeks’ worth of cases that have been disposed of in the Union County courts. They include everything from traffic to trucking/transportation to criminal cases to fishing without a license. Continue reading Union County Court: 3/25 – 4/12/2024

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To whom it may concern

Gary Dickson

I’m back with another installment of To Whom It May Concern, my multi-topic opinion column about the goings-on in Siouxland, South Dakota, the nation and the world. I’d been meaning to write this earlier – like last month – but things kept getting in the way. Like my health. I had a cold which turned into a bad sinus infection that kept me in bed for most of a week with a fever. Now that I’m almost 71, stuff like that seems to hit me particularly hard. It sucks getting old. But don’t cry for me Argentina, I’ve rebounded, for the most part. Continue reading To whom it may concern

Commentary, Government, Politics8 Comments

Immigrants are not the problem. Don’t believe the propaganda.

Gary Dickson

My folks floated over the pond with the cattle down below in steerage. One was an indentured servant, another a prison guard, others were among an army of Irish who helped drive the Native people off the Mississippi River near Dubuque to claim the lead mines. Still another branch settled the sloughs around Emmetsburg about the time the last Dakota were being driven out.

Immigrants. Good and not so good. The Mulroney brothers were not a welcome sight to the existing indigenous people when Fort Dodge was still a fort.

It cannot be avoided. It’s who we are, a nation of immigrants determined to write a new story for ourselves: That we came by it all fair and square; we did not. That we earned it; we stole it. And now that we are in control, we would rather keep others out. Until we need the cheap labor. Continue reading Immigrants are not the problem. Don’t believe the propaganda.

Community, Iowa, JusticeLeave a comment

Sioux Center police officer forced to quit after domestic abuse arrest

Gary Dickson

A Sioux Center police officer who was forced to resign after a domestic abuse arrest — a charge that was later dismissed — and a failed psychological test is entitled to unemployment benefits, a judge has ruled.

According to state records, Steve S. Topete began working for the City of Sioux Center as a full-time police officer in June 2023. When he was hired, he was required to take and pass the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory test, which is a 600-question survey designed to measure an individual’s integrity, character and suitability as a law enforcement officer, with the answers reviewed by a psychologist. All certified law enforcement officers in Iowa are required to take the test. Continue reading Sioux Center police officer forced to quit after domestic abuse arrest

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Board: Acupuncture patient was abandoned, called sheriff’s office for help

Gary Dickson

An Iowa man had to call the sheriff’s office for assistance after his acupuncturist inserted needles into his body, then went home and fell asleep, according to the State Board of Medicine.

Board records and a report from the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office indicate that on June 12, 2023, a male patient went to the Rock Rapids office of XiaoDong “Dave” Wang, a state-licensed acupuncturist. According to the board, Wang inserted acupuncture needles into the man’s body, left the Wang Acupuncture Clinic, went home and fell asleep. Continue reading Board: Acupuncture patient was abandoned, called sheriff’s office for help

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Warmer weather at Okoboji: What it means for the lakes and those who use them

Gary Dickson

The ice on Spirit Lake went out this year on March 3.

From 1944, when the record-keeping began, through 1981, the ice went out in the latter half of April about once every third or fourth year.  Since 2001, the ice has gone out in the latter half of April only once.

Looking at it another way, the ice cover on Spirt Lake has been decreasing in terms of how long it lasts each year for the past quarter-century or so.

The obvious conclusion is that the water temperatures in the Iowa Great Lakes are getting warmer, a result of ongoing global warming, which is part . . .
Continue reading Warmer weather at Okoboji: What it means for the lakes and those who use them

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Marching through restaurant inspections in Siouxland – Update for Iowa and S.D.

Gary Dickson

State, city and county food inspectors have cited Iowa and South Dakota restaurants and stores for hundreds of food-safety violations in recent weeks, including poorly cooked beef, lack of food thermometers, unclean equipment, handling food with bare hands, repeat violations and dirty kitchens.

The findings are reported by the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing, which handles food-establishment inspections at the state level. South Dakota food establishment inspections are handled by the South Dakota Department of Health. Listed below are some of the findings that stem from inspections at Siouxland restaurants and convenience stores over the past five weeks.

Dig in to the details. Continue reading Marching through restaurant inspections in Siouxland – Update for Iowa and S.D.