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Local Columns

Dengler Domain: Newspapers

The North Tama Telegraph and the previous iterations of the Traer Star-Clipper and Dysart Reporter are recording history. While the content and people have changed over the years, the mission of informing the public has always stayed the same. While this newspaper might not have the most ...

Dysart Chamber Community Connections

March always feels like a turning point. Even if the weather hasn’t quite caught up yet, you can start to sense the shift. The days get a little longer, people begin talking about spring projects, and local organizations start putting plans into motion for the months ahead. What might seem ...

Heather’s Highlights: County Government and You, February 2026

Yes, you heard correctly…I am running for reelection as Tama County Supervisor District 3, which includes the cities of Traer and Gladbrook. I am thankful for all of the continued support and am excited to run for a second term. The primary election will be on June 2, 2026. The Board of ...

Dengler Domain: Corn Crib

Driving between Cedar Falls and Des Moines has happened many times in my life. Whether it was visiting my then-girlfriend, now wife, in Des Moines after she graduated early from college or while making random trips back to the Cedar Valley, I know this route like the back of my hand. There are ...

On Nature: Arctic Under Attack

The coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a special and unique place in northernmost Alaska that supports calving caribou, denning polar bears, migratory birds that visit every state in the U.S., and is a sacred place of the Gwich’in people. However, it is also thought to ...

Dengler Domain: Winter Olympics

When a new baby needs to be fed, the Winter Olympics are a perfect background watch. These winter athletes have graced the television screen as the baby feeds. National pride is always sky high with gold medals on the line. Chanting U-S-A comes easy during the Olympics, though quietly with ...

Dysart Chamber Community Connections

February can feel like a quiet month. The holidays are behind us, winter is still hanging on, and spring feels far away. But for many local businesses and community organizations, February is an important time of year. This is when planning happens. Business owners are looking back at what ...

On Nature: Energy Choices

The U.S. needs a great amount of new energy, mostly due to the massive data centers that power artificial intelligence. This electricity should be provided at the lowest cost, with the fewest environmental impacts, and as quickly as possible. The answer would seem to be a mix of electrical ...

Dengler Domain: Beef

Beef. It’s what’s for dinner. Well, for some, Argentinian beef. On February 6, President Trump signed an executive order to permit “an additional 80,000 metric tons of lean beef trimmings per year from Argentina to be imported tariff-free in four quarterly tranches of 20,000 metric tons ...

Heather’s Highlights: County Government and You, January 2025

January 2026 has come and gone and cold temperatures are here, per normal Iowa weather. The Supervisors had our organizational meeting to start off the year, and I will continue to serve as Vice-Chair. The Boards I will represent for Tama County are the following: Tama County Economic ...