Landowners targeted for eminent domain by Summit Carbon Solutions won several substantial victories in recent weeks, but the fight is far from over. Our celebratory high-fives must wait. Summit is wounded but remains a very real threat to the private property rights of thousands across Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota.

I would like to thank the community members that supported me during my candidacy for the Spirit Lake Board of Education. The past six weeks has been a very revealing time. I don’t regret running because I believe having a contested election brought some things to light. And while it’s easy to talk about all the positive things in our district, it’s a lot tougher to talk about the real and relevant issues our district is facing. Here’s a start:

One of the best pieces of advice I took away from the state newspaper convention a couple years ago was to be open to changing your mind on any issue you might write about on the opinion page. Granted, my bench of opinion columns seems to get shallower year after year (in favor of better byline news pieces, of course) but I think this is one of those times.

The rationale behind Iowa’s professional licensing laws is simple: People in certain professions and skilled occupations are required to hold state licenses to work in Iowa. This is to ensure they meet the minimum standard of training and skill necessary to serve consumers safely and effectively. But a state government policy change leads me to wonder whether our state officials have lost sight of their obligation to act in the best interests of the public.

Iowa is home to 42 ethanol plants and 11 biodiesel facilities, which annually produce roughly 4.5 billion gallons of ethanol and 410 million gallons of biodiesel respectively. In 2022, homegrown Iowa ethanol and biodiesel contributed $7.2 billion to Iowa’s economy and fueled $3.5 billion in income for Iowa families. Our thriving biofuels industry also supports 57,000 jobs across our state.

Q: What is National Adoption Month?

By Sedar Shako - United Methodist Church of Harris and Lake Park

The Holocaust stands as one of the darkest and most horrific chapters in human history, a stark reminder of the depths to which hatred and prejudice can lead. It is a moral imperative that we never forget the Holocaust, for in doing so, we commit ourselves to preventing such horrors from happening again.

By Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate and former U.S. Election Assistance Commission Chairman Matt Masterson

Q: What is the historical significance of Nov. 11?

American farmland is some of the most fertile and bountiful in the world. Despite derechos and droughts, nothing obstructs the resilience of our farmers. Our producers work long hours to grow the food and produce the fuel that our families and communities depend on.

BY PAUL DARE - SPIRIT LAKE IMMANUEL LUTHERAN

Nov. 1 is traditionally a celebration day in many churches called “All Saints Day.” On this day, the church celebrates Jesus’ dying on the cross to forgive our sin and His rising from the dead to destroy the power of death. Christians rejoice that He opened heaven to all who believe. What is more, the church remembers, with joy and thanksgiving, those who have gone before us through faith in Christ into heaven.  

BY JAMI GOETZ - GRACE LUTHERAN CHURCH

Revelation 21:5 – “And as the one who was seated on the throne said, ‘See, I am making all things new.’ Also, he said, ‘Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.’”

If you heard the sound of shattering glass when you opened your paper today, it was probably just us breaking tradition here on page four.

In years past, we've left our opinion page absolutely void of election content the week ahead of the polls. The idea being that no one on any side of any issue would have the proverbial last word before folks head to the ballot box (that said, early voting started a couple week ago).

Well, we decided to go a different route this year.

Being from out of the area, I have no reason to visit Lakes Regional Healthcare in Spirit Lake. I am now helping a retired friend who receives care from there and have had several phone conversations with staff and accompanied my friend for a few visits. I just want to say that the care and attentiveness of the staff at Lakes Regional Healthcare is outstanding.