Opinion

President’s Day is Monday. We observe this day in February because it happens to be the birth month of George Washington, our first president, and Abraham Lincoln, the man many historians regard as our greatest president ever.

Approximately 50 people came to the Glenwood Community High School auditorium Thursday night to offer input on the school district’s search for a new superintendent.

The forum was moderated by Dr. Thomas Jacobson, a member of the consulting team hired by the district to help in the recruitment of the potential superintendent candidates.

Audience members were asked to share their thoughts and input on three specific questions. I’m paraphrasing here, but the three questions went something like this:

Just like everyone else in the room, I fully expected Frank Overhue to have a last word or two before formally relinquishing his seat on the Glenwood Board of Education.

Frank didn’t disappoint.

Overhue said his good-byes before stepping down during the school board’s transitional meeting on Monday, Sept. 14. The 38-minute presentation made for one of the most unorthodox school board meetings you’ll ever see. But, then again, it was vintage Frank Overhue.

OK, I know it wasn’t supposed to open this way.

    I know it’s a year behind schedule and I know it’s not going to be totally finished until the auditorium gets put together later this year.

    One school board candidate told me last week that the high school construction project has become “a joke.” I don’t dispute his assertion. I’ve been a part of the coffee shop chatter and have thrown out a sarcastic one-liner or two myself.

It’s been a a year since a team from the Iowa Department of Economic Development (IDED) came to Glenwood to conduct a Downtown Assessment.

The assessment included interviews with dozens of citizens who were asked to share their likes and dislikes about living in Glenwood. Interviews were conducted with Glenwood-area residents of all ages from all walks of life. At the conclusion of their visit, IDED team members presented their analysis of the interviews and their own outsider thoughts on Glenwood.

At last month’s Betterment and Beautification Awards dinner, employees at the Mills County Public Health Office were recognized with the Glenwood Area Chamber of Commerce’s award for Outstanding Customer Service. The award is presented annually to the Glenwood-area business or public agency that goes above and beyond when it comes to meeting the needs of its customers.

The recognition is well-deserved.

Oh poor Steve King.

On a weekend when America was celebrating the historic and inspiring inauguration of its first African-American President, what was the honorable representative from Iowa’s Dist. 5 doing?

Sticking his foot in his “provacative” mouth once again and seeking out any media outlet he could to disparage an individual who has achieved the highest office in the land, based not on idealogical or political gamesmanship, but rather, Barack Obama’s middle name, Hussein, which King apparently finds offensive.