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OPINION/EDITORIAL |
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Connections - By Dolores
Bader |
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The rest of the world can wait
until March 20th to celebrate the coming of Spring if they want to,
but the Golf Club Gals are getting a one day jump on the season with
big smiles on their faces. The group is "Flinging into Spring" on
Wednesday the 19th at the Community Center and all area women are
invited to the party!
During the summer the group meets every
Wednesday morning at the LPC Golf Club. When the Club closes for the
season they move to the Community Center. They sponsor local Bridge
and 500 Marathons and have offered classes for those interested in
learning to play Bridge. They also represent this community at Club
functions all over the area at Invitational gatherings throughout
the summer.
In this age when literally everyone
works, card games seem pretty peripheral. But believe me the day
will come when you find human company preferable to the Internet or
a book. Accept the invitation to the Spring Fling in the spirit in
which it is offered. It is a CONNECTION that anyone can enjoy. Party
time is 1p.m. at the Center. For $1.50 you get to play either Bridge
or 500, refreshments and fellowship, and if you are lucky a prize!
If you are curious but wary, I'm sure you would be welcome to watch
and enjoy the refreshments. Call Mae Schrader at 342-2788 or Mary
Nelson at 342-2518 by March 14th to make your reservation.
Footnote: I called my Vegas connection to
report on the Union Knights and Dave already knew. He watched the
game on the Internet! Talk about technology. For nine bucks he got a
day at the Iowa Boys Basketball Tournament and memories of the days
he played at State for the LPC Rams in 1970. At the same time his
brother was in Des Moines at the game on the 40th anniversary of the
defeat of his 1978 team at Sectionals in Waterloo. Union, you have
had a day you will never forget. On court or off you created
memories and they will come back to bless you! |
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Food for Thought
- By Jane Whittlesey |
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A couple of weeks back, Mike and I attended the
Iowa Newspaper Association's annual convention. While the convention
didn't have an official theme, the subject matter of the various
seminars and presentations followed a very similar topic - online
newspapers and their place in our changing world. As a matter of
fact, Mike had been asked to present a seminar featuring The
Progress Review's Press Pass.
Judging by the reaction of our audience, the
Press Pass is something of an enigma among Iowa newspapers.
The topic of another seminar was Media
Convergence. In the past, newspapers, television and radio, have
each occupied separate mediums.
This is no longer the case as each seek to
reach their audience via the internet. In the case of many
newspapers, the availability of the internet has made it possible to
offer readers video and audio news at a relatively low cost.
Media convergence and all of its
possibilities is a very exciting concept for those of us who have
listened to the experts bemoan the impending doom of the community
newspaper. The internet offers anyone the ability to disseminate
information to a worldwide audience, in many different forms. The
primary advantage small hometown newspapers enjoy is that no one
covers local news better. Stay tuned- the ride is about to get a lot
more interesting.
Sweet & Sour Meatballs
The convergence of sweet and sour flavors
was once thought unusual, but now is considered a classic.
- For meatballs:
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup dry bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1 teaspoon seasoning salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons sugar
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large
bowl, thoroughly mix ingredients. Shape into one inch balls. Bake on
greased cookie sheet for 15 minutes.
- For Sauce:
- 1 - 20 ounce can pineapple chunks,
drained with juice reserved
- 3 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 C cold water
- 1 large carrot, diced
- 1 large green bell pepper, cut into 1/2
inch pieces
Mix enough water with the reserved pineapple
juice to make 1 cup total. In a large saucepan over medium heat,
combine the juice mixture, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger
and seasoning salt. Combine cornstarch with 1/2 C cold water, stir
until dissolved. Add to sauce and stir until smooth. Cover and cook
until thickened.
Stir in pineapple, carrot, green pepper and
meatballs. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes, or until meatballs are
cooked through. Serve over rice or noodles. |
In the January 25, 2006 issue of
The Progress Review, Connections columnist Dolores Bader
wrote about the concept of a “gateway” as it might apply to La
Porte City. She pointed out that one of the meanings of the
French word La Porte is “gateway”. She then went on to say “LPC
is more than a Gateway…it is HOME. We already have the best of
everything…we just need to determine the wisest way to move
forward.”
On November 1st, the
Black Hawk County Conservation Board held its regular monthly
meeting at the museum here in La Porte City. During a
presentation titled “Partnership Opportunities in Southern Black
Hawk County”, attendees again heard La Porte City referred to as
a “gateway”. In this instance, Conservation Director Vern Fish
called La Porte City a gateway to the recreational complex that
exists in and around the community. That complex includes the
Cedar Valley Nature Trail, the Klima Wildlife Area, McFarlane
and Hickory Hills Parks and the Cedar River, all of which could
potentially serve as a huge tourist attraction for La Porte
City. With the addition of a small boat landing near the gazebo
for canoes and kayaks, Wolff Creek could become an added lure to
outdoor enthusiasts. Director Fish challenged those in
attendance to think of ways to market La Porte City as a gateway
to bring visitors not just to the area, but into the community
as well.
Not so many years ago, the
community of Dyersville established a successful tourist
attraction based on the belief (and a line from a movie) “If you
build it, they will come” La Porte City’s “field of dreams” is
already built, and believe me, they are coming, the question is,
how will we welcome them?
Trail Mix Bars
2 C rolled oats
½ C packed brown sugar
½ C wheat germ
1t ground cinnamon
1C whole wheat flour (all purpose
also works)
¾ C dried cranberries
¾ t salt
½ C honey
1 egg, beaten
1C applesauce
1t vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease 9x 13 baking pan.
In a large bowl, mix together the
oats, brown sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon, flour, cranberries, and
salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in the honey, egg,
applesauce and vanilla. Mix well using your hands. Pat the
mixture evenly in the prepared pan.
Bake for 30-35 minutes until the
edges of the bars begin to turn brown. Cool for 5 minutes, and
then cut into bars while still warm.
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Simply Put - By Mike Whittlesey |
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At the risk of sounding like the opening of a
Criminal Minds episode, it
was Albert Einstein who said, "The most important motive for work in
school and in life is pleasure in work, pleasure in its result, and
the knowledge of the value of the result to the community."
Contrast Einstein’s words with recent surveys of
how Americans feel about their jobs and you begin to realize how
cynical the world has become since his death in 1955. Perhaps it
comes as no surprise that workers in the United States (the legal
ones, anyway) are growing increasingly dissatisfied with their jobs.
Even sadder still is the fact that the decline in job satisfaction
is consistent across all age groups and income levels.
Gone are the days when the first job you land
after high school becomes a life-long career with the same employer.
Think about it. How many college graduates do you know work in jobs
that have little or nothing in common with the degree they earned?
Despite the gloomy statistics about job
satisfaction, examples can be found that illustrate Einstein’s
optimistic view on education and the workplace. I was reminded of
this fact last week when three graduate students from the University
of Northern Iowa paid The Progress
Review a visit. They wanted to share some information
about a special project they have undertaken. What makes the project
especially exciting are the potential benefits La Porte City may
receive as a result of their efforts.
Kim Kreiling, Becky Groshens and Isaiah Messerly
are students at UNI pursuing a Professional Science Master’s degree
with a major in Ecosystem Management. As part of their rigorous
course of study, they are working closely with Black Hawk County
Conservation to create a management plan for the Cedar Island
Wildlife Area, 514 acres of land located three miles southeast of La
Porte City. In the upcoming weeks, a series of articles in The Progress Review will
share the story of the work they are doing to preserve and restore
the ecosystem of this wildlife area, one that biologists confirm is
an extremely rare and valuable asset to the area.
As I visited with the students, I was very
impressed with the passion they have for their work. The Cedar
Island Wildlife Area is a treasure in La Porte City’s back yard,
they told me, one that has gone unnoticed for too long. Their study
will no doubt have important implications for local conservation
efforts, as well as the economic development opportunities such a
project can create.
The details about an upcoming meeting for the
public will be released soon. Plan to attend. You won’t want to miss
it. |
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Letters to the Editor |
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To the Editor:
I recently read in newspapers about our streams
and rivers that are now too shallow for boating and other
recreational activity. The reason for this is those streams are
slowly filling with high priced, productive soil. When snow drifts
melt, top soil is deposited into neighboring streams and rivers.
We will have flooding problems like we’ve never
seen before, as creeks and rivers continue to lose depth. There
simply isn’t anywhere else for the water to go.
All living things depend upon our environment. If
we don’t stand up to protect our environment now, we will have
nothing to give to our future generations.
- Glenn J. Burrows
- La Porte City
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