It is no secret that literacy and mathematics proficiency rates took a major hit post-COVID. Reading assessments for 9-year-olds in 2022 showed a five-point drop, the biggest decline since 1990. In mathematics, the drop was seven points, the first decline the nation has ever seen.

Furthermore, students are having a hard time recovering. Without major interventions, the problem of low student literacy could continue to fester.

While Creighton University economist Ernie Goss was right about his forecast for a half-point cut in interest rates by the Federal Reserve in September, he has so far not been correct in his expectation for stock market weakness into the election. At last count there have been 36 new all-time highs posted by the U.S. stock market so far this year.

OK Spencer, time to start getting your pumpkins out.

In case you forgot, it’s October. Fall has started. Sunday’s weather should have reinforced that. So those of you who haven’t bothered to decorate better get on it.

According to Digital Third Coast, 34% of Americans started decorating for Halloween the first week of the month. How their going to keep their pumpkins looking good until the end of the month is beyond me.

Q: What concerns did you raise immediately after the Biden-Harris administration’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan?

It’s pumpkin season and time to select and decorate pumpkins for your fall display. Keep pumpkins and Jack-o’-lanterns looking their best longer with proper selection and care.

October has been designated as National Disability Employment Awareness month by the U.S. Department of Labor. The Spencer ADA Council, a local group supported by the City of Spencer who helps to educate and bring awareness on issues for persons with disabilities is partnering this month with the local office of the Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services to help both persons with disabilities and employers looking for qualified staff to make connections during this time.

It’s mid-October which means I’ve been back in the field harvesting along with the rest of our farming community. In addition to practicing regular farm safety, we have had an exceptionally dry (and sometimes very windy) fall which requires a different type of attention. This article by Joshua Michel, northeast Iowa field agronomist, highlights fire preventing and safety during harvest. I hope everyone has a safe and bountiful harvest!

There isn’t any getting around it.

You’re either going to love “Joker: Folie à Deux” or you’re going to hate it.

In my recent columns I had written about the then upcoming Feast of Trumpets which came and passed last week. I shared biblical insights that pointed to the possibility of this year’s event ushering in the Rapture of the Church. With heightened anticipation I and many others waited, prayed and expected the Rapture to take place, but it didn’t.

Last Saturday, the Tiger Marching band competed in the Algona Band Days marching band competition for only the second year. We finished in fourth place for our division, an improvement from last year.

The lack of a new farm bill, not updated since 2018, has negatively impacted me. I applied for conservation waterway CRP as part of an NRCS cost sharing program in July that they expected to be approved in August so we could get the work done this summer. August came and went with no word of approval. It is now October. Now they informed me that they cannot approve it until the next fiscal year.

I didn't water the plants in our yard as much as the last couple of years, thanks to the reduced intensity of our prolonged drought. The sump pumps in my house, during the summer, operated for the first time since April 2020, so I assume the groundwater supply is somewhat replenished.

Watering plants is an interesting process.

Sometimes you need to water the ground.

Sometimes you need to spray the plants.

FEMA disaster relief money is NOT going to immigrants! “FEMA’s funds for handling disaster relief efforts are separate from money given to immigrant communities.” (Oct. 4, 2024 Forbes) The $750 initial immediate needs payments to Hurricane Helene victims are just the beginning of funds to help people recover. Thousands of northwest Iowans KNOW this from personal experience with our June flood disaster.

Q: Are you surprised the conflict in the Middle East is escalating?

Grow, harvest and season your holiday meals with fresh herbs grown indoors in a windowsill garden. Add to the experience by using potted herbs and a few holiday adornments to dress up the table. You and your family will enjoy snipping a few fresh herbal sprigs to season your meal to your own taste.