Letters to the Editor (Week of July 18, 2007)

Letter to the Editor

Written by Hillsboro Free Press Wednesday, 18 July 2007 10:01

Farm bill holds key to algae solution

The death of three dogs after contact with Marion Reservoir water (July 11 issue) may be linked to an algae bloom after all of the evidence is examined.

But the event once again reminds us the problem of water quality still exists with siltation and nitrogen/phosphorus loading.

This season’s heavier than usual rainfall in the watersheds that feed runoff water to Marion Reservoir has likely carried silt laden with fertilizer residues in even larger amounts than in normal rainfall years.

For the past two years many grassroots groups have pushed for reform in the writing of the 2007 farm bill to move payments to farmers from production-based commodity subsidies to conservation programs that...

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Unforeseen result for new tax law

Partly Nonsense

Written by Joel Klaassen Tuesday, 14 April 2009 13:56

I learned of unintended consequences for a law that grants tax breaks for using alternative fuels with taxable fuels.

Seems that paper manufacturers come up with a byproduct from making paper that is a sludge that burns very well for supplying heat all by itself. A law passed in 2005 allows for tax credits when alternative fuels are mixed with taxable fuels.

So, instead of using the byproduct like they’ve done in the past, the paper companies can add diesel to it and reap millions and billions in tax refunds.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could add gasoline to the water in the toilet bowl and get a tax refund on every gallon you flush down the drain?

The TARP law that was passed recently even extended the tax break through the end...

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Living with pain

Editorials

Written by Don Ratzlaff Tuesday, 05 May 2009 13:49

School districts in Marion County and across the state are watching intently as legislators in Topeka attempt to balance the state budget. Boards and administrators know they will be required to make significant cuts in their own budgets once they find out how much less funding they will receive from the state for 2009-10.

At USD 410, the number is expected to fall in the ballpark of $500,000—that’s a Yankee Stadium-sized ballpark number for a relatively small district. It’s a difficult challenge to find cuts that don’t weaken the educational process. But it’s also important to live within our means, and while the constitutional requirement to balance the state budget is causing pain now, in the longer run it is pain that...

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5 years ago

The Week That Was

Written by Hillsboro Free Press Tuesday, 13 March 2007 23:17

-A house fire that occurred on South Madison Street nearly two weeks earlier prompted the Unified School District 410 Board of Education to consider abandoning its role as a landlord. The blaze caused between $5,500 and $8,000 in damage, in addition to other necessary repairs.

-St. Luke Hospital and Hillsboro Community Medical Center decided not to have a health fair in 2002, and change the schedule for a fair to every other year.

- Marion City Commis­sioner Jim Crofoot made a motion to honor the results of a non-binding election by not continuing to seek negotiations with Waste Connections or any other company to site a regional solid-waste landfill, but the motion died for lack of a second.

- Joyful Noise Child Care...

Read more: 5 years ago