There have been more and more cries of “Fake News” being hurled in all directions we aren’t even sure what it means anymore. What we do know is that discrediting the press is one of the most dangerous things a society can do. Do we make mistakes? Sure. Can we get everything right every time? No. We are human much […]

The Marion County Fair wasn’t quite to the granger as some remember it in the past. The Marion County Fair Board responded with a simple request on social media – what do you want to see at the fair next year that might move the needle. The response from the fair board is a good one. If attendance was low […]

This upcoming election isn’t for homecoming king and queen. It’s not for whom is most popular in the county and it’s certainly not something that should be taken lightly. Unfortunately, in many local elections the issues get thrown out the door and instead the most popular person running gets elected. People sit down, say XXXX candidate is a nice guy […]

The end appears to be near for the Marion County Community Economic Development Corp. (MCCEDC) with the City of Marion pulling its financial support for the organization. Maybe this will be a good thing and maybe it won’t, and rather than getting into the complexities of that organization and how it runs, it would be more useful to keep an […]

The Marion County Commission has a transparency problem. Plain and simple. Whether they are holding secret, hotel meetings to introduce potential employees or misusing executive sessions to discuss taxpayer money behind closed doors, the commission has a tendency to box out the public. But it’s not too late. Like any other problem, the first step to recovery is to simply […]

Marion County has a lot to offer. Surrounded by counties much larger than itself, Marion County has something none of those places have: the scenery and the reservoir. That is what Marion County should be building its approach to economic development around. The appeal of a big company locating to Marion County is something anyone can get excited about. The […]

A new era is ahead of us at the Free Press. Our editorial leader, Don Ratzlaff, has taken a position at Tabor College, which leaves some very large shoes to fill for the first time in 20 years. Don helped start the Free Press, along with Joel Klaassen, two decades ago, and both of them have been a fixture on […]

I would quit Facebook tomorrow if I didn’t think it would hinder my job and the relationships fostered because of it. I am just sick of it. Facebook, Twitter, Snap­chat and the like are a cancer on society. They allow us to keep up with friends from a distance and share photos and things that genuinely are positive, but with […]

As the news of the Hillsboro Wal-Mart closure became public, my phone started blowing up with messages of congratulations through text, email and phone conversation. My opposition to Wal-Mart locating in Hillsboro, its value to the community, and our refusal of advertising dollars from Wal-Mart, has a lot of people thinking we were jumping for joy in the Free Press […]

I was done with this year?s Kansas City Chiefs. I was so done that I went on a written tirade and publicly declared the team left for dead after losing a home game to the Chicago Bears. Sitting at 1-5 with another season headed for a high draft pick, I was gearing up for basketball season and hoping 2016 would […]