This pandemic is coming up on a year now and history will tell the story of how each and every one us handled it. We have two local governors that have been open to question on many fronts.

Sangeetha Rayapati is a proven representative of our community. We can count on her professionalism, smart money management and willingness to listen to her fellow Moliner.

Just minutes after Sen. Mitch McConnell and 42 of his caucus comrades excused a dangerous madman for his part in the most egregious domestic attack on our government in our nation’s history, the Senate minority leader blasted the ex-president for his undeniable incitement of violent insurrection against our democratic republic in a despicable attempt to halt the peaceful transfer of power to Joe Biden. He condemned Trump’s actions as "a disgraceful dereliction of duty."

The legislation proposed by Rep. Skyler Wheeler (to reduce funding for districts using The 1619 Project) is an attempt to suppress truth.

Let me start out by stating that we don’t have the luxury of revising history. History is fact and fact leads to truth. This newspaper states otherwise in its Feb. 14 endorsement on the 1619 Project.

I'm wondering how many Democrats remember when Democratic President John Kennedy said, "Ask not your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country?"

I am adding my voice to the need for the district-wide recount of Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District. This recount is essential not just for Rita Hart, not just for Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, but for each person in Iowa. This recount is about our basic right to have our vote counted in every election in which we participate.

Walgreens requires a mask; local banks require masks; restaurants require masks; the Iowa House and Senate not so much.

Removing the Western Illinois University-Quad-City campus would be disastrous for our region. As a current senior, the WIU-QC campus is the only way I'm able to earn a bachelor's degree, affordably, at home. Driving to the WIU-Macomb campus for class, while working in Moline, would be impossible and simply not a feasible option — nor is attending a private institution due to tuition costs.

When I watch the news, it seems that all I hear are the loud mouths on the two extremes venting on the issue of the day. At the same time, the sane people in the middle quietly show up for work every day and basically do the heavy lifting that keeps our country running.