Upon reviewing 2024, there wasn't really anything earth shattering that happened. We had a new business, we had a couple businesses celebrate accomplishments. We had kids do well in competitions. Blah, blah, blah. All great news, but not enough to write about.
    The one thing that affected everyone was that good old compound, H2O.
    At the beginning of the year, the water came down in snowy form, giving us 22" of whiteness. A blizzard also blessed the land in January to make life more interesting during a possibly boring month. The snow did help the drought conditions a bit.
    And then there was the rain. Oh, the rain. While we had some showers that gave us over an inch of falling water a few times, we were very lucky. In southern Minnesota and northwestern Iowa, over a foot of rain fell in a very short time span, causing rivers to flood. Homes were lost as they filled with water. Rivers swelled as the water moved downstream, wreaking havoc to towns such as Correctionville which evacuated residents as the waters took over the town. Roads, including Highway 20 were closed because of water. Farther downstream, Anthon, Oto, and Smithland suffered some water problems with some evacuations in select areas, but they were luckier than Correctionville.
    This flooding, while it didn't reach Danbury, did affect us. Those working or wanting to shop in Sioux City were forced to add nearly an hour to the trip as roads in the affected towns were closed. People needed to detour down to Onawa and back up the interstate. In essence, we were cut off from the western side of the county. This also meant that the western side was cut off from us, and to help with any emergencies that would arise on our side of the river, Danbury's fire and ambulance service areas expanded to cover this side of the river. But, at least we weren't dealing with sandbags or water in basements or infrastructure damage. We were all very grateful to not be in the McCook Lake situation. There, homes disappeared and roads were upended. The property lines changed since some were no longer in existence.
    Danbury's infrastructure did have people talking, too, but not because of flooding. With an aging water plant and a city losing money in the water department, the city added a connection fee to the water bills to help alleviate this issue. People were pretty vocal about the extra $36 on their water bill.
    Of course, there were also the months where the H2O didn't fall from the sky in any form. It got dry here. Very dry. The land begged for rain. Grass fires were frequent. A burn ban spanned multiple counties.
    The year ended with H2O just hanging in the air as fog and mist. For at least a week we dealt with fog causing visibility to disappear in foggy air.
    More than water was experienced last year. In this issue you will find everything that crossed our computer to publication last year. If we missed something, please kindly tell us and we will make sure it is in the archives. Enjoy!

    DES MOINES, Iowa - Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird and the Department of Public Safety are warning Iowans to be aware of a new wave of "grandparent scams." Several Iowa communities throughout the state have recently reported efforts by criminal groups to swindle predominately older Iowans.
    In a grandparent scam, con artists call the victim posing as a grandchild and claiming they have been in an accident, hospitalized, jailed, or even in a foreign country, then ask the grandparent to send money to help them. At times, these scammers will go as far as to send an alleged courier to the grandparent's home to retrieve the money.
    Scammers will often trick the victim by using details about their grandchild that were obtained from social media accounts. The scammer might also team up with another scammer who pretends to be someone backing up the scammer's claims, such as an attorney, doctor, or police officer.
    The Department of Public Safety and Attorney General Bird recommend the following tips to protect against the grandparent scam:
    • Hang up. End the call and verify the information.
    • Contact a trusted family member. Call a verified phone number for your grandchild, another family member, or friend to check out the story - even if you have been told to keep it a secret.
    • Verify the person's identity. Ask questions about your loved one that a stranger would not know.
    • Resist the urge to act quickly or secretly. If someone is asking for money immediately and using fear, excitement, or sympathy, it's a scam.
    • Report the scam to local law enforcement. Scammers attack several residents and communities, so get assistance for yourself and help others avoid scam efforts.
    • Don't answer the door unless you know and trust the visitor. Don't send money. Do not give out personal information, cash, wire money, or send a check or money order by overnight delivery or courier.
    • File a complaint. In addition to notifying local law enforcement authorities, scam calls can be reported to the Federal Trade Commission, as well as the Office of the Attorney General of Iowa.
    • Learn more about family emergency scams. For more information, read the FTC's Family Emergency Scams, or visit the Attorney General's Office website page on grandparent scams.
    Iowans suspicious of a grandparent scam should immediately contact local law enforcement for assistance and report the scam to the Iowa Attorney General's Office at 1.888.777.4590 or iowaattorneygeneral.gov.
    They may also file a complaint with the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center at https://www.ic3.gov/.

    The Rec Center in Danbury is a great place to get some winter doldrums out of your systerm It's also a great place to get summer antsiness out of your system. Or maybe just to work out. Want to play some pool? Ping pong? Basketball? The Rec Center can help with all of that.
    Memberships are $100 for individuals and $200 for a family membership. To get obtain a membership or renew your current membership, please go to Colbert's Market.
    To current members, please remember that membership renewals were due on January 1st. Unpaid memberships on January 15th will result in keycards turned off.