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Editorial

Work of many led to softball tourney’s success

The 2026 Girls State Softball Tournament did not end exactly the way the St. Edmond Gaels and the Fort Dodge Dodgers had hoped it would, but it still showcased our community and its outstanding sports complex. The fact that Fort Dodge has hosted the tournament for more than 50 years is a tribute to the work and the partnerships created by essentially a generation’s worth of local leaders. These are leaders who have seen the value in both having a world-class facility in Harlan and Hazel Rogers Sports Complex, and maintaining a close relationship with the Iowa High School Girls ...

Join the ranks of blood donors

Summer has long been considered the season for fun. The sun is out, and school is out. It’s the season to get outside and play or take the family on the great American road trip. But summer is also a season when there are historically a lot of injuries and accidents. Some in the health care profession even refer to summer as trauma season. When hospitals have to take care of more people who are seriously hurt, they need donated blood. Plus hospitals still have other patients who require blood. The problem is, blood donations often taper off during the summer as people go on ...

State softball returns to Fort Dodge

One of summer’s most enjoyable events gets underway today. The Girls State Softball Tournament will be the highlight of the season for the teams that made it to state-level competition, including the two hometown squads. For the fourth time in five years, both the Fort Dodge Dodgers and the St. Edmond Gaels will be competing in the tournament. But we must admit that all the teams are outstanding. Making it to this final event of the season means that none will have any reason for more than a brief lament, no matter what their final standing. Making it to state is itself an ...

Balance is needed in everyone’s online lives

Teenagers who once spent hours talking to each other on the phone now spend hours communicating on social media. Many adults do much of the same thing, spending hours scrolling through various web sites and social media feeds. Ironically, much of this is done using phones. Devices which were originally created to enable people to speak to each other in some cases now get used to do about everything but speak to another human being. The internet has a lot of tremendous benefits. It enables people to access all kinds of news and information that they could have never received ...

Be sure to check out the Webster County Fair

The Webster County Fair begins today and continues through Sunday on the fairgrounds at 22770 Old Highway 169. It will feature all of the traditional 4-H and FFA livestock exhibits, plus other projects completed by the youth of those organizations. The fair royalty will be crowned early in the event so that the king and queen can be on hand for all the festivities that will follow. In addition to the farm-related activities, there will also be a full slate of entertainment. The entertainment lineup includes Lew-E’s Comedy Circus and a Live Shark Encounter. The grandstand ...

Buffer Pilot Project just got better

There are times when a good idea can be made even better. That is the case with the expansion of the state’s Streamside Buffer Pilot Project. It uses a comparatively small amount of money to help farmers plant vegetation along the sides of waterways, with the ultimate goal of cleaning up water downstream. And there is plenty of evidence showing that the all-natural processes of plants can make the nearby water cleaner. The buffers are the plant kingdom’s version of an NFL offensive line: they block things from getting through. But instead of protecting a quarterback, they protect ...