October has been designated National Pork Month. That makes it an especially good time to reflect on the importance of the pork industry to this state. It’s unlikely that anyone who lives in Iowa does not already know that pork production contributes mightily to the economic vitality of the ...

State Rep. Rob Bacon, of Slater, has was first elected to the Iowa House of Representative in 2010 and is now completing his third term. He brought to the House substantial legislative experience having previously served one term in the Iowa Senate. Bacon understands well the multitude of ...

Iowa’s judiciary is recognized as among the best in the nation. In surveys conducted for the United States Chamber of Commerce, our state judiciary has consistently ranked among the top five state court systems in terms of impartiality and competence. This high standing is due to Iowa’s ...

Many alumni of Iowa Central Community College made admirable contributions to the college community during their student days and have distinguished careers in the years that follow. The college honors some of these alumni each fall by inducting them into the Triton Hall of Fame. That annual ...

For more than a half century residents of this part of Iowa have worked hard to promote the conversion of U.S. Highway 20 into a four-lane thoroughfare that spans the Hawkeye State from Dubuque to Sioux City. That goal has been achieved at last. Today the finished project will be celebrated ...

The Fort Dodge City Council has authorized the city to apply for a $7.63 million federal grant to pay much of the $11.5 million cost of building an intermodal hub in the heart of our city’s downtown. This is a wise decision. It deserves the strongest possible community support. The ...

There are various types of businesses that operate as cooperatives, but according to the National Cooperative Business Association they all are owned and democratically controlled by their members and are designed to serve those members. The members typically are the people who “use the ...

Space exploration is dangerous. No amount of technological advances and expensive safeguards changes the fact that the brave women and men who travel beyond the atmosphere have agreed to be strapped to the tops of massive amounts of explosives. We were reminded of the hazards recently, when a ...

Some in the White House are not especially fond of Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor who became this country’s ambassador to the United Nations under President Donald Trump. Still, there is evidence Trump himself understood her great value to Americans. Haley revealed last ...

America’s exceptionally strong economy would be even more robust if this nation were able to sell in the international marketplace more of the products that are grown here. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, exports already produce about 20 percent of farm income. The ...

Every day more than 53 million newspapers are delivered to readers. Those compendiums of news and community information arrive on doorsteps all across our land as if by magic. Nothing magical is afoot, of course. Hundreds of thousands of newspaper carriers spread out across the nation each day ...

North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un insists he is prepared to scrap his nuclear weapons and, presumably, his intercontinental missiles. But he didn’t say anything about cyberwarfare. Whether Kim will keep his promises about military hardware remains to be seen. Indeed, as President Donald ...

Election Day in the Hawkeye State is Nov. 6. To make voting as convenient as possible, many states allow registered voters to cast ballots over a period of weeks in advance the official Election Day. Here in Iowa early voting is now underway. Ballots can be cast at county auditors’ office. ...

Here at The Messenger, we work diligently to put out a daily newspaper that we hope readers find both informative and useful. This is National Newspaper Week. That makes it a good time to reflect on our industry. Newspapers are so much a part of daily life that most people spend little time ...

When will the electricity be back on? Is the water safe to drink? Which streets were damaged so badly they need to be closed to the public? Can school buildings be repaired and reopened quickly? Do any municipal employees need time off to ensure their own families are safe? That is just a ...

Have you gotten your flu shot yet? Why not? Many health care professionals are urging the public — especially those who, because of age or existing health conditions may be more vulnerable to the flu — to get immunized as soon as possible. They have a very good reason for being worried. ...

Even defenders of the deal former President Barack Obama’s administration negotiated with Iran admitted that it would delay Tehran’s acquisition of nuclear weapons only about 10 years. That was three years ago. Now, some are warning that President Donald Trump’s decision to pull the ...

Forget the paper trail once relied upon by investigators. As the near-continual parade of politicians, celebrities and athletes accused of misbehavior — often long ago — reminds us, it’s the electronic trail that matters these days. And, in contrast to paper documents that can be ...

Nobody knows exactly how long humans have cultivated the soybean, but agricultural historians are quite certain its domestication as a crop in China dates back three millennia. There are actually Chinese records documenting soybean growth as far back as the 11th century. There is some ...

If you enjoy outdoor recreation, whether that means camping in a wilderness area or just taking the kids to the playground at a city park, there is an excellent chance you owe a debt of gratitude to a federal program of which you may never have heard. It is the Land and Water Conservation ...