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Editorial

Chief justice’s legacy to be honored with volunteer efforts

Fairly and correctly administering the law was a form of public service that Mark Cady turned into his life’s work. Cady, the Fort Dodge man who was the chief justice of the Iowa Supreme Court when he died in November 2019, was a steady presence in courtrooms for nearly 40 years. He began his judicial career as a Webster County district associate court judge. He steadily moved up the ranks of the state’s judiciary, becoming a district court judge, judge of the Iowa Court of Appeals and justice of the Iowa Supreme Court. He became chief justice in 2010. During that time, he heard ...

Sexton is right choice for USDA rural development job

It may not seem like it right now, but at some point the federal government will get back to work. When it does, an area man will be playing the lead role in managing the United States Department of Agriculture’s rural development programs for the state of Iowa. Mike Sexton, of Rockwell City, resigned from the state House of Representatives on Sept. 19 to take the post. We think he is a fine choice for the job. There is no doubt that Sexton, who has been a farmer all of his life, is well familiar with the needs of rural Iowa. And in addition to his farming background, he once ...

Fort Dodge, Kosovo relationship is worthy of support

Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine has Americans thinking about foreign affairs in a way that they probably have not done in a long time. Among other things, the war has made it clear once again that peaceful bonds of friendship need to be forged between countries, and the United States is no exception. Iowa and Fort Dodge are already doing this, creating a steadily growing relationship with Kosovo and Gjakova, one of the cities in that relatively young Balkan nation. These relationships began in the early 2000s during the civil war in which Kosovo separated from Serbia. Iowa Army ...

4-H is about helping youths achieve

National 4-H Week, which began Sunday and concludes Saturday, is a good time to celebrate the enormous contributions 4-H makes to our community and nation. It’s hard to imagine anyone in Iowa who doesn’t know a bit about 4-H, but this week is an appropriate occasion to reflect on the important contribution this organization makes by helping young people develop skills and values that will serve them well for a lifetime. It has been more than a century since 4-H got its start in Iowa in 1901. Today it is the largest youth-development program in the state. About one-quarter of the ...

For Fort Dodge, good things are coming on the housing front

The Fort Dodge community recently received a big vote of confidence from the state officials in charge of housing incentives. Those officials awarded about $1.8 million in tax credits for two construction projects: one at District 29 on the city’s east side and a new apartment complex planned along Third Avenue Northwest. District 29 received $1 million, one of the largest tax credit awards in the state, for 49 new townhome units to be built south of the existing buildings near Dodger Drive and 29th Street. Construction of District 29 began in 2020, and the first phase was ...

Soybeans are big business in Iowa

Nobody knows exactly how long humans have cultivated the soybean, but agricultural historians seem 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 disagreement about who first introduced soybeans into North America, but researchers seem to agree that by the 1760s, soybean seed had reached Georgia. Whatever the origin, few would dispute that in the 21st century, soybean cultivation is important to the world as a food source and a great deal more. ...