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Editorial

Springer served up legacy of dedication at concession stand

Over the years, thousands of people have enjoyed food and drinks from the concession stand at Dodger Stadium. The energy and dedication of Steve Springer helped to make that possible. Springer was a member of the Fort Dodge Community School District Board of Education and the Fort Dodge Senior High School Booster Club. As an outgrowth of those roles, he spent a lot of time in the stadium’s concession stand. He invested so much of his time there that he became more than a volunteer. As Tom Kinseth, the school district’s former activities and athletics director put it, Springer ...

Keep Iowa’s roads safe during harvest

This is the time of the year when big, slow-moving farm vehicles rumble out onto roadways dominated by faster-paced traffic. That shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who lives in farm country. Even so, all of us should pay special heed to safety considerations as we share the roads with agricultural vehicles. In general, Iowa has been doing a good job of keeping accidents involving farm vehicles to a minimum. According to data from the Iowa Department of Transportation, fatalities and major injuries resulting from such accidents have been on the decline in recent years. That’s ...

‘Safety first, avoid the worst’

Farms can be seen as quiet, peaceful places where the crops grow and animals graze in the pastures. Farms can indeed be such tranquil spots. But as all Iowans know, farming is an industry. And like all industries, there are certain hazards associated with it. Tractors can be in crashes on rural roads. Machines can snag arms and legs. Grain bins can become death traps. Most of those nightmare scenarios can be avoided by using common sense and basic safety precautions. National Farm Safety and Health Week, which began Sunday, is a time dedicated to raising awareness of the various ...

Let’s keep making state softball better and better

The girls state softball tournament has been part of Fort Dodge for 56 years. It’s going to be part of the community for another 20 years, through 2045. That is not just hopeful talk, that is a fact thanks to an unprecedented 20-year contract extension agreed to by the Fort Dodge city government and the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union. The extension was announced Sept. 10. The tournament has been held at Harlan and Hazel Rogers Sports Complex since 1970, but the contract that has kept the event here for so long has in the past only been extended for a few years at a time. ...

Urban deer hunt to begin in Fort Dodge on private lands

A deer hunting season is about to get underway in Fort Dodge. It will start Saturday, and chances are many people will have no indication that it is happening. The fact that the hunting won’t be obvious to everyone in town is a good thing. We hope it stays that way because that means the hunt is being conducted flawlessly by expert archers. The hunt will continue through Jan. 10, 2026, on privately owned land that meets size requirements. Most of that property is on the northern, eastern and western edges of the city. The decision to allow what is called an urban controlled bow ...

Clay County Fair is an Iowa treasure

The season for summer fairs and festivals is nearly at an end. For the countless Iowans and others who love county fairs, however, one big event remains — the Clay County Fair. The fair that opened in Spencer on Saturday and runs through Sunday is not just any fair. It is by far the largest county fair in Iowa and ranks among the grandest agricultural expositions in the nation. The members of the Clay County Fair Association had big plans for their fair when it launched more than 100 years ago. That first fair was the largest county fair held in Iowa its inaugural year, and ...