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Editorial

Families get a financial assist from FDCSD

Any parent can confirm that sending a child off to school, even a tax-supported public school, can get expensive. First, there are all the things that must be bought at the start of every school year: shoes, clothes and supplies like paper, pencils and scissors. Once the school year gets underway, there is the cost of breakfasts and lunches. And at some point in the year, the supply of pencils, paper and other necessities will have to be replenished. For families with multiple children in school, all of this can add up to big expenses quickly. That is why something the Fort Dodge ...

Latest quality-of-life investments are necessary

Serving a ball over a pickleball net and soaring through a quarter pipe on a skateboard are about as different as two recreational pasttimes can be. Now, people are able to do both of those things at new facilities in Fort Dodge. A new skate park that is three times the size of the city’s Dean Hearn Skateboard Park is north of the former Sunkissed Meadows Golf Course on the riverfront. This park was designed based on input from local skaters. And it is not limited to skateboards. If something has wheels, but no motor, it is welcome at the park. That means scooters, roller skates ...

Schools are starting – drive safely

Even though the calendar shows another month of summer to be enjoyed, for students and teachers, vacation days are ending. All across our area, they are heading back to school. Classes at St. Edmond Catholic School and the Manson Northwest Webster and Southeast Valley school districts began Friday. The fall semester at Iowa Central Community College begins Monday. And Wednesday is the first day of classes in the Fort Dodge Community School District. The first day of classes means a new school year full of learning, activities and opportunities is beginning. It also means that ...

A new Backpack Buddies program is needed in Fort Dodge

For 14 years, thousands of local kids relied on a unique program to keep their tummies full with good food on the weekends throughout the school year. Each Friday they picked up a backpack, or in more recent years, a bag, filled with nutritious food. That food was courtesy of a program called Backpack Buddies and it was vital for them because of their families’ economic situations. They relied on school breakfasts and lunches during the week for nutritious meals. But the weekends were another story. On Saturdays and Sundays, they may not have gotten much to eat at all and what they ...

Community Health Center and Upper Des Moines Opportunity team up again

If it seems like it gets dark just a tiny bit earlier every night, that is because it probably does. As the days get just a bit shorter and the nights get just a bit cooler, that means summer is winding down. And as summer winds down, that means one thing for local kids - school will soon resume. Getting ready for another school year can be a real chore for parents. Buying supplies and clothes, plus getting the kids any required physical and dental exams can be a big financial blow for some families. The Community Health Center of Fort Dodge and Upper Des Moines Opportunity Inc. ...

Cochrane served Fort Dodge schools, students well

Being a member of a school board is a rather thankless job. In influencing the education of children, board members grapple with decisions that impact the future of individuals and ultimately, the country. Board members also regularly deal with rules imposed on school districts by the state and federal governments. And then there are the unhappy parents and crabby taxpayers. For dealing with all that, board members in Fort Dodge are paid exactly nothing. It takes a special kind of person to deal with all that for any length of time. That is what makes Stu Cochrane’s tenure on ...