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There is hope for tomorrow, even here on this troubled earth

Having commemorated the sorrow of Good Friday, Christians the world over today are contemplating the joy of another Easter morning with the message of victory over death and despair. The celebration of the resurrection of Christ is a time of renewal and a reaffirming of faith in him who rose to lead mankind in the ways of peace and brotherhood and fulfilled the promise of eternal life. It is a time of subdued joy, the joy of understanding that the certainty of death does not detract from the good life and that good deeds and ideals live on and surmount even the inevitable. Easter is ...

Fort Dodge region needs more truck drivers

Anyone who heads out on the road in Webster County or any of the nearby counties can’t help but notice that there are a lot of trucks traveling in the area. And despite the large number of trucks someone might see, the reality is that our region’s economy needs even more truck transportation. Within the region, transportation and warehousing is the second largest growing industry, behind only manufacturing. The limiting factor is the number of people with commercial drivers licenses who can take the driving jobs. In the Fort Dodge region, there are 6,000 open jobs in the ...

Hands-free proposal should be the law in Iowa

We think Iowa lawmakers have missed a chance to make the state’s roads safer for everyone. How did they do that? By failing to approve a bill that would prohibit drivers from using electronic devices unless they are in a hands-free mode. State Rep. Ann Meyer, R-Fort Dodge, introduced the bill three years ago after hearing horror stories from people who were in crashes or nearly in crashes because another driver was using their phone instead of paying attention to the road. Meyer has now submitted the bill in three consecutive legislative sessions. And in each of those sessions, ...

It’s DSAOC Cake Auction time

One of the tastiest fundraisers this community has traditionally experienced is the annual auction conducted by the Domestic Sexual Assault Outreach Center. This online event enables people to indulge their sweet tooth while generating money that is vitally needed to help victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. And it is underway now through Tuesday. It is traditionally known as the Cake Auction. For years, bakers tried to outdo each other with elaborate cakes that went on the auction block. Today there may be some cakes available, but the diversified event also offers ...

Protect our road workers by slowing down

Chances are that over the years everyone has heard some version of the old wise crack that goes like this: In Iowa, we have two seasons — winter and road construction. Here in Fort Dodge, that road construction season is ramping up. In fact, the westbound side of the Kenyon Road Bridge has been closed since last fall. A fresh crop of road cones has just sprouted on Fifth Avenue South and it surely won’t be the last one drivers will see. Local governments have been awarding contracts for a lot of work. For those who are snaking their vehicle through a maze of orange road cones ...

Help celebrate National Ag Day

As another growing season approaches, Tuesday has been set as National Ag Day by the Agriculture Council of America. The council designates the week it falls within as National Ag Week. One goal of National Ag Day is to recognize the contribution agriculture makes in the lives of all of us. The council sponsors and encourages programs during National Ag Week that help Americans: • Understand how food and fiber products are produced. • Appreciate the role ag plays in providing safe, abundant and affordable products. • Value the essential role of agriculture in maintaining a ...