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New name for bridge honors remarkable Fort Dodge man

Longtime residents of Fort Dodge are very familiar with the name of Albert Habhab. A recent move by the City Council will ensure that generations to come will know his name also. The council made sure that would happen by renaming the span on First Avenue South as the Albert Habhab Veterans Memorial Bridge. It had always been the Veterans Bridge; adding the name of a decorated World War II veteran provides more meaning to the title. Habhab’s long life has been one of service and one of inspiration to others. He is the son of immigrants from Lebanon who was born in Fort Dodge in ...

Angels of Love bring holiday hope, happiness

As the holiday season begins, angel ornaments will start appearing everywhere. You’ll see them dangling from the branches of Christmas trees and standing on window ledges. Area residents now have an opportunity to add another angel to their collection of Christmas items and at the same time help pay for some needed items for UnityPoint Health – Trinity Regional Medical Center. More than two decades ago, the members of the Trinity Regional Medical Center Auxiliary came up with a neat idea. They decided to sell angel ornaments in the hospital’s gift shop and use the money to pay ...

Help Salvation Army by ringing bells

Like Christmas trees and turkey dinners, the red kettles and bell ringers of The Salvation Army are a traditional element of the holiday season. Just about everyone has seen the kettles and heard the jingling bells over the years. And hopefully, just about everyone has put some donations in those kettles to help those less fortunate. Now, The Salvation Army needs some help to keep that fine tradition going. It is in need of people willing to stand next to a kettle and ring the bells. In recent years, recruiting bell ringers has proven to be a tough chore. However, it is not ...

Americans unite behind veterans

How fortuitous it is that while the attention of millions of Americans seems focused on controversy, we take time out to honor those about whom we are in complete agreement: veterans of military service. No matter how we view politics, we are united in revering the men and women who have served and do serve us in uniform. The Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and now Space Force are the solid wall behind which our freedoms rest. They serve us not as Democrats, Republicans, Independents or adherents to any particular political philosophy. They serve us simply as ...

Get out and vote Tuesday

Despite what critics may say, there are a lot of exciting things going on in Fort Dodge. Fort Dodge and Webster County are well-positioned to prosper, but doing so will require the right leadership. That’s why the election process is so important. Tuesday’s general election will be a big one for the local area. In Fort Dodge, voters will pick five members of the City Council. They will also pick five members of the Fort Dodge Community School District Board of Education. And if that isn’t enough, they, along with all the other Webster County voters, will weigh in on a ...

Vote yes on jail bond issue question

During this year’s general election, Webster County voters are being asked if their county government should be allowed to borrow $45.5 million to pay for building a new jail that would replace the one in the downtown Law Enforcement Center. The ballot question is specifically about that $45.5 million. But the issue before voters can be summed up as “pay me now or pay me later.” The Sheriff’s Department is running that jail, but it is also spending hundreds of thousands of dollars every year to house inmates elsewhere because the local jail is too small to hold all of them. ...