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Keep Iowa’s roads safe during harvest

A nasty crash happened on U.S. Highway 169 in Webster County a week ago when a van hit the back of a grain truck that was turning into a soybean field. It demonstrated graphically why everyone needs to stay alert on the road, and perhaps especially so during harvest season. 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 ...

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 ...

Region shows how to come together in the face of tragedy

The Algona community - and the wider north central Iowa region - were hit with a stunning tragedy on Sept. 13. The response of that community was equally stunning in a positive, uplifting way. The tragedy, of course, was the line of duty death of Algona Police Officer Kevin Cram, who was shot to death by a suspect he was trying to arrest on a warrant for harassment. A sudden, violent death of a young man is a shock anytime it happens. The fact that the young man was a police officer protecting the rest of us from the worst among us makes it even worse. Everyone struggles to know ...

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. ...

Sports pavilion plan offers exciting options for area

Shooting hoops or playing a vigorous game of pickleball will be possible late next year in a new sports pavilion to be built at Corridor Plaza. And after working up a thirst and an appetite on the playing floors, people will be able to enjoy the offerings of a planned microbrewery/restaurant that will occupy part of the building. Measuring 200-by-250-feet, the structure will be big enough to house the planned four basketball courts, three pickleball courts and the restaurant. It will stand on the west side of the Corridor Plaza property, with its front door facing east. The developer ...

133rd Test Squadron plays vital role in national defense

The sign in front of a brick building near Fort Dodge Regional Airport identifies it as the home of the 133rd Test Squadron. An old jet fighter sits nearby. Anyone passing by the place might notice an antenna or two reaching toward the sky. But for many, what the members of that Iowa Air National Guard unit actually do remains a mystery. The short answer is that they help to make the United States of America safe. And they have been doing so for 75 years. That milestone was marked Saturday with an open house and ceremony. Maj. Gen. Stephen Osborn, who as adjutant general ...