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Enjoy a festive holiday season

It is that time of year when holiday parties pile up one after the other over the course of a few days – and many of them are held after dark and feature alcoholic beverages. Everyone wants to get to and from all these gatherings safely. No one wants to be added to the grim table of statistics compiled by the Iowa Department of Transportation which records all of the deaths resulting from traffic accidents. As of last Friday, 364 people were killed in traffic crashes in Iowa during 2023, according to the department’s statistics. That is an increase of 9.64 percent from last ...

Silent night, holy night …

All across the nation, a feeling of anticipation is in the air. It is almost Christmas Eve, a time when those whose jobs do not demand that they be at work complete preparations for Christmas, the biggest day on most of our calendars. Once the packages are all wrapped, the last decorations are adjusted on Christmas trees, cookies are taken out of the oven and, perhaps, a turkey begins cooking, a time of peace descends upon many of us. Weary from the hustle and bustle of the holidays, we relax for a few moments. Many of us go to evening church services, where “Joy to the World” ...

Service to his community is central to Terry Moehnke

When the Fort Dodge City Council ends its business meetings, traditionally the mayor calls for a motion to adjourn. That did not happen Monday evening. Instead, Councilman Terry Moehnke called for the motion to adjourn and when that motion passed, he rapped the gavel on the table to end the meeting. When he did that, he essentially wrapped up his 10-year career as a councilman. It was a decade of service in which he spent thousands of hours working on various projects he felt were necessary for the public good.They included improving the riverfront, updating the infrastructure on the ...

Santa Cops were on the beat again

The Santa Cops project is a delightful annual effort to make the holiday season a bit brighter for area youngsters whose families need a hand up to make this time of year as merry as it should be. The Fort Dodge Police Association, Webster County Sheriff’s Department, Fort Dodge/Webster County Reserves, Iowa State Patrol and Gowrie Police Department collaborate on a truly inspiring holiday undertaking. Officers took the young folks on holiday shopping sprees at Target in Fort Dodge on two evenings last week. Area schools help pair law enforcement officers with needy families and ...

This holiday season, support hometown businesses

Tens of millions of Americans will do most, if not all, their holiday season shopping with giant online retail operations this year. They will argue that it is more convenient or safer for them to do so rather than patronize local brick-and-mortar stores. Local retailers, from mom-and-pop specialty shops to the big-box stores, rely on Christmas shoppers for significant chunks of the revenue that keeps them open year-round. If they have a bad holiday shopping season, they suffer terribly. Some may not survive long into the new year. So what? Well, put on your thinking cap for a ...

4-H members demonstrate leadership, service

A tremendous amount of young talent was gathered under one roof in Fort Dodge recently. The occasion was the Webster County 4-H awards celebration, which brought together the student club members and their adult leaders and other supporters. Throughout the evening, the event lived up to its name as a long list of awards was presented. They included a variety of club and project honors, special awards, scholarships and volunteer recognition awards. 4-H members who will graduate from high school this spring were saluted as they wind down their years in the club. It was a memorable ...