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It will be a good day to recall past struggles for economic fairness

To most Americans in 21st-century America, Labor Day is not an especially important holiday. It marks the unofficial end of summer. As such, it affords a three-day weekend to pursue summertime passions one last time before the weather cools. For most of us, it has little additional meaning. It may come as a surprise to many contemporary Americans, therefore, to learn that Labor Day became a national holiday during an era characterized by great conflict between organized labor and the business community. The decision to create the holiday was, in part, an act of conciliation. The ...

Dayton Rodeo fun starts Friday

The 2023 incarnation of the Dayton Labor Day Rodeo will attract large crowds this weekend – deservedly so. What began more than eight decades ago as the dream of three young cowboys – Allen Porter, Duane Vegors and Vern Danielson – has grown to a four-day event that draws contestants and spectators not only from all parts of Iowa, but also from throughout the nation. This annual event attracts 10,000 to 12,000 rodeo fans, many of whom journey every year to Webster County for this nationally recognized event. For a few action-packed days, Dayton becomes one of the busiest spots ...

River cleanup yields four tons of waste

Balancing a big tractor tire on a canoe and then paddling that canoe downstream without capsizing requires some skill. Fortunately, some of the volunteers who recently took part in a Des Moines River cleanup effort called Pickin’ Up While Paddlin’ Down had the necessary skills to do just that. It is unfortunate, however, that the volunteers’ strength and canoeing skill had to be applied to such a task. A tractor tire should never be in a river. On Aug. 5, about 30 volunteers using 13 canoes and two kayaks took part in the cleanup organized by Webster County Conservation. ...

Latest quality of life investments are necessary

Serving a ball over a pickleball net and soaring through a half pipe on a skateboard are about as different as two recreational pasttimes can be. Sometime next year, people will be able to do both in Fort Dodge. They’ll also be able to shoot hoops on a rebuilt basketball court at H.C. Meriwhether Park on 10th Avenue Southwest. Those are the three latest investments in recreation and quality of life the Fort Dodge City Council has committed to. Contractors have been hired to build the new skateboard park along the riverfront and the four new pickleball courts north of the Rosedale ...

New strategy will help address community mental health problems

An innovative solution to provide help for those situations in which mental health problems intersect with the criminal justice system is getting started in Fort Dodge. We think it has a lot of potential to improve individual lives and, by extension, our whole community. This new program puts a mental health professional in the Webster County Law Enforcement Center, where they will stay in contact with police officers and the citizens those officers encounter who have mental health problems. That individual is Fort Dodge native Brittany Baker. She is a 2005 graduate of St. Edmond ...

Nothing compares to the Iowa State Fair

The time for eating all kinds of food on a stick while gazing at a cow sculpted in butter has arrived. Yes, we are talking about the Iowa State Fair which continues through Sunday. It may well be the grandest of our nation’s state agricultural festivities. Iowans gathered in Fairfield for the first state fair in 1854 — just eight years after achieving statehood. That fair boasted an attendance of about 8,000. In the early years, the fair’s venue changed frequently. It wasn’t until 1879 that Des Moines became its home. It took up residence at the present site in 1886. The ...