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Editorial

Summer fun is here in the Fort Dodge area

The long days of summer are upon us, with seemingly endless hours of daylight to be enjoyed. In fact, at least on weekends, you might as well call them the long, lazy days of summer. Locally, there will be plenty of things to do on those on summer weekends. Consider this upcoming weekend. Lehigh River Days is back, led by an all new organizing committee determined to inject a fresh sense of excitement and vibrancy into the yearly festival. It will include some traditional staples of years past, such as the log rolling contest. That consists of people standing on a log in a four foot ...

Gateway to Discovery women set an example for all

Beating addiction is hard work, physically, mentally and emotionally. The women of Gateway to Discovery are doing the hard work of conquering addiction. And if that isn’t enough, they recently went out and did some hard work to make part of the Fort Dodge community cleaner and better looking. Gateway to Discovery is a faith-based residential recovery program for women. Last week, the women tackled some of the mess once found along the Des Moines River near the Pleasant Valley neighborhood and along Meriwhether Drive plus Oleson Park and Triton Drive on the city’s west ...

World Pork Expo is worth a look

It is time for the 2023 edition of the World Pork Expo. The Expo begins today and continues through Friday at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines. The annual event brings together pork producers, exhibitors and visitors not just from across Iowa, but also from throughout the nation. More than 10,000 people are expected to attend. Visitors from 50 nations have come to the Expo in the past, giving it a truly international following. Educational and marketing programs, such as business seminars and the Pork Academy, will appeal to many of those who attend this important pork ...

Iowa’s water quality progress keeps accelerating

Editor's note: This is a guest editorial. It may be an understatement, but these past few years have provided some unique challenges. Yet, despite supply chain disruptions, inflation, and unpredictable weather, we continue to see record engagement in our state’s conservation activity. The increased level of awareness and resources, coupled with an expanding list of public and private partnerships, has led to the adoption of more conservation practices now than at any time in our state’s history. As we mark the 10-year anniversary of the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy, it’s ...

Fort Dodge succeeds in securing environmental grants

It wasn’t too long ago that using asbestos as insulation in buildings was standard procedure. In many old buildings the stuff is everywhere, including in the floor tiles. Lead-based paint was standard, too. But advances in medical science proved that asbestos and lead-based paint are bad news. Asbestos causes lung cancer and other diseases of the respiratory tract while exposure to lead-based paint can cause harm to the brain, kidneys, nerves and blood, especially in children. Fort Dodge has a lot of old buildings that contain both substances. The presence of asbestos and ...

Frontier Days 2023 kicks off summer

This weekend there will be a sure sign that the summer season is truly at hand. What is that sign? Frontier Days 2023, of course. Frontier Days is the annual Fort Dodge event that draws thousands to the downtown parade and the Fort Museum and Frontier Village. The gates open at the Fort Museum and Frontier Village at 4 p.m. Friday and the excitement and entertainment will commence soon after. The three-day festival continues a Fort Dodge tradition that is returning with a theme this year of “Tall Tales of the Frontier.” Not content to rest on applause for past glories, organizers ...