Breaking News

Editorial

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 ...

Foundation, Sheriff’s Office score big success with grant

For local communities and organizations, applying for a federal grant can be a bit of a gamble. The community or organization may not get any money. And even if a grant is awarded, the amount may be less than what was applied for. That’s what makes a recent grant award to the Webster County Sheriff’s Office and the Fort Dodge Community Foundation remarkable and perhaps even unprecedented in our area. The Sheriff’s Office and the foundation applied to the U.S. Department of Justice for a $72,000 crime prevention grant. They received $200,000. There doesn’t appear to be ...

Dragon boats to come roaring back

The sights and sounds of long dragon boats slicing through the water of Badger Lake will return this weekend. This will be the 26th anniversary of the Badger Lake Dragon Boat Bash. It will be a two-day event on Friday and Saturday featuring a concert by Band K, fireworks and lots of racing action as the dragon boats zoom across the lake propelled by teams of 20 paddlers. In addition to local teams, others are expected from Illinois, Missouri, Wisconsin and eastern Iowa. A silent auction to benefit the Cancer Center at UnityPoint Health–Trinity Regional Medical Center will begin ...

Protect our road workers by slowing down

Chances are that over the years everyone has heard some version of the old wise crack that goes like this: In Iowa, we have two seasons - winter and road construction. We are seeing a lot of road construction right now. For those who are snaking their vehicle through a maze of orange road cones and barricades, it may not seem like a good thing at that moment. But in fact, all the hassle means that projects, some of which are long overdue, are getting done to make future trips easier and better. The unkind reality is that the only time any significant work can get done on city ...

Iowa Sales Tax Holiday starts Friday

Area families are already beginning to think about the items that will be needed to send young folks back to school properly equipped and looking good. According to the National Retail Federation, a typical family with children in school will spend about $890 on back-to-school merchandise this year. That adds up to about $41.5 billion nationwide. Surveys by the federation have shown that clothing and shoes account for about half of a family’s back-to-school spending. Finding bargains is part of the fun of back-to-school shopping every year. Clothing and shoes are among the ...