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Editorial

Pitch in to help preserve local history

There are a lot of fascinating objects in the Webster County Museum that together show how daily life has progressed and changed over the generations. The items to be seen include what is believed to be Iowa’s largest collection of Boy Scout memorabilia, furniture, old hospital equipment, and artifacts from the county’s railroad and mining industries. The problem is, no one has seen the stuff in more than three years. But that can change soon, and some help from local people can make that happen. The museum collection is in the former Otho Elementary School. However, the old ...

Fort Dodge Fiber Farm & Home Show continues today

Despite the crazy weather of the last 24 hours, the temperatures are sure to begin rising and residents of the Fort Dodge area will be a lot more certain that spring has indeed arrived. And with spring, comes the notion of spring cleaning. But how about giving your home, yard or garden a whole new look? Or perhaps you just need some tips and inspiration for tackling the dreaded ”honey do” list of household chores. Whatever a person’s needs or interests in home improvement and landscaping may be, they can find valuable information at the Fort Dodge Fiber Farm & Home Show ...

It’s D/SAOC cake auction time

One of the tastiest fundraisers this community has traditionally experienced is the annual cake auction conducted by the Domestic/Sexual Assault Outreach Center. Each year, bakers try to outdo each other with elaborate cakes that go on the auction block along with all kinds of other goodies. The delicious extravaganza is the primary fundraiser for D/SAOC. It is cake auction time once again. After being canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID, the auction returned last year in an entirely online format. That event went well. Leaders of the center found that people liked bidding ...

Talking while driving a hazard to all

It’s an all too common sight on Iowa roads: a driver with a phone pressed to their ear, chatting away while their vehicle weaves in and out of its lane. Such action could be the beginning of a crash and, in a worst case scenario, a tragedy. Just how bad is this kind of distracted driving situation? The Iowa Department of Transportation recently preliminary numbers for 2021 that answer that question. According to those statistics, there were 1,084 crashes in Iowa that year caused by people distracted by an electronic device. Those crashes killed 11 people and injured at least 469 ...

Clubhouse is latest sign of teamwork between city, college

Sports have the ability to bring people together. It turns out that they also have the ability to bring organizations or institutions together. An example of that ability is developing now at Harlan and Hazel Rogers Sports Complex north of Fort Dodge. The sports complex, perhaps best known for being the site of the annual girls state softball tournament for more than 50 years, is a collection of softball, baseball and soccer fields owned by the city government. It includes four youth baseball fields that are replicas of Yankee Stadium in New York, Fenway Park in Boston, Wrigley Field ...

Help celebrate National Ag Day

As another growing season approaches, Tuesday has been set as National Ag Day by the Agriculture Council of America. The council designates the week it falls within as National Ag Week. One goal of National Ag Day is to recognize the contribution agriculture makes in the lives of all of us. The council sponsors and encourages programs during National Ag Week that help Americans: • Understand how food and fiber products are produced. • Appreciate the role ag plays in providing safe, abundant and affordable products. • Value the essential role of agriculture in maintaining a ...