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Editorial

Use of wind power must be encouraged

Spend any time outdoors in Iowa and one thing becomes immediately apparent - the wind is always blowing. We Iowans are accustomed to the corn stalks rustling in the summer breeze. And we complain when the wind chill factor makes a cold January day feel even colder. But wind is a fact of life here. That constant steady wind provides Iowans with a basically endless supply of low cost electricity. Wind turbines can be seen throughout southern Webster County and much of the state. Those turbines generate 63 percent of the state’s electricity, according to the most recent figures ...

Nitrogen project is worthy of support

A project just getting underway offers a chance to address two issues that affect the state of Iowa every year: water quality and the cost of fertilizer. It is called the Nitrogen Soil Sampling Project. It involves the state Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, the Iowa Nutrient Research & Education Council and Iowa State University in Ames. Because of the great positive impact it can have, we believe it is worthy of support by Iowa’s farmers. Over the three-year run of this project, researchers will study the year-to-year variability in nitrogen availability and ...

Spring cleaning helps keep city looking good

On Wednesday afternoon, groups of people carrying orange garbage bags could be seen moving through fields on the east side of Fort Dodge, in the area where lots of stores are located. As they moved, they gradually filled those bags with every piece of litter they found. That effort was the annual spring cleanup, once called the FOD Walk. For more than 15 years, the effort organized by the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance has made our community a bit cleaner. The endeavor was started by Rhonda Chambers, the former director of aviation at Fort Dodge Regional Airport who once led the ...

Earth Day unites more than it divides

The late 1960s were turbulent years in America. It was a time of rapid change when young protesters expressed disillusionment with many aspects of the world their elders had built. The divisions in society that emerged from those conflicts decades ago still haunt our society in the 21st century. Some of the emotional scars from those bitter disputes will influence American politics well into the future. There is, however, one legacy of those chaotic times that unites rather than divides us — Earth Day. The first Earth Day was April 22, 1970. Today marks 56 years of Earth ...

Area residents should answer the Call of the Wild

As spring begins to bloom around us, many people are going to be spending a growing amount of time outdoors. And those whose idea of getting outside extends far beyond their backyards may feel they are answering the call of the wild. On Wednesday, everyone with any level of interest in nature can respond to a different Call of the Wild. This one is a special event to raise money for the Friends of Webster County Conservation. It offers a program that may encourage everyone to explore Iowa’s waterways. An experienced outdoorsman’s insights on what can be found along those ...

Protect our road workers by slowing down

Every spring, road workers throughout the Fort Dodge area move out to do battle with the potholes, cracks and other damage left behind by the constant freezing and thawing typical of a Midwest winter. 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. The annual chore of fixing all the potholes will be part of the road construction season. Plus there will be fresh coats of asphalt and concrete being placed on some streets. And there will be bigger construction ...