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Editorial

Bushman has long record of service to Fort Dodge

For 45 years, there has been one steady figure of great influence providing guidance to the staff of The Messenger. In a business which sees its share of turnover, Larry Bushman has been central to this newspaper, its staff and ultimately its readers. Working at the newspaper has hardly been the only thing Bushman has done for his community. His track record of involvement is long and includes everything from serving on the board of the local hospital to being a member of the Fort Dodge Noon Rotary Club. His service has not gone unnoticed. On Thursday evening, the Greater Fort Dodge ...

River’s Edge Discovery Center promises a wealth of information

Travel all the way to the western end of Central Avenue and look toward the Des Moines River and you’ll see the beginnings of a major construction project. The area looks a bit like a muddy mess right now, but out of that muck will rise a much-anticipated nature center. Owned by Webster County Conservation, it will be called The River’s Edge Discovery Center. Inside will be a wealth of exhibits about what is perhaps Iowa’s most precious natural resource: its water. The theme of the center is summed up by this statement: “Immerse yourself in the living story of Iowa’s water - ...

Webster County Fair earns statewide recognition

As anyone who lives around Fort Dodge knows, the annual Webster County Fair is something special. A group that specializes in county fairs has now recognized that, and has honored the local fair. The Webster County Fair was recently named a 2022 Blue Ribbon Fair by the Association of Iowa Fairs. That award recognizes the event for its service to the community and area youth, and for the high caliber of volunteers who put on the fair every year. Only six fairs get this honor each year. The association was exactly right when it noted the excellent work done by the volunteers. Quite ...

Heart of Iowa Housing Trust Fund makes impact

The Heart of Iowa Regional Housing Trust Fund continues to make an impact in local communities. The Trust Fund is reaching people in more communities who need financial help to fix up and ultimately stay in their homes. It initially served Hamilton and Webster counties. It recently grew to also include Calhoun, Humboldt, Pocahontas and Wright counties. The Heart of Iowa Regional Housing Trust Fund was organized in late 2018 thanks to $217,108 from the state, plus matching funds from local governments and banks. It started putting that money to work at the beginning of 2019. Since ...

New malpractice law balances needs of patients, health care providers

It is rare, but occasionally someone seeking treatment for an illness or injury ends up worse off because a mistake was made by a health care provider. At that point the situation often moves from the health care system to the legal system. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Negligent or incompentent doctors and health care facilities need to be held accountable, and a medical malpractice lawsuit is one way to do that. Holding people and organizations accountable is proper, but should that accountability come at such a high price that a hospital closes or physicians refuse to ...

Have a safe Super Bowl Sunday

The sporting event that will take place Sunday evening has essentially no equal. Sure, there are the Olympics, the World Series, the Stanley Cup finals and the NBA championships. The excitement of those events are all spread over a number of days. Sunday’s Super Bowl, however, will pack all the excitement into a few intense hours. The upcoming clash of the AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs and the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles will be more than a sporting event. It will be a social event. Lots of people get together to watch other games, but Super Bowl parties seem to be in a ...