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Mentors can make a huge difference

Some of the young folks attending our schools are not progressing as well as they could be. That’s true even though the educators of the Fort Dodge Community School District do an excellent job. Some young people, however, need a little more special attention than can easily be provided in a traditional classroom setting. To address that need, the school district launched a mentoring program in 1994. The goal was to recruit people from a broad spectrum of the community to spend time each week working with students at one of the district’s elementary, middle or high schools. These ...

Iowa Central, Iowa State team up on 3D printing

Printers are found in basically every home and business nowadays. Every day they spew out reams of words and numbers on flat pieces of paper. Newer devices that also are called printers are not limited to an output on flat pieces of paper. That kind of printer can make things that have length, width and height. The devices known as 3D printers are fairly new technology, but more and more uses are being found for them. They have been used to make parts for several years. People who like to build scale models of airplanes and other vehicles are often working with components that ...

Lunch on Central succeeded because of teamwork

Area residents had three opportunities to enjoy good food, great conversation and fresh air in downtown Fort Dodge this summer. The event that made all of that possible was Lunch on Central. Anyone who has lived in Fort Dodge likely remembers Lunch on the Square. Lunch on Central is the same concept, but the location was moved a few blocks east of the City Square to an alley in the 700 block of Central Avenue that runs between the Webster County Courthouse and The Messenger building. While the location changed, the ultimate goal of the noon meals remains the same: get more people to ...

Soybeans are big business in Iowa

Nobody knows exactly how long humans have cultivated the soybean, but agricultural historians are quite certain its domestication as a crop in China dates back three millennia. There are actually Chinese records documenting soybean growth as far back as the 11th century. There is some disagreement about who first introduced soybeans into North America, but researchers seem to agree that by the 1760s soybean seed had reached Georgia. Whatever the origin, few would dispute that in the 21st century soybean cultivation is important to the world as a food source and a great deal more. Food, ...

A day for memories and fierce resolve

Sept. 11, 2001, is a day etched in the memories of Americans. The horrifying images of what began as a beautiful September morning and changed abruptly into hellish chaos remain vivid. The heartbreak of that awful day stems not only from the innocent lives destroyed, but also from the shattered dreams of the survivors. These obscene acts of terrorism inspire in our hearts a fierce resolve to take the actions necessary to prevent a similar tragedy from claiming more lives. The American people opened their hearts to the families touched by the evil work of the terrorists. They also ...

Clay County Fair is an Iowa treasure

The days are a tad shorter. The kids are back in school. There’s a hint of fall in the air. The season for summer fairs and festivals is nearly at an end. For the countless Iowans and others who love county fairs, however, one big event remains — the Clay County Fair. The fair that opens in Spencer on Saturday and runs through Thursday is not just any fair. It is by far the largest county fair in Iowa and ranks among the grandest agricultural expositions in the nation. The members of the Clay County Fair Association had big plans for their fair when it launched more than 100 ...