More CASA volunteers are needed locally

July 29, 2022

The English language seems to be overflowing with acronyms these days, but there is one acronym that is very important to Iowa kids who are struggling. It is CASA. It stands for Court Appointed Special Advocate. A CASA is a volunteer who works with children who have been removed from their homes or were placed under the supervision of the state. Their responsibilities include regularly visiting with the children, meeting with case workers and parents, and making recommendations to the courts. The regular tasks of a CASA include gathering information, reviewing documents, and ...

It’s time to tee up to stop violence

July 28, 2022

Some of the golf carts that will be rolling along the paths at Lakeside Municipal Golf Course on Aug. 6 will have something extra attached to them. As part of the sixth annual Tee’d Off Against Violence Golf Tournament that day, the carts will have shields on them which tell the story of someone lost to violence. Those shields will serve as a reminder of the twin purposes of the day’s event: raising money and raising awareness. It is a noble cause worthy of wide support. The tournament is sponsored by the Homicide/Other Violent Crimes Program, which is part of the Domestic/Sexual ...

New park building honors park benefactor

July 27, 2022

To say that the late Donna Monkelien liked Oleson Park would be putting it mildly. Her name and her love of the sprawling park on the south side of Fort Dodge will be remembered for decades to come thanks to the newly opened shelter in the park which is named after her. A $183,412.93 gift she left the city in her will specifically to support the park made its construction possible. Monkelien and her husband, Richard, lived across the street from the park. They could see the park’s historic bandshell from their living room. The Monkeliens had a front row seat for all the sights and ...

Iowa’s fruit and vegetable growers deserve recognition

July 25, 2022

There’s more than corn and soybeans growing in Iowa’s rich soil. Iowa’s farmers grow staggering amounts of corn and soybeans, so it makes sense that those crops are the first ones many people associate with the state’s farms. But there is also a surprising amount of fruits and vegetables grown in Iowa. To recognize that fact, Gov. Kim Reynolds has proclaimed this week as Iowa Fruit and Vegetable Week. The proclamation states, in part, that “local Iowa fruit and vegetable producers receive support and recognition for their achievements by celebrating this week across ...

Work of many made for softball tournament success

July 23, 2022

The 2022 Girls State Softball Tournament did not end the way the Fort Dodge Dodgers and their fans had hoped that it would, but it still showcased our community and its outstanding sports complex. The fact that Fort Dodge has hosted the tournament for more than 50 years is a tribute to the work and the partnerships created by essentially a generation’s worth of local leaders. These are leaders that have seen the value in both having a world class facility in Harlan and Hazel Rogers Sports Complex, and maintaining a close relationship with the Iowa High School Girls Athletic ...

School garden will produce lots of benefits

July 21, 2022

The Manson Northwest Webster Community School District schools are obviously closed in mid-July, but there is an outdoor learning area in use that will continue to have an impact when classes resume in the fall. It consists of raised planting beds built by students in the district’s ag construction class. High school students Brody Poppen, Reece Olson, and Jeremy Bailey then helped fill the beds with soil. Fifth grade math teacher Amy Brown along with Jodi Jacobsen and Heather Wittrock, planned the effort. Elementary students Brody Bush, Brooklynn Dornath, Kathleen Hildreth, Bella ...