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Letters to the Editor

A walk in the park

To the editor: Recently I was walking my 30-pound golden doodle, Penny, on the nature trail. As we walked past Snell-Crawford Park, I noticed a young woman in the middle of the volleyball court struggling with a full grown pitbull. She lost control of the dog and it was on us faster than I could react, chasing my dog in circles around me until our leash finally wrapped around me and down I went. I would like to thank the woman who called 911 and stayed until the ambulance arrived. I would also like to thank the great EMT crew that picked me up and got me to the hospital, where I ...

County attorney explains dog neglect case

To the editor: The Webster County Attorney's Office respects and appreciates the efforts of the Fort Dodge Messenger in their coverage of our local court system. However, it is necessary to respond to the article on the animal neglect case of David Collan published in your April 23rd, 2025, edition. Las fall, our office, in conjunction with local law enforcement and animal control, successfully removed 29 dogs from Mr. Collan that had been neglected. A judgment of more than $20,000 was also entered. Most of these dogs have now recovered and have been placed with responsible ...

Wants pharmacy benefit manager reform

To the editor: As a longtime Eagle Grove resident, I have been shocked to read the recent coverage of Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) and their harmful impact on communities of all sizes across the state. It has been widely reported that 29 Iowa pharmacies closed in 2024. These pharmacies were in both rural and urban communities, showing that no community is immune from the predatory practices of PBMs. My daughter is an adult with Down Syndrome and has severe psoriatic arthritis. She is a Medicaid patient and needs to have Humira injections every two weeks, which leads to an ...

Questions ambulance billing after referendum passed

To the editor: Webster County recently held an election and authorized taxation to pay for EMT/ambulance services, designating such medical service as “essential.” I am left with a question now that the issue has been resolved with wildly favorable results. We will pay for such service with tax dollars. OK, good plan. My question: Why should we be billed individually for this essential service? If you need police service, you do not get a bill after the fact. If you need help with a fire you won’t receive a bill later. Living in the country, my family has traditionally received ...

Appreciates work of Fort Dodge airport staff

To the editor: I had a flight booked from Fort Dodge to Nashville, Tennessee, to attend the American Pharmacists annual meeting on March 20. When the blizzard occurred on Wednesday, March 19, I was concerned. I contacted Rhonda Chambers, the head of the Fort Dodge Regional Airport. She stated the airport would be ready the next day. The airport personnel were personable, knowledgeable, helpful and kept everyone flying that day up to date on the arrival and departure of the Chicago flight. There were 15 to 20 passengers flying out that morning. The plane was full on the return trip back ...

Warns of threat to American democracy

To the editor: At Eggs and Issues, I brought up what I believe is the essential issue that everyone should be talking about: that the United States may lose its democratic status. For those who don’t know, the group that monitors and reports on the democratic status of nations put out a warning that the United States may not qualify as a democracy in next year’s report. When I brought up the issue, only Kraayenbrink spoke on the issue. He was very dismissive, explaining that we are a republic — not a democracy — which, duh, no country is a true democracy because voting on ...