Breaking News

Opinion

Questions direction of our country

Letters to the Editor

To the editor: I have lived in the Fort Dodge, Iowa, area all my life. Also raised with ethics and values. I see how our free speech is being attacked in this day and age. How people are calling each other names and if you don’t think as they do, we treat them pathetically. My faith is questioned everyday. We’ve accepted what’s happening in our government. Our expenses are still going up. Families can barely put food on the table for their children and government help has cut down. I would like to know where all the money from those federal employees’ job losses has ...

Nothing compares to Iowa State Fair

Editorial

The time for eating all kinds of food on a stick while gazing at a cow sculpted in butter has arrived. Yes, we are talking about the Iowa State Fair, which begins Thursday and continues through Aug. 17. It may well be the grandest of our nation’s state agricultural festivals. Iowans gathered in Fairfield for the first state fair in 1854 — just eight years after achieving statehood. That fair boasted an attendance of about 8,000. In the early years, the fair’s venue changed frequently. It wasn’t until 1879 that Des Moines became its home. It took up residence at the present ...

Community Health Center and Upper Des Moines Opportunity team up

Editorial

If it seems like it gets dark just a tiny bit earlier every night, that is because it probably does. As the days get just a bit shorter and the nights get just a bit cooler, that means summer is winding down. And as summer winds down, that means one thing for local kids — school will soon resume. Getting ready for another school year can be a real chore for parents. Buying supplies and clothes, plus getting the kids any required physical and dental exams can be a big financial blow for some families. The Community Health Center of Fort Dodge and Upper Des Moines Opportunity Inc. ...

Bringing gravy trains to a squealing halt

Local Columns

Do you hear that, folks? That’s the sound of California’s Gravy Train coming to a squealing halt. The rail project is about $100 billion over budget. It was supposed to be completed five years ago, but not even a single track has been laid. I’ve been railing against this train to nowhere since 2019 and I worked with President Trump to slam the brakes on it. That’s right, the California Crazy Train will no longer be choo choo chewing up taxpayer money. We’re taking back the billions of tax dollars put on board this runaway train by the Biden administration. For too ...

Fort Dodge’s Boys of Summer remember their Demons days

Local Columns

Fort Dodge’s Boys of Summer, now in the autumn of their years, still remember vividly those days of the 1950s and 1960s when they proudly wore the uniform of the Demons baseball team. A lot of life – good and bad - has happened to the hundreds of boys who were coached by the beloved ...

Municipal employees deserve public’s respect

Editorial

Over the last year, Fort Dodge has lost at least a century’s worth of experience, knowledge and dedication. That loss is a result of a long line of municipal employees recently retiring. That list includes, but is not limited to, these individuals: • Vickie Reeck, community and economic development manager • Laurie Hotz, youth services librarian • Steve Hergenreter, fire chief • Dave Odor, geographic information systems manager • Rhonda Chambers, director of aviation at Fort Dodge Regional Airport We know there are others who have recently retired as well. You ...