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Putting Iowans first

Local Columns

For the last four years, we saw our southern border turned into a glorified turnstile with a record flood of illegal immigrants and drug trafficking by murderous cartels. Iowans are unfortunately all too familiar with the dangers of open borders. In 2016, as Iowan Sarah Root drove home from a college graduation party, she was struck and killed by an illegal immigrant driving drunk. Before her family could even lay Sarah to rest, her killer was released on bail and fled to Honduras. Like most Iowans, I was heartbroken for Sarah’s family and outraged that the system had failed to ...

You can get away from it all close to home

Editorial

Summer is the time for vacations and the all-American roadtrip. Big cities full of attractions and spectacular natural wonders like the Grand Canyon await. But area residents actually don’t have to go far to enjoy tranquillity in the great outdoors. Webster County is home to two big state parks: Brushy Creek State Recreation Area and Dolliver Memorial State Park. Brushy Creek State Recreation Area, on the eastern side of the county, features a 690-acre lake for fishing, swimming and kayaking. It also has three campgrounds, miles of trails and features for people who bring their ...

Wants city to help seniors stay in their homes

Letters to the Editor

To the editor: First of all, I want to say that my husband and I were both very fortunate to have worked in two of the best places in Fort Dodge. Ron worked at Fort Dodge Labs for 36 years and I worked at Iowa Central Community College for over 28 years. Yes, we have wonderful pensions but why do we have to be concerned about using all savings with the cost of rising expenses? Obviously health insurance raises premiums every year. Real estate taxes go up most years. “Water bill” goes up several times a year in past years. My reason for writing a letter to the editor is this. ...

Standing with President Trump against Communist China

Local Columns

On June 4, FBI Director Kash Patel reported the arrest of a Chinese national who was allegedly caught smuggling a dangerous, potential biological weapon into the United States. According to the report, the Chinese national — Yunqing Jian — was traveling with samples of fusarium graminearum. This fungus can cause “head blight” in wheat, corn, and other grains, as well as causing health problems in humans and livestock. It should be of little surprise that both Jian and her accomplice, Zunyoug Liu, have ties to the Chinese Communist Party. This is yet another attempt by the CCP ...

‘Spotlight 2.0’ offers heart-warming glance at area people

Editorial

One man’s love for his hometown and its people has yielded a remarkable volume detailing wonderful memories and stories. The author is Paul Stevens and the book is “Spotlight 2.0.” Inside its covers are about 100 of the monthly Spotlight columns Stevens has written over the last decade or so. The columns appeared separately in The Messenger. But in the book, each column is like a short chapter. People can read as many of them as they want to in one sitting. And because they are all together, there will never be a need for a dedicated Spotlight reader to wish that they had saved ...

Summer fun beckons for all

Editorial

Science tells us that summer technically starts June 20, but many people feel like we are already in the middle of that much anticipated season. School has been out for a couple of weeks now and long days all but beg to be filled with fun activities.That is especially true for younger folks. The kids are, hopefully, out and about. But kids being kids, they are more focused on what they are doing and less likely to be paying attention to things around them, even things that could hurt them. The situation is magnified by the fact that so many of them will have their eyes and minds ...