Breaking News

Opinion

Appreciates work of Fort Dodge airport staff

Letters to the Editor

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

Letters to the Editor

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 ...

It’s time for spring — and farming

Editorial

It’s getting to be that time of the year. Although it is early in the season, you just may have seen someone working in the fields already. You may have seen a tractor rolling down a rural road. If you are a farmer, perhaps you have been looking over the fields and getting the machinery ready. All that activity means one thing — the time to start planting is drawing near. Yes, there may be a late season snow storm, but spring is coming and with it comes the annual planting. Spring is the time when the pace quickens on the state’s roughly 90,000 farms. According to the ...

Law would make Iowa’s roads safer

Editorial

We think Iowa lawmakers are getting close to making the state’s roads safer for everyone. How are they doing that? By advancing a bill that would prohibit drivers from using electronic devices unless they are in a hands-free mode. State Rep. Ann Meyer, R-Fort Dodge, first introduced the bill more than four years ago after hearing horror stories from people who were in crashes or nearly in crashes because another driver was using their phone instead of paying attention to the road. Meyer has now submitted the bill in four consecutive legislative sessions. And in each of the three ...

Homegrown Iowa biofuels support American energy dominance

Local Columns

Domestic energy production is a critical component of both our short- and long-term economic growth, bolsters our national security, and strengthens our international competitiveness. From getting to work and heating and cooling homes to keeping the lights on and growing crops, our families, farmers, businesses, manufacturers, and many other sectors of our economy rely on reliable, affordable, and abundant sources of energy. President Trump recognized this reality when he declared a national energy emergency on his first day in office and later established a National Energy Dominance ...

Protect our road workers by slowing down

Editorial

Despite the heaps of snow outside, the calendar tells us that it is now spring. All of that snow is in fact, starting to melt. And once all that snow melts into water that trickles down into the storm drains, what will we find on our streets? Yes, you guessed it - potholes. Chances are that over the years everyone has heard some version of the old wise crack that goes like this: In Iowa, we have two seasons — winter and road construction. The annual chore of fixing all the potholes will be part of the road construction season. Plus there will be fresh coats of asphalt and concrete ...