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Stratford mourns

STRATFORD — They are the unsung heroes of every community. Across rural Iowa, where small towns are like islands in a massive sea of corn and soybeans, where the roads stretch out long and hard from any hospital or emergency room, volunteer fire and rescue departments are a lifeline for ...

Generations of service

STRATFORD — Every time Grant Carlson responded to a call for the Stratford Fire and Rescue Department, he was carrying on a family tradition. Sixty-four years ago to the month, the Stratford community mourned the death of Carlson’s grandfather, Carl Harold Larson. Like Carlson, Larson was a long-time chief for the Stratford volunteers. On Sept. 21, 1962, he responded to a fire in a pile of lumber at the co-op elevator. The fire had been almost entirely put out when Larson collapsed, according to news reports at the time. Fellow firefighters began immediate life-saving measures, but ...

‘It’s about doing things that are good for the land’

The Iowa Natural Resource & Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund has been in place since it was added to Iowa’s Constitution in 2010. It was established to provide over $200 million annually to improve soil and water quality, improve and increase outdoor recreation and help provide economic ...

Conrad may become FD city attorney

By BILL SHEA bshea@messengernews.net A former Fort Dodge city councilman may be returning to the Municipal Building in a new role. The council will consider appointing former Councilman Neven Conrad to serve as city attorney when it meets tonight. The council will meet at 6 p.m. today ...

Diesel prices hit truckers, railroads

A surge in diesel fuel prices, which pushed them to about $6 a gallon in the last week has hammered the ledger books of trucking companies and railroads. Companies say they have no choice but to pass the costs onto the shippers who use their services. Eventually, those costs get pushed down ...

Hear Ye, Hear Ye

FARNHAMVILLE — For one afternoon next weekend, visitors to Farnhamville City Park may find themselves surrounded by knights, magicians, fantasy characters, with even a few historically accurate glimpses into centuries past. Farnhamville will host its first Renaissance Faire from 2 to 6 ...