Breaking News

Crunch time

Today is the final day to vote in the 2026 general election. All polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday. A list of polling places and a map showing their locations is on page A2 of today’s edition of The Messenger. Voters in and around Webster County will be picking a U.S. ...

Supervisors to vote on Marker 126 rezoning request

A proposal to open nearly 64 acres near Marker 126 to industrial development will return to the Webster County Board of Supervisors today for a final public hearing and a decision on whether the rezoning should proceed. The meeting begins at 10 a.m. at the Webster County Courthouse. It will include the third and final public hearing on Kevin Stumpf’s request to rezone two vacant parcels totaling approximately 63.9 acres from Agricultural Preservation District to Industrial District. The land lies north of U.S. Highway 20 on both sides of Poplar Avenue, near the Marker 126 travel ...

Lahn makes culture his top issue

Zach Lahn, the Republican nominee for governor, told a Fort Dodge audience Monday afternoon that his campaign is all about the culture of Iowa. He spoke to about 60 people at Olde Boston’s Restaurant & Pub, working to motivate Republican voters in the final hours of the general election ...

Three area counties to get federal road money

Some rural roads in Humboldt, Kossuth and Wright counties will benefit from a major investment of federal funding. The U.S. Department of Transportation recently awarded $76.2 million to Iowa. A little over $7 million of that total will be used for safety upgrades in nine northern Iowa ...

Ray walked the point in Vietnam

David Ray, of Fort Dodge, is 77 now and speaks like the friendly Christian man he is. But he was once a tiger leading other tigers into the dark jungles of Vietnam. Ray was a point man in the United States Marine Corps as he and other Marines sought the enemies of their country. As point ...

THE FINAL NOTE

Larry Mitchell, who was the driving force behind musical theater in Fort Dodge for about 42 years, died Friday night. His death was confirmed by friends and several organizations, including Comedia Musica Players, the theater troupe he established, and the Fort Dodge Community School ...