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Only the beginning

KANSAS CITY — When Mark Beemer attended his first National FFA Convention in his long-ago high school days, he never imagined that Kansas City would become his home. In those days of the late 1970s and early 1980s, Kansas City still hosted the huge convention of young, blue-jacketed FFA ...

Mayor sees good things ahead for Gowrie

Celebrating a rich 250 years of American history in 2026, Gowrie and Mayor Bruce Towne have plenty of excitement about recent progressive projects. “We’re hoping to get 10,000 or more visitors in town for our annual Fourth of July event which is the cornerstone of the 250th ...

McGowan promises to push for E15

Republican congressional candidate Chris McGowan said he will push to make the E15 ethanol blend available all year nationwide if he is elected. “It will make a positive difference for our farmers and the price of corn,” he said during a recent visit to Fort Dodge. He is seeking the Republican nomination in the 4th Congressional District, which includes Webster County and all of its surrounding counties. The district is now represented by U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Hull, who is not seeking reelection because he is running for the Republican nomination for governor. E15 is a ...

Building future leaders

MANSON — For Doug Gaul, becoming an ag teacher and FFA advisor just made sense. “My dad was a farmer; my mom was a teacher,” said Gaul. He grew up attending school in Harlan, where he was involved in the school’s FFA program, then went on to get his bachelor’s degree in ag ...

Newspaper delivery may be delayed due to weather

Due to the inclement weather, some subscribers may not receive a physical copy of their newspaper today. We greatly appreciate your patience and understanding of this process, and apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. A reminder to our readers that an "e edition" of the Messenger is always available as part of your subscription. Visit our website and click on "Today's Paper" at the top of the page, log in to your account, and all Messenger's pages are published daily in an easy-to-read PDF format. Stories are also available live on the web and available to all subscribers ...

Larson, Meyer support school funding bill

The Iowa House of Representatives on Thursday approved an additional $105 million for the state’s school districts. State representatives Wendy Larson, R-Odebolt and Ann Meyer, R-Fort Dodge, voted for the bill. The House bill provides a 2 percent increase in State Supplemental Aid to schools. That increase would raise the basic state aid to schools to $8,148 per student. Earlier this year, the state Senate approved an increase of $100 million or 1.75 percent. Larson said education spending accounts for more than 50 percent of the state’s roughly $9 billion budget. She ...