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Farnhamville, Stratford sharing agreements approved

The Webster County Supervisors approved sharing agreements with the Reading-Cedar fire and ambulance service in Farnhamville and Stratford Fire Department on Tuesday. The agreements for Farnhamville and Stratford will allow the departments to draw EMS funding directly from the county instead of from the Dayton Rescue Squad and Southwest Webster Emergency Medical Service, as was initially proposed to the EMS Advisory Council. Farnhamville is in Calhoun County and Stratford straddles the Webster-Hamilton county line. Both units provide ambulance service to small parts of southern ...

Ag in the Classroom presents ‘Right This Very Minute’

CALHOUN COUNTY — “You need a farmer” was the message that came through clearly when Kalene Berte, Ag in the Classroom (AITC) coordinator for Farm Bureau, recently presented the book “Right This Very Minute” to first-grade students in the South Central Calhoun and Manson Northwest Webster school districts. This educational book by Lisl Detlefsen uses a table-to-farm method as it follows families from their breakfast table to a picnic lunch and evening dinner with dessert. Students were able to gain a better understanding about the number of farmers it takes just to supply ...

Council launches multiple projects

People driving around Fort Dodge this summer will see a lot of work being done as a result of contracts awarded Monday by the City Council. The council hired companies to replace a water main, pave streets plus paint lines and other markings on the streets. Councilmembers Todd McCubbin ...

Fort Dodge city budget projected at $95M

The Fort Dodge city government would spend about $95 million during 2026-2027 under a proposed budget being crafted by local leaders. That budget includes a proposed property tax rate of $20.89 per $1,000 of taxable value. Those figures were presented to the City Council Monday evening by City Manager David Fierke. Fierke also presented his plan for erasing a projected $478,171 deficit in the general fund, which is the property tax supported account which pays for police and fire protection, recreation, the Fort Dodge Public Library, Fort Dodge Regional Airport, the Blanden ...

Successes at Duncombe Elementary highlighted

A three-pronged approach to success at Duncombe Elementary School was shared by Principal Ryan Flaherty at Monday’s Fort Dodge Community School District board meeting. “We are going through an assessment by Leader in Me, a company that aids school-wide leadership development,” he said. “The Beacon level is something we are aiming at. If it would be accomplished, it would be big news. “It’s part of looking intently at academics, leadership and culture,” he added. “We feel these are the main building blocks toward a successful school.” Among the highlights in the ...

Death of cartel leader makes travel unsafe

When news broke this weekend about the death of Oseguera Cervantes in Mexico—'El Mencho’, it seemed like a problem that doesn’t impact us here in Iowa. The leader of the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion created a criminal enterprise that spanned across the country. Most of the chaos reported in Mexico seems far away. But those who have family or friends visiting the country, avoiding the winter weather of Iowa and other regions across the United States, are not feeling very confident. Travel to Mexico has often been a destination for spring break, the dates always varied, ...