Inclement weather did not stymie the spectrum of smiles and statements of support that were on display during the 8th Annual Autism Acceptance Walk and Resource Fair held Saturday at the Fort Dodge Middle School. Due to sporadic thunderstorms, the planned walk was relocated to the middle ...

Cheryl Fleming never expected to become ill with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. After all, it’s a fairly rare malady with only around 33,000 current cases in the United States. The 61-year-old former business owner, longtime Fort Dodge resident, ...

A jury found a Webster County man guilty of second-degree murder Friday. Rolman Humberto Recinos Gonzales, 39, was charged with first-degree murder in the 2025 Labor Day weekend death of 45-year-old Justo Cruz Calindo at the apartment the two shared in the 500 block of North 28th ...

Former state Rep. Brad Sherman says he was the first candidate to enter the race for the 2026 Republican nomination for Iowa governor. “I wasn’t looking for another career,” he said during a visit to Fort Dodge Friday. He said he and his wife, Carole, prayed about his possible run ...

A van slammed into a Fort Dodge house Friday afternoon, shifting one side of the structure and causing significant damage. The driver was taken to UnityPoint Health — Trinity Regional Medical Center. Fire Department Capt. Steve Teske said it appeared that he had suffered some kind of ...

bshea@messengernews.net Fort Dodge, originally called Fort Clark, had been in existence since 1850. But the northern area of Iowa it was intended to secure was peaceful, and soldiers were needed elsewhere. So in 1853, the Army closed the fort, and its troops, members of Co. E, 6th U.S. ...