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Man takes plea agreement in arson case

A Fort Dodge man charged with setting a fire in a house last winter has entered a plea agreement that will spare him from any time behind bars. Josh D. Wilson was arrested in April and charged with setting a fire on Feb. 10 at 221 S. Fourth St., where he was living at the time. He was initially charged with second degree arson. Court records show that he recently entered an Alford plea to lesser offenses of third degree arson and third degree criminal mischief. Under Iowa law, when someone enters an Alford plea, they do not admit guilt, but acknowledge that the prosecutors likely ...

Man arrested for crashing car into FD house

A Fort Dodge man is accused of getting into an occupied car, driving it away and crashing it into a house Monday night, according to court records. Police reported that Nolan N. Olson was drunk at the time. And while no one was injured in the crash, one officer suffered a minor injury while taking Olson into custody. Olson, 29, of 1015 Fifth Ave. N. was arrested Monday night and charged with: • Second degree burglary • econd degree theft • Operating while under the influence, second offense • Interference with official acts, bodily injury • Failure to maintain ...

New FDPD officer is on the job

Carter Koffman was introduced as the newest member of the Fort Dodge Police Department during Monday evening’s City Council meeting. He earned an associate degree in criminal justice from Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa. He most recently worked in the Civil Commitment Unit at the Cherokee Mental Health Institute in Cherokee. Monday was his first day on the job in Fort Dodge.

No paper Monday due to the holiday

The Messenger will not be published on Monday in commemoration of the Labor Day holiday. Check www.messengernews.net over the weekend for breaking news. The office will be open normal hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday. The Messenger will resume publication on Tuesday.

FD Women’s Connection luncheon is Sept. 8, RSVP requested

Fort Dodge Women's Connection invites all area women to a brunch at 9:30 on Sept. 8 at Tea Thyme, 2021 Sixth Ave. S. Tickets are $15 inclusive. The special feature will be Sara Keighter, nursery manager at Smitty's Garden Center. She will share tips about fall planting and plants for fall color. She will include tips for fall containers and tips for winter. The main speaker is Candace Twedt of Williams. Her talk is entitled "After the Clouds come the Sunshine." She is a former administrator. Her talk tells how to keep your "smile" even in uncertain times. Reservations may be ...

Free paint collection days planned

Residents of Humboldt and Webster counties will have a free way to properly dispose of old paint in the coming week. The North Central Iowa Regional Solid Waste Agency will hold a free residential paint collection days Thursday, Friday and Saturday at its facility at 2141 Gypsum Hollow Road. Collection hours are: • 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday • 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday • 7:30 a.m to noon Saturday