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Nominate someone for Hometown Pride

Do you know someone who has gone above and beyond for their community? Nominate them for The Messenger’s 2024 Hometown Pride publication. Email your nominations to bshea@messengernews.net. Please include the name, hometown and contact information for the nominee, as well as why you are nominating them. Nominees can be individuals as well as groups or organizations. The Messenger’s coverage area includes Calhoun, Hamilton, Humboldt, Kossuth, Palo Alto, Pocahontas, Sac, Webster and Wright counties. Nominations can be anonymous.

FD Women’s Connection to meet June 11

Fort Dodge Women’s Connection invites all area women to a brunch at 9:30 a.m. June 11 at Tea Thyme, 2021 Sixth Ave. S. Tickets are $15 inclusive. The special feature will be Matt Cosgrove, director of Webster County Conservation, who will be talking about the new Nature Center built near downtown along the Des Moines River. The speaker will be Patty Parker from St. James, Minnesota, whose talk is entitled “From Wreckage to Restoration.” She will tell how she was set free from a life of abuse. Reservations are essential and can be made by calling or texting Kathy at 515-408-7981. ...

Woman pleads guilty to meth dealing in Fort Dodge

A woman who prosecutors said helped to deal 45 kilograms of methamphetamine in the Fort Dodge area has pleaded guilty to a federal drug charge. Pamela Brownell, 63, of Des Moines, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa. According to the federal prosecutors, Brownell admitted to conspiring to distribute more than 45 kilograms of meth in the Fort Dodge area between September 2022 and October 2023. In October 2023, law enforcement officers bought a half-pound of meth from Brownell ...

No paper on Memorial Day

The Messenger will not be published on Monday in observance of the Memorial Day holiday. Check www.messengernews.net throughout the weekend for breaking news and updates. The Messenger will be published again on Tuesday.

Flooding closes Webster County roads

Portions of four Webster County roads are closed due to flooding, according to the Webster County Road Department. They are: • Dolliver Park Road through Dolliver Memorial State Park • Fairbanks Avenue south of Iowa Highway 7 • McGuire Bend Road through Deception Hollow • Xavier Avenue between Brushy Creek Road and the border of Webster and Hamilton counties

Police: Accidental shooting injured man

The Wednesday afternoon shooting that injured a man in Fort Dodge was apparently an accident. All the evidence assessed so far indicates that the shooting was an “unfortunate accidental discharge,” according to a report from the Fort Dodge Police Department. The incident does remain under investigation. Police did not identify the injured man or provide any information on his condition. Police and firefighters were called to an apartment in a building at 106 N. 10th St., at 3:37 p.m. Wednesday in response to a report of a man with a gunshot wound in the upper torso. He was ...