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Patience needed during busy road work season

Editorial

Just when local drivers think they have seen enough orange signs, barricades and road cones they are presented with some more of them. Two more road projects have been added to what is already a robust year for construction projects. Iowa Highway 7, the heavily traveled route between Fort Dodge and Manson, is closed while crews replace a railroad crossing that has rattled vehicles and their drivers for years. And next week, the intersection of Second Avenue North and 15th Street will close so that it can be completely rebuilt. It was actually expected to close this week, but the ...

Work of many led to softball tourney’s success

Editorial

The 2026 Girls State Softball Tournament did not end exactly the way the St. Edmond Gaels and the Fort Dodge Dodgers had hoped it would, but it still showcased our community and its outstanding sports complex. The fact that Fort Dodge has hosted the tournament for more than 50 years is a tribute to the work and the partnerships created by essentially a generation’s worth of local leaders. These are leaders who have seen the value in both having a world-class facility in Harlan and Hazel Rogers Sports Complex, and maintaining a close relationship with the Iowa High School Girls ...

Bariatric surgeries begin in Fort Dodge

Local Columns

If you’ve driven by UnityPoint Health — Trinity Regional Medical Center lately, you may have noticed that the expansion on our building is now fully enclosed. We have made significant progress on our surgery renovation and expansion, and we are getting closer to our opening date next March. I know our surgeons and team members are looking forward to using the new and improved space. While construction work continues outside our main doors, I am excited to share an update about what’s happening inside. Earlier this year, our newest general surgeon, Dr. Julie Kim, completed her ...

Join the ranks of blood donors

Editorial

Summer has long been considered the season for fun. The sun is out, and school is out. It’s the season to get outside and play or take the family on the great American road trip. But summer is also a season when there are historically a lot of injuries and accidents. Some in the health care profession even refer to summer as trauma season. When hospitals have to take care of more people who are seriously hurt, they need donated blood. Plus hospitals still have other patients who require blood. The problem is, blood donations often taper off during the summer as people go on ...

State softball returns to Fort Dodge

Editorial

One of summer’s most enjoyable events gets underway today. The Girls State Softball Tournament will be the highlight of the season for the teams that made it to state-level competition, including the two hometown squads. For the fourth time in five years, both the Fort Dodge Dodgers and the St. Edmond Gaels will be competing in the tournament. But we must admit that all the teams are outstanding. Making it to this final event of the season means that none will have any reason for more than a brief lament, no matter what their final standing. Making it to state is itself an ...

Balance is needed in everyone’s online lives

Editorial

Teenagers who once spent hours talking to each other on the phone now spend hours communicating on social media. Many adults do much of the same thing, spending hours scrolling through various web sites and social media feeds. Ironically, much of this is done using phones. Devices which were originally created to enable people to speak to each other in some cases now get used to do about everything but speak to another human being. The internet has a lot of tremendous benefits. It enables people to access all kinds of news and information that they could have never received ...