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Opinion

New Backpack Buddies program needed

Editorial

For 14 years, thousands of local kids relied on a unique program to keep their tummies full with good food on the weekends throughout the school year. Each Friday they picked up a backpack, or in later years, a bag, filled with nutritious food. That food was courtesy of a program called Backpack Buddies and it was vital for them because of their families' economic situations. They relied on school breakfasts and lunches during the week for nutritious meals. But the weekends were another story. On Saturdays and Sundays, they may not have gotten much to eat at all and what they did get ...

Setting the example with civility

Editorial

In Fort Dodge and Webster County we are fortunate to always have people who are ready and willing to take on community leadership roles, many of which are pretty thankless tasks. Recently, we saw another example of this when Craig Schlienz agreed to accept a position on the Iowa Central Community College Board of Trustees to replace the late Mark Crimmins. Clearly, the college’s board is not as high profile as the Fort Dodge City Council or the Webster County Board of Supervisors. But providing oversight to an institution that has nearly 1,200 students living on the main Fort ...

Resident sees clear and present danger

Letters to the Editor

To the editor: I sit on my deck overlooking the new bike path on North 22nd Street, and every day I observe a dangerous combination of factors. I previously served as the safety non-commissioned officer for the 133rd Air Guard, which made me highly aware of unsafe conditions. I continue to notice them on a daily basis along the bike path and on North 22nd Street. The community has seen an explosion of e-bikes and e-scooters. I observe children as young as 8-years-old operating these. The kids operating these e-bikes often seem to know only one speed - full throttle. They may be ...

River cleanup yields heaps of waste

Editorial

Balancing a big tire or a bag of garbage on a canoe and then paddling that canoe downstream without capsizing requires some skill. Fortunately, some of the volunteers who took part in Saturday’s Des Moines River cleanup effort had the necessary skills to do just that. It is unfortunate, however, that the volunteers' strength and canoeing skill had to be applied to such a task. A tire — or any other kind of junk — should never be in a river. On Saturday, about 25 volunteers took part in the cleanup organized by Webster County Conservation. The group included some members of ...

Schools are starting — drive safely

Editorial

Even though the calendar shows another month of summer to be enjoyed, for students and teachers, vacation days are ending. All across our area, they are heading back to school. Classes at St. Edmond Catholic School and the Manson Northwest Webster School District begin today. The fall semester at Iowa Central Community College also begins today. And Wednesday is the first day of classes in the Fort Dodge Community School District. The first day of classes means a new school year full of learning, activities and opportunities is beginning. It also means that at certain times in ...

Socialism doesn’t work

Local Columns

Two hundred and fifty years ago, America was founded on the revolutionary idea that individuals are endowed with inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Americans are called to uphold this sacred inheritance to ensure our founding principles are carried from one generation to the next. That includes economic freedom fueled with incentives and opportunity to climb America’s ladder of prosperity. Since 1776, America has celebrated entrepreneurs, inventors, artists and scientific discovery. The protection of intellectual property — as well as individual ...