Breaking News

Opinion

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 ...

Certified site will add to momentum in Fort Dodge and Webster County

Editorial

To the vast majority of Americans who are not in the business of finding locations where businesses can build huge new facilities, the concept of a certified site likely seems irrelevant to their lives. But having a certified site nearby means their community can attract businesses faster than many others. That means their town will grow, bringing more jobs, more business, more places to eat and more tax revenue to pay for everything from police officer salaries to swing sets in the parks. Webster County now has the second largest certified site in the state, totaling 720 acres in ...

Fort Dodge Lions Club thanks community

Letters to the Editor

To the editor: The Fort Dodge Lions Club would like to thank those who helped us with the grocery raffle this year (formerly an Evening Lions project). We gave five $200 gift cards (Hy-Vee and Fareway) away through the raffle at the last Ja-Mar Cruise. Their generous donations helped a lot. We would not have been successful without all the generous sponsors in town that supported us. The lucky winners were Keegan Sorenson, Jerry Mabe, Kathy Webb, Christina Rosch and Rebecca Reitmeier. The money raised will help people get glasses, hearing aids and Lions KidSight. We appreciate the ...

A lighter look at the road construction season

Local Columns

Editor’s note: It turns out that the Fort Dodge city staff gets as frustrated with road construction as all of the other residents and visitors to the city. It also turns out that the city staff has a sense of humor about the situation, which was demonstrated by the release of an unofficial proclamation. Because road construction is an issue that affects everyone and to add a little levity to the weekend editorial page, we are sharing that proclamation. Whereas, communities across the Midwest have long celebrated the arrival of spring with festivals honoring colorful tulips, beautiful ...

To benefit their community, bicyclists hit the trails

Editorial

A large convoy of bicyclists cruised through Fort Dodge and parts of Webster County last weekend. Everyone in the group looked like they were having fun. And while doing so, they made a contribution to the future of their community. The bicycle jaunt was the Prairie Rivers Trail Ride, an annual event in which cyclist pedal in honor of someone and raise money for a cause dear to that person. This year, the ride was in honor of the late Joan Meyer, an avid cyclist and leader of a RAGBRAI team. All the money generated by the ride was despised ina fund managed by the Fort Dodge ...