The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to extend beyond the toll of deaths and illnesses. The virus has also infected the American economy, throwing millions out of work and leaving millions more with smaller paychecks due to reduced working hours. There are people in the Fort Dodge ...
Sixty years ago today, Fort Dodge experienced perhaps its finest hour on the world stage when 53 of its young people marched in the Inauguration Parade for President John F. Kennedy. A million people lined Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., and many millions more throughout the world ...
Martin Luther King Jr. Day, being observed today, is an appropriate time to recall an exceptional person. But more importantly, it’s a time to recommit the nation to the cause for which King died and the legacy he left for all of us. The famed civil rights leader, assassinated April 4, ...
Gov. Kim Reynolds delivered her Condition of the State message Wednesday. She told lawmakers that the Hawkeye State is ready and able to build a vibrant future for all Iowans. The economic disruption and toll in lives brought about by the pandemic were a central concern in 2020 and remain in ...
To the editor: People say “Iowa Nice.” They also say Iowa is 10 years behind everyone. The nation voted 51.4% to elect Biden. Iowa voted 53.2% for Trump. Is it nice to lie? Trump lied 22,247 times in 1,316 days. That’s 17 lies a day. But his one-day record is 138 on Nov. 5, 2018, the ...
To paraphrase a popular song often heard during the holidays, the weather outside is in deed frightful. We Iowans, however, are a hardy bunch. We’re used to some heavy duty winter storms. And many of us know that the best way to deal with terrible winter weather is to not deal with it at ...
Swallowing the bitterness over the past few weeks has been challenging. We’ve watched as the rest of the country and certain individuals shared in their excitement of receiving the vaccination for COVID-19. It was very difficult as we asked ourselves, “Why do we have to wait until Jan. ...
When the Fort Dodge City Council turned to the bond market Monday to borrow about $18 million to pay for various projects and purchases, a sometimes bewildering amount of numbers was discussed. As the various facts, figures and percentages were reviewed, it would have been easy to overlook a ...
With the whole world seemingly focused on how fast the COVID-19 vaccine can be administered, we must not forget the importance of an older vaccine: the flu shot. Just about everyone has called in sick at some point, saying they had the flu when they were sniffling, sneezing, maybe running a ...
When the Iowa Legislature begins its 2021 session on Monday, Webster County will be represented by three lawmakers who are uniquely positioned to have significant influence on the future course of our state. State Rep. Mike Sexton, R-Rockwell City, will be the House majority whip. That’s ...
Fort Dodge residents have just seen their sewer bills go up. Probably no one is happy about it, but the situation could have been worse. The increase is about 3 percent, and the money will be used to keep running the sanitary sewer system as daily operating costs increase. What that means ...
Every year around the holidays, the generosity of people who live in and around Fort Dodge blossoms. The familiar red kettles of The Salvation Army get filled with change by people going in and out of stores. Donations flow for initiatives like Coats for Kids. Those are some of the ...
During the recent season of giving, a Coalville woman gave a total stranger a unique and powerful gift. Tonya Peltz donated some of her bone marrow, but what she really gave someone is a second chance at life. On Dec. 22, she traveled to Washington, D.C., to make the donation after being ...
Iowa residents and businesses have been devastated by the global pandemic and derecho this year, many still hoping for relief and a path forward. While these disasters have caused short-term emergencies, they have also brought challenges to light that we need to resolve for the health of Iowans ...
President Trump finally signed the Covid-19 relief bill and 2021 budget on Dec. 27, but not before giving a big assist to Democratic hopes of gaining control of the Senate in the two runoff elections on Jan. 5. Current GOP Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is left this week trying to undo the ...
For months, Americans’ pleas for Congress to give us more financial help in coping with COVID-19 have fallen on political ears — much worse than merely deaf ones — in Washington. Exactly why lawmakers were unable to agree on a second CARES Act is open to debate. Republican loyalists ...
In mid-December, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue released a detailed assessment of his department’s accomplishments in 2020. “While this was a tough year with the coronavirus, historic wildfires and weather damage, USDA met these challenges with a multitude of programs and ...
It was the march of a lifetime for the 53 boys and girls who represented Fort Dodge 60 years ago this month in the inauguration parade for President John F. Kennedy. The Fort Dodge Lanciers Drum and Bugle Corps was one of two Iowa marching groups selected to take part in the Jan. 20, 1961, ...
Today, we welcome in a new year. We suspect many people were happy to see the end of 2020. Last night, no doubt many readers stayed home, joining the ranks of those sitting on the couch, counting down the final moments of 2020 while participating vicariously in the festivities broadcast from ...
To the editor: Since day one all we read about or saw on TV was wear your face mask and the impossible thing, stay 6 feet from other people no matter where you’re at. The spreading of the virus will not change until they start taking temperatures upon any entry of any buildings. Of all ...