For too long, the stereotype image of a library is one of row upon row of bookshelves watched over by stern librarians who scowl and hiss at anyone who dares to speak above a whisper. Rita Schmidt, the director of the Fort Dodge Public Library, laughs at that concept of a library. She ...

Now is the time when families are considering how to spend their summer vacations, and after COVID-19 basically wrecked last summer the open road is beckoning. But what if there was something really cool close to home that the whole family could enjoy? Well, there is such a thing. It’s ...

The 2021 incarnation of the World Pork Expo gets under way in Des Moines today at the Iowa State Fairgrounds and runs through Friday. This annual event brings together pork producers, exhibitors and visitors not just from across Iowa, but also from throughout the nation. More than 20,000 people ...

Locally, the summer season got started in a big way this past weekend. After a one-year break imposed by the pandemic, Frontier Days returned with a full slate of activities. It all started on Friday evening with an opening ceremony that gave special recognition to the staff of the Webster ...

Some of the defendants facing charges in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol deserve points for creativity. Among the defense arguments emerging in court documents: “I got caught up in the mob” and “Trump told me to do it.” But the “mob” and the individuals charged in the ...

Bringing growth and development to rural areas was one of the goals of those who worked for decades to get U.S. Highway 20 widened to four lanes all across the state. The four-lane highway was at long last completed in October 2018. With the highway done, officials in Calhoun County have ...