As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, area residents are perhaps more aware of health care services than at any time in recent memory. The Community Health Center of Fort Dodge, established in 2006, is an increasingly vital provider in the area. Started with the assistance of a federal ...

It’s hard to believe, but area families are already beginning to think about the items that will be needed to send young folks back to school properly equipped and looking good. According to the National Retail Foundation, a typical family with children in school will spend nearly $600 on ...

Republican Party leaders have one obvious step to take this week: Fire the party personnel who came up with the crazy idea of holding the party convention behind closed doors. It was a blatantly bad idea — almost a gift to Democrats. GOP leaders from throughout the nation will gather later ...

Before her death at the all too young age of 18, Alli Huss made an impact on and off the basketball court. Her family and friends have just made another big impact in her memory that will support local schools and other organizations. Huss scored 1,012 points on the basketball court for the ...

As the U.S. Census moves into its next phase this month, census takers will be coming into local communities, visiting those residents who did not send in a form or complete one online. These census takers will be in Fort Dodge and surrounding communities. Everyone who is contacted by a ...

A King County judge’s order that The Seattle Times and other media must turn over unpublished content to the police is a blow to independent journalism. The order imperils journalists documenting this summer’s historic protests and sends the wrong message about the media as a check on ...

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been people working every day, at risk to their health and perhaps even their lives, to make sure the rest of us can enjoy a life that is nearly as normal as possible. Collectively, they are called essential workers, and they have been on the job, ...

Harlan and Hazel Rogers Sports Complex has rightfully been the focus of the local sports scene this week as the annual girls state softball tournament has progressed. But there is another fine sports venue in Fort Dodge awaiting its moment in the spotlight. That facility is Dodger Stadium, ...

A Fort Dodge Senior High School student is pushing to bring agricultural education – and more awareness of agribusiness in general – to her school. In an area where farms and ag-related businesses are dominant players in the local economy, the efforts of 17-year-old Emma Swanson are ...

Debate over a new coronavirus relief package continues in Congress and at the White House. Disagreements are both legitimate and political, but one thing ought to be obvious to all involved: Millions of Americans will be in very real financial trouble if a deal is not achieved ...

One of summer’s most enjoyable events is underway. The Girls State Softball Tournament will be the highlight of the season for the teams that made it to state-level competition. All the teams are outstanding. Making it to this final event of the season means that none will have any reason for ...

Of all the irrational debates Americans should be having about the upcoming November elections, one reported last week takes the cake. Beyond any doubt, many voters will be leery of casting ballots at polling places. That has renewed the debate over absentee ballots cast by mail. Indeed, ...

It would be hard for anyone to forget that a national election is about five months away. The continuous stream of advertising, much of it negative, is enough to prevent any Iowan from forgetting about the upcoming vote. The fact that the candidates and their various supporters are ...

It appears some villains in the insect world may owe the COVID-19 virus a debt of gratitude. The coronavirus has distracted public attention from them — and siphoned off public health resources. Mosquito control is a task normally undertaken by about half the public health departments in ...

Area residents now have the opportunity to get a good deal while at the same time supporting local businesses that have taken a hit from the COVID-19 pandemic. A gift card program offered by the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance makes that possible, The program is called Love ...

When AML Riverside LLC came to Fort Dodge in 2016, it took advantage of a unique, existing asset and quickly went to work making veterinary medicines. To meet the requirements of some government incentives it received, the company had to create 30 jobs by the end of 2019. It easily exceeded ...

Some of the men and women who serve us in uniform suffer wounds or other injuries that lead to a lifetime of sacrifice for us. In return, taxpayers help the most severely affected purchase specially adapted motor vehicles — once. U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, ...

For decades, Lonne and Karen Anderson have worked to make the annual Webster County Fair a success. Much of their work is done out of the public eye, making sure everything is in place to make the fair an enjoyable experience for all. While their work may be largely behind the scenes, it ...

What some have described as a “citizen legislature” approach to governance in the United States means that the overwhelming majority of members of Congress have private business interests. Inevitably, some of what they do affects their personal finances. Quite a few of them have benefited ...

For a few minutes Saturday afternoon, it looked like there were snow flurries coming down in Fort Dodge. But the white flakes were not snow, they were small pieces of hail. Not long after the small hail stones dissipated, residents heard an ominous heavy thumping on their roofs. That was the ...