As the holiday season draws to a close each year, The Messenger’s writing staff embarks on a challenging adventure — producing a comprehensive look at how a wide array of developments in our region are shaping tomorrow.

While every issue of this newspaper is filled with articles, features and advertisements that readers find informative and useful, the six special sections we call Progress provide a perspective that goes far beyond simply reporting the latest happenings. Our goal is to look at the big picture, capture trends and explore more fully events that may lead to headlines down the road.

Today, Health and Wellness gets the Progress treatment. Various health care providers, including Community Health Center of Fort Dodge and UnityPoint Health — Trinity Regional Medical Center are featured.

Business and Industry is next week’s theme. It will feature stories on businesses of all kinds and sizes. This section will tell the story of the business community’s strides during 2023 and the outlook for the months and years ahead.

Education and the Arts is the following week’s theme. That section will provide an update on Iowa Central Community College, area school districts and the Blanden Memorial Art Museum.

Downtown and Community is the theme of the fourth section of Progress.

Communities throughout the region will be the focus of the Region section. Most of us have a good idea of what’s going on in our hometown. This section will give everyone a chance to see what’s going on in surrounding communities.

Then agriculture will be featured as Progress concludes. Agriculture has shaped the economy not only of north central Iowa, but also of the entire state for more than a century and a half. Consequently, it’s appropriate that Progress ends with an examination of that vital component of The Messenger’s world.

Reading The Messenger today and over the next five weekends may take a bit longer than usual. We hope, however, that you will regard the time spent exploring these hefty issues to be a worthwhile investment in learning more about Fort Dodge and the region.

Despite lingering uncertainty, the future is likely to be a prosperous time for the rural Iowa economy and an era of exciting renewal for many north central Iowa communities. Progress will help readers understand why many observers are convinced that the days ahead are full of promise.