Breaking News

Editorial

Earth Day unites more than it divides

The late 1960s were turbulent years in America. It was a time of rapid change when young protesters expressed disillusionment with many aspects of the world their elders had built. The divisions in society that emerged from those conflicts decades ago still haunt our society in the 21st century. Some of the emotional scars from those bitter disputes will influence American politics well into the future. There is, however, one legacy of those chaotic times that unites rather than divides us — Earth Day. The first Earth Day was April 22, 1970. Today marks 56 years of Earth ...

Area residents should answer the Call of the Wild

As spring begins to bloom around us, many people are going to be spending a growing amount of time outdoors. And those whose idea of getting outside extends far beyond their backyards may feel they are answering the call of the wild. On Wednesday, everyone with any level of interest in nature can respond to a different Call of the Wild. This one is a special event to raise money for the Friends of Webster County Conservation. It offers a program that may encourage everyone to explore Iowa’s waterways. An experienced outdoorsman’s insights on what can be found along those ...

Protect our road workers by slowing down

Every spring, road workers throughout the Fort Dodge area move out to do battle with the potholes, cracks and other damage left behind by the constant freezing and thawing typical of a Midwest winter. Chances are that over the years everyone has heard some version of the old wise crack that goes like this: In Iowa, we have two seasons — winter and road construction. The annual chore of fixing all the potholes will be part of the road construction season. Plus there will be fresh coats of asphalt and concrete being placed on some streets. And there will be bigger construction ...

Fur Ball is Saturday at Laramar Ballroom

It would be hard to imagine our society without pets. Dogs and cats contribute wonderfully to the happiness and well-being of people of all ages. In a perfect world, every pet would at all times be a welcome and loved part of someone’s home. Unfortunately, reality falls short of that ideal. That’s why it’s important to our community that the Almost Home Humane Society of North Central Iowa remains strong and grows even stronger. As with so many other worthwhile endeavors, achieving laudable goals depends in part on raising the money necessary to support the cause. For the ...

Keep Iowa’s roads safe this spring

This is the time of the year when big, slow-moving farm vehicles rumble out onto roadways dominated by faster-paced traffic. That shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who lives in farm country. Even so, all of us should pay special heed to safety considerations as we share the roads with agricultural vehicles. In general, Iowa has been doing a good job of keeping accidents involving farm vehicles to a minimum. According to data from the Iowa Department of Transportation, fatalities and major injuries resulting from such accidents have been on the decline in recent years. That’s ...

Radon is silent menace in Iowa

Over the years, Hollywood has cranked out lots of scary movies featuring something awful lurking in the basement of an unsuspecting person’s home. In the real world of Iowa, there just may be something awful lurking in the basements of people’s homes. And unlike the ghosts and monsters of the movies, this unwelcome presence can’t be seen. We are speaking of radon. It is a gas that is invisible. It has no odor. And it can cause cancer. There are ways to check for it. If it is detected, there are ways to reduce and even eliminate its presence. We encourage people to have ...