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Editorial

New local group invests in future of Fort Dodge

An exciting new private group has committed itself to improving Fort Dodge by taking on big empty buildings. It’s called The Better Way Project. In the last two weeks it has announced its purchase of the Carver Building at 1003 Central Ave., a building at 817 Central Ave. and the former local home of Land O’Lakes at 2827 Eighth Ave. S. The leaders of The Better Way project are Scott and Katie Underberg, Todd McCubbin and Matt Johnson. All of them have experience in real estate investments and property management. The enormity of the task this group has taken on should not be ...

Hard work of governing must begin

The 2025 general election is over. Many folks will breath a sigh of relief at that thought. We congratulate the winners of Tuesday’s votes, and we challenge them to do two things. First, the easy challenge, for both the election winners and losers: remove your yard signs and any other promotional materials you may have put up. The election is over, so there is no need for them to be up any more. We challenge the winners of Tuesday’s voting to do something much more difficult than picking up the signs. We challenge them to govern in a mature, responsible way that will benefit ...

Make your voice heard on Election Day

Election Day is nearly here. On Tuesday, thousands of people will go to the polls to decide who will lead our cities and school districts. And, in Fort Dodge, voters will also decide the fate of plans to extend borrowing authority for the Fort Dodge Community School District and Iowa Central Community College. The school district is proposing a complete overhaul of Fort Dodge Senior High School. The community college is planning a variety of projects to increase its ability to train workers for high-demand jobs. The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. A listing of Webster County ...

Group with compelling list of accomplishments to be honored

Since it opened more than 50 years ago, Iowa Central Community College has had students who excel in the classrooms, labs and shops and also in the venues of athletic competition. It has also produced graduates who went on to distinguished careers in public service, business, health care and just about every other field of human endeavor. The school has a Hall of Fame to honor its outstanding students, faculty, staff members, and alumni. Each year, a select few are inducted. This year’s induction ceremony will be held tonight. The inductees are: • Dr. Terry and Pam Hopper, ...

Let’s keep Halloween fun

Unlike most holidays, Halloween really has no serious purpose. It’s primarily an opportunity for harmless, child-oriented fun. Costumes, trick-or-treat activities and an opportunity to engage in make-believe combine to make Halloween a favorite of youngsters and those still young at heart. Unfortunately, what can be a day filled with happy festivities can turn tragic if adults don’t ensure that important safety precautions are observed. Drivers in particular need to be mindful that in the dark of early evening, large numbers of children preoccupied with trick-or-treat pursuits ...

October is Co-op Month across US

There are various types of businesses that operate as cooperatives, but according to the National Cooperative Business Association, they all are owned and democratically controlled by their members and are designed to serve those members. The members typically are the people who use the co-op’s services or buy its goods. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, there are 40,000 co-ops of all types in the country. Collectively, they pay out some $25 billion a year in wages. Here in Iowa, we are most familiar with the co-ops that run grain elevators and provide fuel ...