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Southeast Valley gives its seniors an assist on financial aid work

Applying for student aid can require almost as much work as an actual college course. Completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid is a chore under the best of circumstances. Bureaucratic bungling in the last year resulted in the document, often called the FAFSA, being released late and more complex than ever. Parents and students need a big assist to deal with the application. And while dealing with it is a headache, completing the FAFSA is a must because it determines a student’s eligibility for thousands of dollars worth of loans and grants to help pay for higher ...

Keep the buses rolling safely

Riding the big yellow bus is an essential part of the school day for thousands of local children. Those school buses do more than take kids to and from class. They are also the transportation to field trips, sports events and other activities. With so many buses on the road carrying students from preschool to seniors in high school, safety is of paramount importance. That’s why the Iowa Department of Education and the Iowa State Patrol have stringent standards for school buses. But the rest of us on the road also have some responsibility for keeping the kids on those buses ...

Support Coats for Kids

It’s hard to imagine facing an Iowa winter without a warm coat. Sadly, some area kids could be confronted with just that prospect if their families are facing a challenging economic situation. Fortunately, however, through the combined efforts of Shimkat Motor Co. and the Community Health Center of Fort Dodge, many of these young folks will have warm coats and other winter wear as the colder, wintry days arrive. This joint project — called Coats for Kids — accepts donations of new and gently used winter coats, along with hats, scarves, mittens and snow boots. All sizes are ...

Chief justice’s legacy to be honored with volunteer efforts

Fairly and correctly administering the law was a form of public service that Mark Cady turned into his life’s work. Cady, the Fort Dodge man who was the chief justice of the Iowa Supreme Court when he died in November 2019, was a steady presence in courtrooms for nearly 40 years. He began his judicial career as a Webster County district associate court judge. He steadily moved up the ranks of the state’s judiciary, becoming a district court judge, judge of the Iowa Court of Appeals and justice of the Iowa Supreme Court. He became chief justice in 2010. During that time, he heard ...

Sexton is right choice for USDA rural development job

It may not seem like it right now, but at some point the federal government will get back to work. When it does, an area man will be playing the lead role in managing the United States Department of Agriculture’s rural development programs for the state of Iowa. Mike Sexton, of Rockwell City, resigned from the state House of Representatives on Sept. 19 to take the post. We think he is a fine choice for the job. There is no doubt that Sexton, who has been a farmer all of his life, is well familiar with the needs of rural Iowa. And in addition to his farming background, he once ...

Fort Dodge, Kosovo relationship is worthy of support

Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine has Americans thinking about foreign affairs in a way that they probably have not done in a long time. Among other things, the war has made it clear once again that peaceful bonds of friendship need to be forged between countries, and the United States is no exception. Iowa and Fort Dodge are already doing this, creating a steadily growing relationship with Kosovo and Gjakova, one of the cities in that relatively young Balkan nation. These relationships began in the early 2000s during the civil war in which Kosovo separated from Serbia. Iowa Army ...