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Editorial

4-H is about helping youths achieve

National 4-H Week, which began Sunday and concludes Saturday, is a good time to celebrate the enormous contributions 4-H makes to our community and nation. It’s hard to imagine anyone in Iowa who doesn’t know a bit about 4-H, but this week is an appropriate occasion to reflect on the important contribution this organization makes by helping young people develop skills and values that will serve them well for a lifetime. It has been more than a century since 4-H got its start in Iowa in 1901. Today it is the largest youth-development program in the state. About one-quarter of the ...

For Fort Dodge, good things are coming on the housing front

The Fort Dodge community recently received a big vote of confidence from the state officials in charge of housing incentives. Those officials awarded about $1.8 million in tax credits for two construction projects: one at District 29 on the city’s east side and a new apartment complex planned along Third Avenue Northwest. District 29 received $1 million, one of the largest tax credit awards in the state, for 49 new townhome units to be built south of the existing buildings near Dodger Drive and 29th Street. Construction of District 29 began in 2020, and the first phase was ...

Soybeans are big business in Iowa

Nobody knows exactly how long humans have cultivated the soybean, but agricultural historians seem quite certain its domestication as a crop in China dates back three millennia. There are actually Chinese records documenting soybean growth as far back as the 11th century. There is some disagreement about who first introduced soybeans into North America, but researchers seem to agree that by the 1760s, soybean seed had reached Georgia. Whatever the origin, few would dispute that in the 21st century, soybean cultivation is important to the world as a food source and a great deal more. ...

Springer served up legacy of dedication at concession stand

Over the years, thousands of people have enjoyed food and drinks from the concession stand at Dodger Stadium. The energy and dedication of Steve Springer helped to make that possible. Springer was a member of the Fort Dodge Community School District Board of Education and the Fort Dodge Senior High School Booster Club. As an outgrowth of those roles, he spent a lot of time in the stadium’s concession stand. He invested so much of his time there that he became more than a volunteer. As Tom Kinseth, the school district’s former activities and athletics director put it, Springer ...

Keep Iowa’s roads safe during harvest

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 ...

‘Safety first, avoid the worst’

Farms can be seen as quiet, peaceful places where the crops grow and animals graze in the pastures. Farms can indeed be such tranquil spots. But as all Iowans know, farming is an industry. And like all industries, there are certain hazards associated with it. Tractors can be in crashes on rural roads. Machines can snag arms and legs. Grain bins can become death traps. Most of those nightmare scenarios can be avoided by using common sense and basic safety precautions. National Farm Safety and Health Week, which began Sunday, is a time dedicated to raising awareness of the various ...