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Editorial

Growth at Corridor Plaza sets Fort Dodge apart

One aspect of the ongoing development of Corridor Plaza got fairly controversial earlier this year. It is time to set aside the flap over the transactions involving The Pavilion and look at the big picture of what is happening on the property where Crossroads Mall once stood. That big picture is very positive. In fact, the redevelopment that is going on will surely make other communities envious. How many other Iowa communities, or communities across the nation, have been able to take an outdated enclosed mall, demolish it and then turn the property into a mixed use area that draws ...

It’s time to honor emergency medical service providers

In Webster County and all across America, teams of dedicated professionals stand ready to render medical assistance in emergencies. For some this is their career. For many others, it is a volunteer undertaking that is performed in addition to their normal employment. It’s impossible to overstate how important emergency medical service (EMS) personnel can be to just about any of us in a moment when knowledgeable help is needed fast. Honoring the men and women who handle this vital work is appropriate at all times, but especially so just now. That’s because National EMS Week began ...

Congratulations graduates

The annual ritual of high school graduation is upon us. On Sunday, several area schools, including St. Edmond Catholic School, Manson Northwest Webster High School, Southeast Valley High School, Humboldt High School and others, will hold their commencement exercises. Each ceremony is a familiar ritual. Excited graduates in caps and gowns will arrive to the accompaniment of “Pomp and Circumstance.” Friends and relatives sitting in the stands will nudge each other and say “Look, there she is.” Hundreds of photos will be snapped. There will be speeches, and it’s a pretty ...

Roger Natte is a local history champion

Have you ever wondered how the current community of Fort Dodge came to be? Or what happened around here decades and even centuries ago? There is one man in town who can answer many of those questions from memory. And if he doesn’t know the answers right away, he knows where to find a document, map, book or old letter that holds the answers. That man is Roger Natte. Many know him as the Fort Dodge history expert. Natte not only knows a lot about local history, he is willing and eager to share that knowledge. Knowledge and the willingness to share it is a powerful combination. And ...

May is Beef Month in Iowa

During the month of May, it is worth noting that it is a time to celebrate an important meat product. May is Beef Month. For many of us, every month is a time to partake of a food that ranks high on the list of culinary favorites. It’s no secret that Americans have a love affair with beef. That’s been true for generations and the demand for this tasty and healthy product is on the rise — up about 15 percent in the last decade. The passion for beef is widely shared. It is the beef industry’s vital role in the state’s economy, however, that warrants special ...

Iowa Central graduates are valuable to north central Iowa

Hundreds of blue-clad graduates filed into Hodges Fieldhouse on the Fort Dodge campus of Iowa Central Community College Friday to the traditional strains of “Pomp and Circumstance.” Friday’s double-header of commencement ceremonies marked the pinnacle of achievement that the graduates had worked for over the last year or two. When the ceremonies were done, the graduates walked out of the fieldhouse and into their futures. For a huge percentage of them, that future is right nearby. Community college graduates tend to stay in Iowa and fill key jobs in factories, health care ...