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Pay It Forward Friday to honor Henderson’s legacy

The late Rev. Al Henderson had a habit of wrapping up conversations by saying “Carry on.” Residents of Fort Dodge and Webster County are being asked to spend Friday carrying on Henderson’s legacy of support and compassion on what has been named Pay It Forward Friday. Doing so will not require some big elaborate action, according to organizers of the event. Small gestures of kindness can make a huge difference, also. Henderson, who was killed on Oct. 2, 2019 – exactly one year before the inaugural Pay It Forward Friday – was the pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Fort ...

Shellabration Inc. is asset to Fort Dodge

Jim Reed, Ted Bodensteiner, Craig Schlienz and all the other volunteers who make up Shellabration Inc. have done it again. On Saturday night, thousands of people crammed into the intersection of Central Avenue and Ninth Street for this year’s Downtown Country Jam concert. They were treated to rousing performances by Tyler Richton and the High Bank Boys, Morgan Myles and Joe Nichols. Hundreds of local volunteers worked behind the scenes for months to make the show possible, then shifted into really high gear the day before the concert to get everything set up. And before the sun ...

Biorefinery offers welcome opportunities

In the early 1990s, local residents heard repeated, often vague plans for a corn plant west of Fort Dodge where the tiny village of Tara once stood. It took awhile, but the community, region and state got something much bigger and better than a single corn plant in that area. What developed instead was an ag industrial park called Iowa’s Crossroads of Global Innovation. It is home to Valero Renewables, Cargill and CJ Bio America. And the site is about to grow again. The community got a nice infusion of good news recently when company and local leaders announced that a new ...

Urban deer hunt is underway in Fort Dodge on private lands

A deer hunting season is underway in Fort Dodge. It began Saturday, and chances are many people have seen no indication that it is happening. The fact that the ongoing hunting isn’t obvious to everyone in town is a good thing. We hope it stays that way because that means the hunt is being conducted flawlessly by expert archers. The hunt will continue through Jan. 10, 2025, on privately owned land that meets size requirements. Most of that property is on the northern, eastern and western edges of the city. The decision to allow what is called an urban controlled bow hunt within ...

Flu shots provide potentially lifesaving protection

Just about everyone has called in sick at some point, saying they had the flu when they were sniffling, sneezing, maybe running a fever and generally feeling lousy. Those symptoms definitely add up to an illness, but the problem is not really the flu. Influenza, as it is properly known, is much, much worse. According to the Iowa Department of Public Health, influenza is caused by viruses that infect the respiratory tract. Influenza and pneumonia are among the top 10 causes of death in the state. Fortunately, there is a way to prevent influenza. A yearly vaccine can protect a person ...

Bonnie Barnett left great example of generosity

Leaders of seven Fort Dodge organizations received stunning news of the best kind recently. They learned that their organizations received large amounts of money from the estate of Bonnie Barnett, a woman most of them never met or had even heard of. Barnett, who died Nov. 16, 2023, at age 80, bequeathed a total of $1,337,613.15 to the groups. Iowa Central Community College received $535,045.26. That money will be invested and will be used to create the Bonnie K. Largent Barnett Scholarships. As a result, community college students for decades to come will get vital help paying for ...