Fort Dodge City Council must increase police force

January 14, 2023

Ensuring the public safety is the most important role of a city government, and having a good police force is one of the key tools for fulfilling that role. A city ought to have a police force that is large enough to project a presence that will not only catch criminals, but deter them from causing trouble in the first place. There is no doubt that the Fort Dodge Police Department is full of well-trained, dedicated and caring officers. The problem is that there simply isn’t enough of them. The City Council now has a chance to do something about that. A well-thought out plan that ...

Flu shots provide potentially lifesaving protection

January 11, 2023

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 ...

Get out and vote Tuesday

January 9, 2023

There are exciting things going on in Fort Dodge. Fort Dodge and Webster County are well-positioned to prosper if creative leaders in government and the private sector leverage assets and resources appropriately to take advantage of the very real opportunities for business and commercial development. That’s why the election process is so important. In Fort Dodge, a special election process begins Tuesday with a primary election to trim down the field of candidates seeking to complete the term of an at-large seat on the Fort Dodge City Council. The candidates are Kyrie Borsay, ...

The Christmas spirit of giving should continue throughout the year

January 7, 2023

Every year around the holidays, the generosity of people who live in and around Fort Dodge blossoms. The familiar red kettles of The Salvation Army get filled with change by people going in and out of stores. Donations flow for initiatives like Coats for Kids. Those are some of the best-known helping campaigns in the Fort Dodge area that ramp up at Christmas time, and we know there are a lot of others out there as well. The holiday season is now over. Volunteers are no longer standing next to red kettles ringing bells. Other programs have gone dormant until next Christmas. But ...

Cookies bring officers, youths closer together

January 4, 2023

A number of police officers converged on Fort Dodge Senior High School on a morning shortly before Christmas for a happy occasion. The officers were the guests of honor and the recipients of box after box of Christmas goodies prepared by the Dodger softball team. Led by coach Andi Adams, the players decided to do something special for a group of people who are always there to protect them and everyone else in Fort Dodge. The goal was to give the officers a break from the regular grind for at least one morning. Being a police officer is never an easy job. The softball team’s ...

Happy New Year! Welcome to 2023

December 31, 2022

Soon, we will welcome in a new year. Tonight, no doubt many readers will stay home, joining the ranks of those sitting on the couch, counting down the final moments of 2022 while participating vicariously in the festivities broadcast from Times Square in New York City. Others will celebrate the passing of another year by making merry until the wee hours of the new year. And yet others will let the new year come in just as they let each new day, week or month arrive – snugly tucked into bed getting some sleep. There is no right or wrong way to mark the arrival of another year. ...