On the northwest side of the roundabout intersection of 12th Street and First Avenue South there is an empty lot. There are a few trees there and beneath the snow the grass awaits the spring. It’s a nice little green spot in the center of town. And it’s about to become a lot more ...

There has been a Catholic school system in Fort Dodge for almost as long as this town has been in existence. There are other towns in the area The Messenger serves that can make similar claims. Catholic education got underway in Fort Dodge about 160 years ago. The first Catholic school came ...

Hopefully lots of area residents will be gathering around their computer screens on the night of Feb. 5 to celebrate together, while remaining apart, and in the process raise money to support the vital mission of UnityPoint Health hospice services. Of all the health care services available, ...

Interaction between citizens and the officials they elect to represent them is crucial to a democracy. Citizens must be able to tell the officials what they want and what they don’t want. They must also be able to hold the officials responsible for their actions. The elected officials ...

For as long as anybody can remember, Iowans have been changing their clocks twice a year for daylight saving time. Each spring, they set the clock ahead one hour and each fall they set it back one hour. A bill introduced by state Rep. Mike Sexton, R-Rockwell City, would eventually put an ...

Corn production has been a key factor in the Iowa economy for more than 150 years. The state's 21st-century economy is characterized by increasing diversity. Agriculture isn't as dominant as once was the case. Even so, there can be little doubt that corn remains of critical importance. The ...