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 ...

Week 2 was a short week as we celebrated Martin Luther King Day on Monday. I was happy to join a Zoom call on Monday evening coordinated by Sherry Washington, and including wonderful remarks from Jane Burleson and Julia Naylor, two leaders in Fort Dodge’s African-American community. Their ...

As the holiday season draws to a close each year, The Messenger’s writing staff embarks on a challenging adventure — producing a comprehensive look at how a wide array of developments in our region are shaping tomorrow. While every issue of this newspaper is filled with articles, features ...