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Special Olympics volunteers to be honored

When about 150 Special Olympics athletes enter Dodger Stadium this morning for their track and field competition, some of their biggest supporters won’t be present. Tim Flaherty, Donna Gutknecht, Charles Johnson, Laurie Mullen and Lis Ristau will not be in the stadium. But the dedication that they demonstrated to support Special Olympics athletes will be remembered and honored. All of them passed away within the last year or so. They will be honored during the opening ceremonies, set for 9 a.m. today in the stadium. Flaherty was the store director of the Fort Dodge ...

Is your family eligible?

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig is encouraging eligible farm owners to apply for the 2022 Century and Heritage Farm Program. The program is sponsored by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation and recognizes families that have owned their farm for 100 years in the case of Century Farms and 150 years for Heritage Farms. It has been more than 186 years since land that is now the state of Iowa was opened for settlers. The America of the 21st century is far different from the nation presided over by President Andrew Jackson in ...

Tasty fundraiser will support D/SAOC

In January, February and March this year, the Domestic and Sexual Assault Outreach Center served 346 clients with 1,041 bed nights, which means nights spent in its shelter. Compared to last year’s first quarter, those numbers have increased by about 14 percent. Although the Domestic and Sexual Assault Outreach Center in based in Fort Dodge, it is crucial to remember that it provides shelter and support services for 20 counties in Iowa, including Boone, Butler, Cerro Gordo, Floyd Franklin, Greene, Grundy, Hancock, Hamilton, Hardin, Humboldt, Kossuth, Marshall, Mitchell, Story, ...

Fur Ball is April 9 at FD Ford Toyota

It would be hard to imagine 21st-century America without pets. They contribute wonderfully to the happiness and well-being of people of all ages. In a perfect world, every pet would at all times be a welcome and loved part of someone’s home. Unfortunately, reality falls short of that ideal. That’s why it’s important to our community that the Humane Society of North Central Iowa remains strong and grows even more robust. As with so many other worthwhile endeavors, achieving laudable goals depends in part on mobilizing the financial resources necessary to support the cause. The ...

Help bring performances back to Phillips

It has been nearly a decade since the auditorium at the former Phillips Middle School was regularly filled with the sounds of music and laughter. The site of plays, musicals, concerts and the occasional speech by presidential candidates making the rounds in advance of the Iowa caucuses has been mostly still and empty since the school closed in 2014. The classrooms up and down the hallways have been replaced by apartments, but the auditorium remains basically intact, awaiting its chance to again become a performing arts venue. Local residents will have the chance to help make the site ...

Support young readers by donating books

There are books just waiting to be read that are instead gathering dust on shelves and in boxes throughout Fort Dodge. Local residents now have a chance to get those books into the hands of eager young readers. The Fort Dodge Community Schools Foundation is seeking books that can be given to students so they have something to read over the summer. Getting books suitable for elementary school students is the big goal, but books for older kids will be accepted as well. In fact, books in any readable condition will be accepted. Folks who want to unload some books they haven’t read ...