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May is Beef Month in Iowa

Gov. Kim Reynolds has officially proclaimed May as Beef Month in Iowa. For many of us, every month is a time to partake of a food that ranks high on the list of culinary favorites. It’s no secret that Americans have a love affair with beef. That’s been true for generations and the demand for this tasty and healthy product is on the rise — up about 15 percent in the last decade. The passion for beef is widely shared. It is the beef industry’s vital role in the state’s economy, however, that warrants special recognition. The governor took note in her proclamation of some ...

A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE

Sports are my passion, but I’ll let you in on a little secret: I’m also a big fan of musicals. To clarify, I’m no aficionado — mostly just an admirer from afar. This dates back to witnessing my first Fort Dodge Senior High performance, a rousing rendition of “Oklahoma!” in the ...

We are grateful for your sacrifice

More than 6 million served in the Korean War. Almost 9 million GIs were on active duty during the Vietnam War, from 1964 to 1973; 2,709,918 Americans actually served in Vietnam. That’s 9.7 percent of their generation. For nearly a decade, the Honor Flight program has made it possible for thousands of those veterans to visit the memorials to their personal sacrifices. Locally, Ron Newsum heads a committee that has organized and carried out repeated Brushy Creek Area Honor Flights. Another is about to take off from Fort Dodge Regional Airport in Fort Dodge. They will include ...

It’s time to rejuvenate the Lincoln neighborhood

One of the oldest neighborhoods in Fort Dodge is just north of downtown. People have been living there since the late 1800s. The area is called the Lincoln neighborhood, getting its name from the old Lincoln School which once stood where the St. Edmond practice fields are now along North 10th Street. Over time, the neighborhood deteriorated. Once grand homes decayed, and the area developed a sordid reputation. In the last few years, the city government has stepped in to address that decay by purchasing and demolishing old houses. Vacant lots now line North Eighth Street in the heart of ...

$17 M grant for mall project is a win for the community

It’s hard to miss the evolution of the place generations of Fort Dodge area residents knew as Crossroads Mall. In fact, most of the former big enclosed mall will be gone in the not-too-distant future. In its place will be a complex of buildings called Corridor Plaza. One new building housing a convenient care clinic is already standing, and two new roads pass close to it. A new strip mall is under construction, and the place that was once the Younkers wing of the mall is being renovated. That transformation got a big boost Friday when the Iowa Economic Development Authority awarded ...

Today is Earth Day

The late 1960s were turbulent years in America. It was a time of rapid change when young protesters expressed disillusionment with many aspects of the world their elders had built. The divisions in society that emerged from those conflicts decades ago still haunt our society in the 21st century. Some of the emotional scars from those bitter disputes will influence American politics well into the future. There is, however, one legacy of those chaotic times that unites rather than divides us — Earth Day. The first Earth Day was April 22, 1970. Today marks 52 years of Earth ...