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Summer fun is here in the Fort Dodge area

Editorial

The long days of summer are upon us, with seemingly endless hours of daylight to be enjoyed. In fact, at least on weekends, you might as well call them the long, lazy days of summer. Locally, there will be plenty of things to do on those summer weekends. This weekend is loaded with things to do. The Badger Lake Dragon Boat Bash is Friday and Saturday. The Blanden Art Festival and the Oakland Cemetery Walk are both on Saturday. Plus, the Calhoun County community of Knoke will celebrate its 125th anniversary on Saturday. Lehigh River Days will be back from June 19 to June 21. It will ...

Wanted 3 students remembered at FDSH graduation

Letters to the Editor

To the editor: I’m writing this in regards to the graduation for the Class of 2026 for the Fort Dodge Senior High. Three of the classmates were not there. Two died in a car accident. The other one was murdered. My granddaughter, who was their friend, wanted to say something about them at graduation. She asked the principal, and at first she said yes, then she said no. How sad my granddaughter couldn’t say something about them. She also asked about letting some balloons go to celebrate them and was told no. Guess what — we released them anyway. Some other people in the stands ...

A salute to Jim Lloyd for a life well-lived

Local Columns

It was May 2010 and veterans who flew to Washington on Fort Dodge’s first Honor Flight were gathered on a sunny morning at the World War II Memorial to pay respects to their fallen comrades. One of them was my dad, Walter Stevens, who served in the European Theater. He was accompanied ...

Fort Dodge is a medalist in fundraising

Editorial

When it comes to supporting athletes with intellectual disabilities, the Fort Dodge community is often a medalist. Citizens and local law enforcement officers come together annually to raise money for Special Olympics Iowa at an event called Cop on a Rooftop. It is an event held statewide. And when all the donations are tallied up, Fort Dodge is one of the top – if not the top – producer of donations for the athletes. Cop on a Rooftop is held at Dunkin’ Donuts, 2520 Fifth Ave. S. Yes, you read that right. Who knew that all those old, tired stereotypes about cops and doughnuts ...

Voting requires research

Editorial

For the last year, Iowans have been immersed in numerous political campaigns for Congress, the governor’s office, the state legislature and various county offices. A lot of people may feel like they have been bombarded by non-stop political ads. With the primary election just days away, the campaigning will no doubt reach a fever pitch. In a democracy, that is to be expected. Every candidate for every office wants to get their message out and take a few jabs at their opponents. As fed up as folks may get with all of this campaigning they may forget that they are lucky to live in ...

Building what’s next: Housing, quality of place and the power of partnership

Local Columns

As we move through the summer season, one thing remains clear: communities that win are the ones that are prepared. And in today’s economic environment, preparation starts with housing. One of the biggest barriers to the workforce is housing availability. Across the country, we are facing what many are calling the “missing middle” housing crisis. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, there is a shortage of 7.3 million affordable and available rental homes for the lowest-income renters. It impacts our workforce. The teachers, nurses, first responders, and ...