Breaking News

Opinion

Shellabration Inc. is an asset to Fort Dodge

Editorial

Jim Reed, Ted Bodensteiner, Craig Schlienz and all the other volunteers who make up Shellabration Inc. have pulled off another musical masterpiece. On Friday night, thousands of people crammed into the intersection of Central Avenue and Ninth Street for this year’s Shellabration concert. They were treated to rousing performances by the Tank Anthony Band, The Babys and headliner Rick Springfield. Hundreds of local volunteers worked behind the scenes for months to make the show possible, then shifted into really high gear the day before the concert to get everything set up. Then the ...

Work of many made for softball tournament success

Editorial

The 2024 Girls State Softball Tournament did not end exactly the way both the Fort Dodge Dodgers and St. Edmond Gaels and their fans had hoped it would, but it still showcased our community and its outstanding sports complex. The fact that Fort Dodge has hosted the tournament for more than 50 years is a tribute to the work and the partnerships created by essentially a generation’s worth of local leaders. These are leaders who have seen the value in both having a world class facility in Harlan and Hazel Rogers Sports Complex, and maintaining a close relationship with the Iowa High ...

Brady O’Brien Live says thank you

Letters to the Editor

To the editor: The Brady O'Brien Live REVIVAL Project Team would like to thank The Messenger, Eric Pratt and Britt Kudla for the great article, and all our sponsors who supported us in our first event. On July 6, 2024, we celebrated 445 Christians worshipping together as we listened to music from Brady O'Brien, Grace Casciato, Tammy Johnson and national contemporary Christian recording artist Ryan Stevenson at the Laramar Ballroom. Please mark your calendars for Brady O'Brien Live's upcoming events. Thursday, Aug. 1: Ronald McDonald House Special Event at the Laramar ...

There are many reasons to be a member of the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance

Local Columns

Joining the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance offers numerous benefits for organizations and businesses looking to grow and thrive in the Fort Dodge area. Here are some key reasons why membership can be advantageous. Networking opportunities. Members have access to a wide range of networking events, such as our quarterly Member Meet & Eat luncheons and quarterly Leading Ladies of Fort Dodge programs, and ribbon-cuttings, which provide opportunities to connect with other local business leaders and potential clients. Advocacy and representation. The Growth Alliance serves as a voice ...

Webster City, Van Diest Supply team up on water tower project

Editorial

There are lessons to be learned in building a community. This one stands out: We must work together. An example of this is the recent collaboration between the City of Webster City and Van Diest Supply Co. Together, they will build and maintain a new 250,000-gallon water tower near Van Diest Supply Co.’s factory complex west of Webster City. The company will pay for the design and construction of the new tower, with the City of Webster City assuming normal maintenance and operating costs, estimated at $5,000 to $15,000 a year. The city learned last fall that Van Diest’s ...

Reining in Washington’s overreach

Local Columns

Our government is supposed to be “by the people and for the people.” Unfortunately, an obscure Supreme Court decision made four decades ago effectively handcuffed citizens and paved the way for unelected bureaucrats to extend the long arm of government into nearly every aspect of Iowans’ lives. The Chevron deference doctrine, as it became known following the 1984 ruling, gave federal agencies the power to exploit ambiguities in laws passed by Congress to grant themselves sweeping authority. If citizens sued in response, the doctrine required courts to always side with ...