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Cochrane served Fort Dodge schools, students well

Editorial

Being a member of a school board is a rather thankless job. In influencing the education of children, board members grapple with decisions that impact the future of individuals and ultimately, the country. Board members also regularly deal with rules imposed on school districts by the state and federal governments. And then there are the unhappy parents and crabby taxpayers. For dealing with all that, board members in Fort Dodge are paid exactly nothing. It takes a special kind of person to deal with all that for any length of time. That is what makes Stu Cochrane’s tenure on ...

Grassley addresses child care issue

Local Columns

Q: How are you working to address affordable child care for families? A: During my annual 99 county meetings, I regularly hear from parents, employers and civic leaders about the need for affordable child care in their local communities. A couple years ago, Sen. Joni Ernst and I held a roundtable discussion in Des Moines to learn more about the barriers that small businesses and parents face to access affordable child care. The shortage of workers and rising cost of living present acute challenges for families across the state, creating situations that have come to be called “child ...

Our debt crisis keeps getting worse

Local Columns

At the end of July, our national debt officially topped $35 trillion. This development comes just seven months after our country surpassed $34 trillion in debt and less than a year since our national debt eclipsed $33 trillion last September. As a father of four, I firmly believe that we have both a moral and financial obligation to our children and grandchildren to enact real reforms that begin to reduce our exploding national debt and restore fiscal sanity to Congress. In fact, for the sake of our economic and national security, we have no other choice but to get our fiscal house in ...

Jimmerson was truly the leader of the band

Editorial

It seemed like he was always there. When the Karl King Municipal Band began its summer season by playing at the Memorial Day observance, Jerrold Jimmerson picked up his baton and led his musicians in playing patriotic favorites. Throughout the summer concerts, he conducted the band and did all kinds of behind the scenes work to make for successful, enjoyable shows. The same was true for the indoor winter concerts. Jimmerson was a fixture in the community. Indeed, many Fort Dodge music lovers can’t remember any other conductor of the band. After 21 years as conductor and 65 ...

Preserve FD seeks to address community problems

Letters to the Editor

To the editor: In response to the July 6, 2024, editorial: “Effort is needed to address abandoned buildings, homeless”. Preserve Fort Dodge, Inc. echoes this concern regarding abandoned buildings and homelessness. The issue is exactly what Preserve Fort Dodge, an Iowa non-profit corporation, is working to address. The purpose of Preserve Fort Dodge is “to oversee and/or assist in steps for preservation, adaptive reuse and/or rehabilitation of vacant buildings within Fort Dodge to ensure their future use and viability for the betterment of our community.” We are starting with ...

Patience will pay off at Corridor Plaza

Editorial

The steel framework of what will be a sports pavilion at Corridor Plaza seems to get bigger every day. On the opposite side of the property that used to be Crossroads Mall, a fence has gone up around the area where a Chick-fil-A restaurant will be built. Earthmovers are rumbling around another section of the complex, while workers go in and out of the old Younkers wing of the mall that is being converted into a row of stores that will include Dunham’s Sporting Goods, Maurice’s and Shoe Sensation. It seems like suddenly there is a whole lot of activity at Corridor Plaza. It is ...