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Spring cleaning helps keep city looking good

Editorial

On Wednesday afternoon, groups of people carrying orange garbage bags could be seen moving through fields on the east side of Fort Dodge, in the area where lots of stores are located. As they moved, they gradually filled those bags with every piece of litter they found. That effort was the annual spring cleanup, once called the FOD Walk. For more than 15 years, the effort organized by the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance has made our community a bit cleaner. The endeavor was started by Rhonda Chambers, the former director of aviation at Fort Dodge Regional Airport who once led the ...

Fort Dodge without TIF is a weaker Fort Dodge

Local Columns

Fort Dodge’s conversation about tax increment financing should begin with a simple question: What would our community look like without it? TIF is an Iowa urban renewal tool that allows communities to reinvest new tax value created in a designated area back into that area. For Fort Dodge, it has been one of the most important tools available to encourage job creation, expand our tax base, and move redevelopment projects from ideas to reality. That is why the “without TIF” question matters so much. In Fort Dodge, we do not have to imagine what TIF has made possible. We see it ...

Earth Day unites more than it divides

Editorial

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 56 years of Earth ...

Trump’s insult to Christians

Letters to the Editor

To the editor: In posts he personally approved and shared, Donald Trump circulated images depicting himself as a miracle worker—laying hands on the sick—and standing shoulder to shoulder with Jesus in a posture suggesting spiritual intimacy and authority. These are not casual visuals; they deliberately frame a political figure in overtly sacred terms, inviting viewers to see him through a religious lens rather than a civic one. Christianity centers on humility, repentance, and the clear distinction between the divine and the human. Images that blur that line — casting a ...

Area residents should answer the Call of the Wild

Editorial

As spring begins to bloom around us, many people are going to be spending a growing amount of time outdoors. And those whose idea of getting outside extends far beyond their backyards may feel they are answering the call of the wild. On Wednesday, everyone with any level of interest in nature can respond to a different Call of the Wild. This one is a special event to raise money for the Friends of Webster County Conservation. It offers a program that may encourage everyone to explore Iowa’s waterways. An experienced outdoorsman’s insights on what can be found along those ...

Tax season delivers historic tax refunds

Local Columns

Q: How is the Working Families Tax Cuts Act helping families make ends meet? A: The tax law delivered a welcome boost to family budgets this tax season. According to the IRS, the average tax refund is up 11 percent compared to last year. Estimates show the average tax cut for Iowans is more than $3,000, equating to an extra $250 a month. That’s a financial lift families can use to buy groceries, pay for child care, put gas in the car and invest in home repairs. President Trump’s signature on July 4th enacted the landmark law, stopping the largest tax increase in U.S. history. ...