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Beacon of Hope remains steadfast in its mission

Local Columns

What is a real homeless shelter? Well, for that, we should go back to the first one in America. The Gospel Mission movement was rooted in Christian evangelism, providing food and shelter to “rescue” individuals, particularly those struggling with alcoholism. In 1872, Jerry McAuley founded the first North American rescue mission after a transformative personal experience. The Helping Hand for Men was located at 316 Water St. in New York City. Today, it still exists as The Bowery Mission. McAuley’s impactful ministry led to the establishment of hundreds of rescue missions across ...

Take the time to remember

Editorial

Monday is Memorial Day. For many people, it is a time to welcome the summer season by taking advantage of a three-day holiday weekend to spend time relaxing with friends and family. It is important, however, not to forget what this day is truly about. Beginning soon after the Civil War, a day in May was set aside as a time to decorate with flowers the graves of the war dead. The original stimulus for this day came from the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of Union Army Civil War veterans. For many years it was called Decoration Day. Honoring those who gave their lives in ...

Big construction season in Fort Dodge will provide big benefits

Editorial

If there is one thing Fort Dodge residents have consistently complained about over the years, it is the condition of the city’s streets. This year they may have something entirely different to complain about: the amount of road work that will be impacting their daily travels. It does no good to point fingers or accuse anyone of negligence, but the reality is that our city’s infrastructure problems were caused by years of neglect. Nothing was done to maintain and improve things. Over the last few years, that has been changing. And this year’s construction season promises to be ...

It’s time to honor EMS providers

Editorial

In Webster County and all across America, teams of dedicated professionals stand ready to render medical assistance in emergencies. For some, this is their career. For many others, it is a volunteer undertaking that is performed in addition to their normal employment. It’s impossible to overstate how important emergency medical service (EMS) personnel can be to just about any of us in a moment when knowledgeable help is needed fast. Honoring the men and women who handle this vital work is appropriate at all times, but especially so just now. That’s because National EMS Week began ...

Honoring the heart of health care: Our nurses

Local Columns

As we celebrate National Nurses Week, I want to take a moment to recognize our incredible nurses who are dedicated to delivering exceptional care to our patients, each other and the communities we serve. I’ve been a nurse for 33 years and am honored to serve as the chief nursing officer for UnityPoint Health — Fort Dodge. I’m so proud of the more than 450 nurses who provide care in our clinics, hospital and home care services every day across our community. Our nurses show up when fear and uncertainty are present, advocate for patients in need and offer comfort even when healing ...

Postal Service should not be privatized

Editorial

As we Americans celebrate the 250th birthday of our country this year, we ought to take a minute to appreciate an often maligned organization that has helped tie the nation together throughout its history. That organization is the United States Postal Service. Even in the age of email, the Postal Service has a key role in helping Americans communicate and do business. We ought to keep it that way. Privatizing the Postal Service would be a mistake that would result in less service and higher costs for citizens. Unfortunately, the concept of privatizing it has come up a couple of ...