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Property tax relief shouldn’t come at the expense of Iowa Central

Letters to the Editor

To the editor: As the Legislature debates property tax reform, I want to be very clear about what’s at stake for Iowa Central Community College and the communities we serve. Community colleges account for just 2 to 3 percent of the average property tax bill. That’s a small slice. Limiting that portion will not meaningfully change what most Iowans pay. But it will have a very real impact on students, workforce training, and local economies. At Iowa Central, those dollars are not sitting in a flexible pot. They are largely restricted by law to essential costs—facilities, ...

Iowa needs a governor who shows up

Letters to the Editor

To the editor: Iowa voters aren’t asking for anything complicated. They want a governor who shows up, listens, and actually fights for them. That’s exactly why I’m supporting Adam Steen for governor. Adam brings something Iowa is missing right now: real leadership rooted in presence, accountability, and the courage to challenge the status quo. He’s not scripted. He’s not insulated. He’s accessible, engaged, and willing to take on tough conversations — because he understands that government should serve people, not political insiders. That stands in sharp contrast to ...

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 ...