Breaking News

Opinion

Urges yes vote on Iowa Central issue

Letters to the Editor

To the editor: A crop of yard signs is mushrooming, reminding us of the election coming up in November. On the ballot will be an important GO bond extension for Iowa Central Community College. Dr. Jesse Ulrich, president of Iowa Central, has provided a clear, bold plan for the funds. He has done this quite simply to be transparent and for us, the voters, to be able hold Iowa Central accountable to it. Here are the facts of that plan: • Property taxes will not increase. This is a tax levy renewal. The levy rate will not increase. The cost to the average household is approximately ...

Blood donors are badly needed

Local Columns

Across Iowa and the nation, hospitals are facing a critical shortage of type O blood. This shortage is especially concerning because O-negative blood is the universal donor type – it can be used in emergency situations when there’s no time to determine a patient’s blood type. Meanwhile, O-positive is the most common blood type, making it vital for the majority of patients who rely on transfusions. When supplies of type O blood run low, it impacts every hospital and every patient in need: trauma victims, cancer patients, premature babies, maternity patients and countless others. ...

Fort Dodge deserves fiscal honesty

Letters to the Editor

To the editor: I believe the hardworking taxpayers of Fort Dodge are being taken advantage of. The city of Fort Dodge is in a huge debt hole. The 2024 outstanding obligations for Fort Dodge are $197 million, as reported by Roby Smith, State of Iowa Treasurer. This debt hole includes general obligations and revenue bonds. The hardworking taxpayers are being squeezed by rising property taxes, water bills, and sales taxes to fund this out-of-control spending. When some citizens open their property tax bill and water bill, they have to make serious decisions about how to cover ...

The heartbeat of Webster County

Local Columns

Recently, I was visiting with an older gentleman friend about what I should write about next. From across the table, a woman offered, "Farming." When I looked back, my friend looked me square in the eye and said, “Yep.” He knows I don’t come from a farming background, but we've had long conversations about his work, so he knows I respect the folks who do. One summer in high school, I decided to detassel corn. About half of my classmates did it, and they always made good money. So I found a crew, hopped on a big old bus, and plopped myself in the middle of a field. I lasted two ...

Chief justice’s legacy to be honored with volunteer efforts

Editorial

Fairly and correctly administering the law was a form of public service that Mark Cady turned into his life’s work. Cady, the Fort Dodge man who was the chief justice of the Iowa Supreme Court when he died in November 2019, was a steady presence in courtrooms for nearly 40 years. He began his judicial career as a Webster County district associate court judge. He steadily moved up the ranks of the state’s judiciary, becoming a district court judge, judge of the Iowa Court of Appeals and justice of the Iowa Supreme Court. He became chief justice in 2010. During that time, he heard ...

Iowa Central bond extension will help ensure a skilled workforce

Local Columns

As president of Iowa Central Community College, there is not a single day that passes without a business owner or community member asking me how we can increase the number of people in the skilled workforce that our region, state, and nation so desperately depend on. On Nov. 4, our region will have the opportunity to support the infrastructure essential to enhancing our workforce needs by extending Iowa Central’s current General Obligation Bond. This renewal continues an existing levy, meaning no increase to the current property tax rate. For the average homeowner across our ...