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Happy birthday, Iowa! Let freedom ring

Local Columns

In addition to Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year’s Day, Iowans have another reason to celebrate during the last week of the year. On Dec. 28, 1846, President James K. Polk signed a bill admitting Iowa into the Union. This year, Iowa will celebrate its 178th birthday. Let’s take a look back at when Iowa became the 29th state. Iowa has always been a free state. On March 3, 1845, Congress passed legislation to allow for the admission of the Territories of Florida and Iowa into the Union. The carefully crafted bill kept intact the political arrangement at the time to keep the number ...

Enjoy a festive holiday season

Editorial

It is that time of year when holiday parties pile up one after the other over the course of a few days — and many of them are held after dark and feature alcoholic beverages. Everyone wants to get to and from all these gatherings safely. No one wants to be added to the grim table of statistics compiled by the Iowa Department of Transportation which records all of the deaths resulting from traffic accidents. As of Friday, 344 people had been killed in traffic crashes in Iowa during 2024, according to the department’s statistics. That is 28 fewer deaths than last year, a decrease ...

Silent night, holy night …

Editorial

All across the nation, a feeling of anticipation is in the air. It is almost Christmas Eve, a time when those whose jobs do not demand that they be at work complete preparations for Christmas, the biggest day on most of our calendars. Once the packages are all wrapped, the last decorations are adjusted on Christmas trees, cookies are taken out of the oven and, perhaps, a turkey begins cooking, a time of peace descends upon many of us. Weary from the hustle and bustle of the holidays, we relax for a few moments. Many of us go to evening church services, where “Joy to the World” ...

Evening Lions announce winners

Letters to the Editor

To the editor: The Fort Dodge Evening Lions wish our sponsors and all the people who purchased raffle tickets from our club a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year. We want to announce these winners of our grocery raffle, which we drew at our Santa Christmas party held at Rides Event Center on the 17th of December. Thanks to all members and to Rides for the use of the Event Center. We had lots of fun with the families that came out to visit Santa and enjoy cookies, coffee, hot chocolate or juice and play with treats and small gifts that were given to each child. The winners are ...

Biden’s Christmas gift to the bah humbug bureaucrats: another four-year staycation away from the office

Local Columns

In the Charles Dickens’ classic, “A Christmas Carol,” three ghosts show up on Christmas Eve and go to work trying to convince Scrooge to change his ways. That’s better in-person attendance than you can expect to find in a Washington, D.C. office these days. In fact, you’re more likely to spot a ghost haunting the halls of the headquarters of government agencies than a bureaucrat! When asked to return to their jobs, government employees are responding: “Bah! Humbug.” While President-elect Trump is promising to bring these Bah Humbug bureaucrats back to the office ...

Writer defends support of Trump

Letters to the Editor

To the editor: In all the years I have had letters to the editor published I have received just two letters responding to what I wrote. The first one, almost four years ago, was actually from someone I knew who said he disagreed with much of what I said and then invited me to coffee. The second was a few months ago in response to my letter, “Proud supporter says Trump will succeed,” published Sept. 4th. The letter I received was unsigned and was without a return address. The letter writer either knew me or had to do research to get my address. The writer said he would not sign ...