OTHO — There’s a place to go, a mile west of Otho, tucked away on a gravel road, it’s called Junior’s Motel. But it’s not a bed and breakfast. Owned by Kirk Kaufman, Junior’s Motel is a professional recording studio concealed by green ivy and situated behind a house and next to ...

Members of PICA have found it is a way to become active and gain lifetime friendships with a group of people doing good. PICA, which stands for Pride in Community Appearance, began in 2002, a creation of Jan and Phyllis Wilson, of Fort Dodge. It is one of only two groups in Iowa doing this ...

Fort Dodge historian Al Nelson’s interest in the past goes back to his childhood. “When I was a little kid,” he said, “my mother had this leather-bound genealogy book. It fascinated me. I’d sneak a peek through it. I was just amazed at the fancy handwriting and script.” After ...

On the afternoon of June 19, 2017, Fort Dodge Police Capt. Bob Thode made one last call on his radio. It was heard and recorded in the Webster County Communications Center by the other officers on duty and anyone with an ear turned to the local scanner traffic. “It’s been an honor ...

BADGER — Jeff Brundige has seen plenty of changes since he became a Badger volunteer firefighter 23 years ago. The training and requirements for firefighters have shifted in many ways. And this year, his own duties have changed as Brundige took on the role of Badger Fire ...

POCAHONTAS — Auctioneering is more than just a job to Rick Winegarden. It’s in his blood. Winegarden, of Pocahontas, learned all he needed about the job from his father, who was also an auctioneer. “I went to auctioneer school in Mason City, but most of the experience comes from ...