Due to the postal holiday, there
The Messenger will be back on Tuesday, February 20th
By BILL SHEA
bshea@messengernews.net
The Nestle Purina PetCare plant, which has long been a mainstay of the Fort Dodge economy, is on the verge of another growth spurt.
And it is going to be a big growth spurt.
“This expansion is going to be a game changer,” said Astra Ferris, the chief executive officer of the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance.
To illustrate just what a game changer the expansion will be, she offered these statistics:
∫ $200 million worth of capital investment
∫ 50 net new jobs with starting wages ranging from $27 to $30 an hour
“We’re very excited to see Nestle continue to make investments, adding jobs and value to their facility here in Fort Dodge,” Mayor Matt Bemrich said.
The footprint of the plant at 2400 Fifth Ave. S. will be changed. And perhaps most noticeable to those traveling on busy Fifth Avenue South will be a new turn lane by the plant.
“Our journey with this project began back in October 2023 and after persistent efforts and unwavering collaboration, we’ve successfully crossed the finish line,” Ferris said Friday.
That finish line was crossed Friday when the Iowa Economic Development Authority Board moved to support the expansion by awarding Nestle Purina PetCare tax benefits through the High
The city of Fort Dodge and Golden Day announced the formal launch of the Golden Day Adult Day Program at Citizens Central, 617 Central Ave.
This program has been in development since mid-2021. It will offer regular support for older adults and individuals with disabilities. Golden Day Adult Day’s mission is to provide safe and caring adult services that will offer meaningful programs to enhance the dignity, independence and quality of life of older people and individuals with disabilities. For information or to apply for the program, write to goldendayadultday@gmail.com or call 515-308-4163.
Here are some key milestones leading to the program
Quality Jobs program.
That action came after Fort Dodge, Webster County and Iowa Central Community College moved to support the expansion.
The City Council committed $1.6 million to be paid over 10 years. That money will come from tax increment financing, which occurs when increased property tax revenue from a designated area is set aside to be reinvested in that area.
The Webster County Board of Supervisors agreed to give the city $400,000 to be used as matching funds for a state grant local leaders hope to get to pay for building the turning lane on Fifth Avenue South.
of the first biweekly adult day program at Citizens Central
∫ February 2022 — Partnership with Fort Dodge Community Foundation for funding launched
∫ Oct. 31, 2022 and December 2022 — Legal and certification steps completed
By JOHN McBRIDE
Kruckenberg was inspired by a former student to embrace the meaning of random acts of kindness, and her staff at Butler sprang into action to make some special deliveries this past week. The staff put together gifts and treats for the Fort Dodge Fire Department, Northfield Church of Christ in Fort Dodge and for the school district’s bus drivers. They delivered their gifts on Wednesday. Random Acts of Kindness Day is actually today and is the culmination of Random Acts of Kindness Week, which runs Feb. 11-17 each year.
“Random Acts of Kindness Day has always held a special place in my heart. I was fortunate to work with a student in a previous district whose family ignited that passion for me,” Kruckenberg said. “I decided that this seemed to be the perfect opportunity to bring it here. Instead of our traditional staff meeting that is held once a month, we are using that time to spread kindness within our community.”
Kruckenbrerg said staff worked in small groups to come up with a list of possible places within the Fort Dodge community that they could give back to.
Once the list was compiled, staff voted and the top choices were announced: Northfield Church, FDCSD bus drivers and the Fort Dodge Fire Department.
“These are entities that continue to show us grace and kindness from monthly birthday celebrations for our kids to DART tokens to driving our students to and from school as well as to field trips throughout the year,” she said. Staff made plans to provide treats and
∫ Late 2021 — A group led by Beth Plautz, Angie Jessen, Mary Potratz, Cheryl Franklin, and Bethany Cox was formed to establish the program.
∫ December 2021 — Space secured at Citizens Central with help of Erin Arndt, program supervisor in the Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department.
∫ Aug. 5, 2021 — Discussion about the need for an adult day program initiated by state Rep. Ann Meyer, R-Fort Dodge.
∫ Jan. 17, 2022 — Launch
∫ January and April 2023 — Compliance with state regulations and inspection requirements attained.
∫ January 2024 — Achievement of certification from the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing
∫ Jan. 10, 2024 — Application to Medicaid for program funding In April, program leaders hope to expand it to three days a week.
The Community Health Center of Fort Dodge, in partnership with Live Healthy Iowa, will be hosting a 5K in Fort Dodge on April 13. The 5K run/walk will begin at 8 a.m. near the trail at Rosedale Rapids Aquatics Center. The 1K kid’s fun run will start around 9 a.m. If you register online before March 27, the cost is $25. Registration for the 1K kids run is $5. All preregistered participants will receive a Live Healthy Iowa 5K T-shirt, race number, finisher medal, and gift card to local sponsor Brown’s Shoe
Fit Co. and Third Thursday Fit Night. To register, visit chcfd.com. Registration on race day will be $30. The event aims to promote physical fitness and overall health within
Humboldt officials ask residents to stay home and out of area
By KELLI BLOOMQUIST editor@messengernews.net
“That’s good news for our citizens and businesses in the area,” said Bissell during a Facebook Live press conference on Tuesday. Bissell said the county saw moderate flooding on Tuesday, but that the river is expected to rise rapidly today, potentially more than 2 feet in 24 hours. Some homes in the area have wa-
ter in backyards and up to the foundation. Many homes in the flood zone have also built up sand berms around their prop-
erties.
MidAmerican Energy also shut off gas and electricity to homes in the impacted areas in advance of the flooding.
“We’re ready for whatever comes and we’re expecting it to get worse,” said Bissell. “This is the calm before the major storm arrives.”
Humboldt County officials are asking citizens not involved in flood operations to stay home Wednesday and out of the flood impacted areas.
“Stay away from the flood waters,” said Bissell. “This is for safety reasons as it taxes our Police Department and first response personnel.”
Flooding is also expected to affect the cities of Rutland and Bradgate.
Bissell said he and first response agen-
See HUMBOLDT, Page 6
Monday fire believed to be arson
By BILL SHEA
bshea@messengernews.net
For the second time in less than a month, a significant fire has inflicted serious damage on the former Fair Oaks Middle School in Fort Dodge.
Arson is believed to be the cause of the latest fire, which ignited Monday night.
“We believe it was intentionally set,” Fire Chief Steve Hergenreter said.
The fire was reported at 10:33 p.m.in the former school at 416 S. 10th St.
When firefighters arrived, flames were blasting out of some third floor windows on the south side of the building.
Firefighters initially used large caliber nozzles mounted on a pumper truck and at the tip of the aerial ladder to extinguish most of the fire. Then they dragged hose up the aerial and in through windows to finish the job.
Large diameter hoselines were connected to a hydrant on the school property and at Fifth Avenue South and 12th Street to supply the needed water. Fifth Avenue South west of 12th Street and the Kenyon Road Bridge were closed to traffic.
Hergenreter said about 3,000 square feet of space on the third floor was gutted. He said the area contained a “significant fire load” because of large bookcases and wood framing. No one was found in the building.
FLAMES push out from a third floor window on the south side of the former Fair Oaks Middle School Monday night. The fire was reported at 10:33 p.m. Firefighters and police were still on the scene after midnight Tuesday.
Firefighters were on scene until about 2:30 a.m. Tuesday. A fire on May 27 damaged another portion of the third floor and burned a hole through the roof.
The school building has been vacant since 2018. There had been some previ-
See FIRE, Page 2
Anticipated crest would be 2 feet higher than 1993 flooding
By KELLI BLOOMQUIST editor@messengernews.net
Thousands of sandbags line homes and businesses throughout Webster County as flood waters continue to rise and residents and officials wait for the Des Moines River to crest.
Hundreds of volunteers from throughout central Iowa have spent the week filling and delivering sandbags in hopes of keeping flood waters away from infrastructure. Sandbagging sites were on hold as of Tuesday evening, but residents can still find and bag sand on their own at the Otho Community Center and Willow Ridge Golf Course.
“What an inspiring show of community support,” said Webster County Supervisor Mark Campbell. “The heat has been tough, but it didn’t slow down the willingness of community members to help one another. We feel very good about the preparations that we’ve made in such a short time.”
Many residents are still helping one another. The City of Fort Dodge put out a post on Facebook encouraging those in need to ask for flood preparation help.
“There has been an outpouring of requests for people wanting to help in the preparation efforts,” said Amanda Holmes, communications manager for the City of Fort Dodge. “At this point, we’re encouraging people to visit our social media post specifically created to put residents in need of help with folks who are wanting to chip in.”
By CLARK KAUFFMAN
The Iowa Utilities Board gave its approval Tuesday for the controversial Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline and for the company to use eminent domain to acquire landowners’ property. The company hopes to begin construction next year with the goal of making the pipeline operational in 2026. The pipeline, which would be the largest of its kind anywhere in the world, would carry liquified carbon dioxide from ethanol plants in Iowa and surrounding states to a site in North Dakota, where the company hopes for reconsideration and approval of a previously denied permit.
By BILL SHEA
bshea@messengernews.net
GOWRIE — Five new homes are going up on the east side of Gowrie as community leaders work with a developer to alleviate a housing shortage.
Construction of three of the homes along Sunrise Drive is underway.
“It is going to have a major impact,” said Kevin Black, a member of the Gowrie Development Commission’s Housing Committee.
13-year-old was killed
By BILL SHEA
bshea@messengernews.net
A man tested positive for alcohol, cocaine and the active ingredient in marijuana shortly after a fatal November crash he is accused of causing, according to court records.
Logan A. Christensen, 38, of Eagle Grove, now faces multiple criminal charges in connection with the crash that killed Kyle Hilbert, 13, of Hardy, and seriously injured Sara Sanga, of Hardy. Court records show that Christensen has been charged with:
∫ Homicide by vehicle, operating under the influence
∫ Serious injury by vehicle, OWI
∫ Failure to obey stop sign and yield right of way Christensen made his initial appearance in Webster County Magistrate Court Friday. He posted a $30,000 cash bond and was released from jail.
A preliminary hearing on the homicide by vehicle and serious injury by vehicle charges was scheduled for June 5.
“It’s a big deal for Gowrie,” he said. Local leaders gathered with representatives of Origin Homes, of West Des Moines, Friday morning to give the new housing addition a ceremonial start. First the group scooped some dirt with silver-colored shovels. Then a red ribbon was snipped.
Not far away, an excavator did some serious groundbreaking, digging a hole for the foundation of one of the houses. Black said there is a “very concerted effort” under way to address the housing shortage in Gowrie.
“There’s just no supply of housing,” he said. Nearly two years ago, the city and the Gowrie Development Commission began looking for developers who might be willing to build homes in the community. Local officials and Origin Housing began working together about 18 months ago.
By ROBIN OPSAHL
He is accused of killing Algona officer
By BILL SHEA bshea@messengernews.net
of hemp-derived product and changes to the state’s boards and commissions. The signing of 20 bills marked the end of action on legislation passed during the 2024 session. While some of the laws signed Friday generated debate during the session, many of the highest-profile bills on subjects like Iowa’s Area Education Agencies and cuts to the state’s individual income tax have already been signed. One of the few bills that was passed by the legislature but vetoed by Reynolds was House File 2539, a bill increasing penalties for the violation of state laws on open meetings and records. The legislation included measures to raise fines for breaking open meetings laws, with knowing violations rising from between $1,000 and $2,500 to $5,000 and $12,500 under the bill. The measure also created a new exception to open meetings law, allowing a quorum of elected officials to attend certain functions, such as political meetings, as long as policy is not discussed.
Erika Eckley, executive director of the Iowa Public Information Board, wrote in a letter to Reynolds that this exception is “in direct conflict with the transparency requirements of Iowa’s sunshine laws and will create an enormous loophole for government bodies to allow for decisions to be made in secret, avoiding public consideration and disclosure, which is contrary to ensuring accountability of government to Iowans and the legislative intent behind the legislation.” She urged the governor to veto the measure. Reynolds, in vetoing the measure, wrote that the Legislature’s change to the definition of “meeting” was well-intentioned, but was “unnecessary and will cause confusion.” She also wrote in support of a measure that was taken out of the bill that would require training for public officials in open meetings and records laws, a provision she called a “laudable goal and one I hope the Legislature will continue to pursue.”
Here’s a rundown on some of the measures signed into law by the governor Friday:
Boards and commissions
Senate File 2385 makes changes to Iowa’s system of boards and commissions. The law would eliminate 74 boards and commissions. It also would consolidate nine boards into three new bodies out of the current 256 boards and commissions and would make changes to the powers and composition of some panels.
The law received significant pushback during the legislative session, in part because of the changes made to the Iowa Civil Rights Commission, turning the body into an advisory panel, and the elimination of commissions representing marginalized groups in Iowa, such as the commissions focusing on the status of women, African Americans, Asian and Pacific Islanders, and people with disabilities.
Reynolds said in a statement that the law is a part of her larger goal to make state government more efficient, pointing to a 2023 law restructuring and consolidating state agencies and departments.
“These bills are a continuation of that work,” Reynolds said in a statement. “Iowa’s boards and commissions have never been comprehensively reviewed and adjusted for effectiveness and have grown exponentially in size and scope over decades. Today, we reverse that trend, reducing 83 boards and commissions, fixing identified inefficiencies, and unlocking the full potential of last year’s legislation to more effectively deliver services to Iowans.”
Hemp regulations House File 2605 adds addition restrictions to hemp-derived consumable products available for purchase that contain tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), like Delta-9 drinks and gummies.
ALGONA — An attorney for the man accused of killing an Algona police officer last fall unsuccessfully tried to get a judge to remove herself from the case.
Attorney Matthew L. Pittenger dropped his request for a hearing to consider the competency of Kyle L. Ricke, 43, of Algona. Ricke is accused of shooting and killing Police Officer Kevin Cram on the night of Sept. 13, 2023, when Cram tried to arrest him on a warrant for harassment.
Earlier this month, Pittenger requested a hearing on Ricke’s competency to stand trial. In response, District Court Judge Nancy L. Whittenburg scheduled a hearing for Friday. Pittenger requested that the hearing be canceled. But at about the same time, he filed a motion asking Whittenburg to withdraw from the case on the grounds that she had presided over some previous cases involving Ricke. Iowa Assistant Attorney General Ryan Baldridge objected to that motion, arguing that there was no evidence Whittenburg was biased against Ricke. In her decision, Whittenburg acknowledged that she had presided over some previous cases involving Ricke.
By EMILIE JENSON editor@messengernews.net
SPIRIT
ty
guilty of first-degree murder. It took less than an hour of deliberation for the jury to find Kyle Ricke, of Algona, guilty following two days of receiving evidence and hearing testimony
about the events which occurred on the evening Sept. 13, 2023, when Cram attempted to serve an arrest warrant for third-degree harassment on Ricke at the home of his mother. Following the initial interaction, Ricke allegedly returned with a gun and shot Cram eight times. Cram died of multiple gunshot wounds. The trial was moved from Kossuth County to Dickinson County due to concerns that pretrial publicity would impact the ability to find an impartial jury. Defense attorneys stated in Thursday’s closing arguments that while body and dash cam footage showed that Ricke
See RICKE, Page 6
Cosgrove surprised at dedication of River’s Edge Discovery Center
By KELLI BLOOMQUIST editor@messengernews.net
By JANE CURTIS editor@messengernews.net
WEBSTER CITY — The Hamilton County Peace Officers Association wants you to remember this number: $210,000.
It will be history after July 20.
“That's the number that the Hamilton County Peace Officers Association has raised through their summer benefits for the families of fallen law enforcement, military or firefighters,” HCPOA member Dwain Noffke said recently.
He expects HCPOA to blast past that above figure later this month with its 13th Annual Benefit Golf Tournament.
Edge Discovery Center.
Dozens of businesses, individuals, partnerships, and entities throughout north central Iowa made the new River’s Edge Discovery Center possible, but none more than Webster County Conservation Director, Matt Cosgrove. At Thursday’s ribbon cutting of the discovery center, Webster County Supervisors Mark Campbell and Niki Conrad honored Cosgrove by surprising him and attendees with the announcement that the environmental education facility would now be named the Matt Cosgrove River’s
IOWA
ROBERT
“When considering the impact the River’s Edge Discovery Center will have, and the impact that Matt has already made on this community, the decision to name this center the Matt Cosgrove River’s Edge Discovery Center was simple,” said the Webster County Board of Supervisors in a statement. “By doing so, we not only recognize the power of Iowa’s waters, but also the dedication and positive lasting legacy of Matt Cosgrove.”
Cosgrove, who has served as direc-
tor of Webster County Conservation for more than 28 years, had no idea that the center would bear his name. According to Campbell and Conrad, a dozen individuals within the community have been helping with the secret naming project while keeping it under wraps for Thursday’s surprise.
“We’d like to recognize how much Matt does for our community and county,” said Campbell. “From all that he’s done at Kennedy Park to the OHV Park to
HCPOA will donate this year’s proceeds to the family of the late Kevin Cram, the Algona police officer who was murdered in the line of duty in September of 2023.
The event will be at the Briggs Woods Golf Course and Conference Center.
“(We) will pass the quarter of a million dollar mark!” Noffke said. “Through generous donors and the support of the community and state, this is the largest event of its kind in the midwest.”
Highlighting the auction, he said, will be an authentic San Francisco 49ers full-size football helmet and glass display case, donated and personally autographed by the 49ers’ starting quarterback Brock Purdy. Cram is survived by his family that includes his wife, Lara Cram, and sons Ira, Weston and Archer.
“In addition to the golf and auction, the local organization will be sponsoring
By BILL SHEA bshea@messengernews.net
A new cardiology clinic called Trinity Heart Center will open at UnityPoint Health — Trinity Regional Medical Center in October, hospital leaders announced Thursday morning. It will take the place of Iowa Heart Center, which announced in April that it would no longer provide 24 hour, seven day a week services in Fort Dodge beginning this fall.
“I am very excited to share with you today that UnityPoint Health will be opening a new outpatient heart center this October,” Leah Glasgo, the president of UnityPoint Health — Fort Dodge, said Thursday morning during an event held at the hospital to announce the new center.
“Trinity Heart Center will provide outpatient cardiology service and will be located right here on our campus,” she added.
Dr. Joseph Cookman, who has been a cardiologist in Fort Dodge since 1997, will be the center’s medical director.
“I am very happy and very proud to be part of the new team,” he said Thursday, “We are going to continue providing the care that we have been providing and maybe expand upon that.”
“There are some things that we do better here than they do in Des Moines,” he
∫ Hamilton County Conservation is saving money — and saving the environment
∫ Solar farm is now online at Briggs Woods Golf Course
By LORI BERGLUND
By ROBIN OPSAHL
One was a native Frenchman. There was a widow of an Ojibwe chief. By occupation, they were five teachers, two students, a nurse, a real estate
By BILL SHEA bshea@messengernews.net
Tucked into the bewildering maze of machines, tanks, pipes and railroad tracks that is the Cargill plant in Webster County is a new facility that will produce the first food-grade product in the county.
That recent addition to the plant will produce corn syrup, much of which will eventually be used to make candy. Cargill employees, customers of the company and local leaders gathered Wednesday to celebrate the debut of the corn syrup production line.
“I definitely thought this was a great day to celebrate,” said Astra Ferris, the chief executive officer of the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance.
Ferris attended Wednesday’s ribbon cutting ceremony and tour of the new facility.
“This is a world class facility,” she said.
Webster County Supervisor Mark Campbell, who was also on hand for Wednesday’s event, agreed, saying “Cargill sets the bar high.”
“The impact is definitely great as far as economic impact,” Ferris said. “We want to make sure at the Growth Alliance that we are constantly promoting growth not only by new businesses but by existing businesses as well. This is an example of growth by an existing business. That’s exciting to see that come to fruition.”
Campbell said he is “incredibly excited about the continued reinvestment” by Cargill.
“This is an exciting day for Webster County,” he added.
The addition of corn syrup production to the plant was announced in August 2022, and construction began soon after that.
Since the project was announced, Cargill leaders have consistently said that it would not create a lot of new jobs but would create opportunities for current employees to get more training and move into higher paying jobs.
The corn syrup production area is on the south side of the plant and despite its size isn’t visible from any road.
The finished corn syrup is a very thick clear fluid that is shipped out of the plant in tank cars.
Company officials declined to say how much corn syrup the plant will make.
The Cargill plant in the ag industrial park called Iowa’s Crossroads of Global Innovation opened in 2013.
Opened: 2013 Products: Corn syrup, dextrose, ethanol, feed for cattle, corn protein meal fed to poultry, corn germ, and a molasses like substance called corn steep liquour Employees: 160 Cargill employees plus 80
people who work for various contractors who are assigned to the plant
Corn use: 150,000 bushels per day
Corn deliveries: 250 trucks a day, five days a week Water use: 3 million gallons per day
By ALLISON WINTER States Newsroom/Iowa Capital Dispatch
WASHINGTON — Sweeping legislation that would set food and farm policy for the next five years is in limbo, waiting for lawmakers to decide its fate after the election.
The latest deadline for the farm bill passed unceremoniously at midnight on Sept. 30, without a push from lawmakers to pass a new farm bill or an extension.
Congress will have to scramble in the lame-duck session set to begin Nov. 12 to come up with some agreement on the farm bill before benefits run out at the
or go
end of the year — which if allowed to happen eventually would have major consequences.
The law began 90 years ago with various payments to support farmers but now has an impact far beyond the farm, with programs to create wildlife habitat, address climate change and provide the nation’s largest federal nutrition program.
Ag coalition in disarray
The omnibus farm bill is more than a year behind schedule, as the bipartisan congressional coalition that has ad-
vanced farm bills for the last half century has been teetering on the edge of collapse. Congress must approve a new federal farm bill every five years. The previous farm bill from 2018 expired a year ago. With no agreement in sight at the time, lawmakers extended the law to Sept. 30, 2024. The delay creates further uncertainty for farmers, who are facing declining prices for many crops and rising costs for fertilizer and other inputs.
Farmers asked to provide aid during harvest
By KELLI BLOOMQUIST editor@messengernews.net
According
permits by contacting their local
However, the City of Fort Dodge’s ongoing burn ban remains in place. The dry conditions are also problematic as farmers are in the fields for harvest season, heightening risks of field fires. Hagen and local fire chiefs are asking farmers to keep a disc ripper hooked up and ready in case of a field fire.
“We have seen in the past how quickly fires can spread during harvest and in these dry conditions,” said Hagen. “One of the fastest ways to get them under control is to create a fire break and disc around the fire.”
Hagen has also asked that farmers with equipment who are willing to help in the event of a field fire in their area contact him so he can reach out if assistance is needed.
“The faster we can get that equipment enroute, the faster we can get the fire under control and minimize the damages or losses to crops and property,” said Hagen.
Farmers willing to help can contact Hagen at 515-573-1403 or by email at Dylan.Hagen@WebsterCountyIA.gov.
By BILL SHEA bshea@messengernews.net
The Webster County Board of Supervisors will be dominated by Republicans beginning in January.
Republican challengers Nathan Montgomery and John Cochrane swept Democratic incumbents Mark Campbell and Nick Carlson out of office in Tuesday’s general election.
Democratic Supervisor Bob Thode won his third term.
Beginning in January, Cochrane and Montgomery will join Supervisor Austin Hayek to form a three member majority on the five member board. Thode and Supervisor Niki Conrad will be the remaining Democrats.
Newly elected Auditor Shaunna Abrams, a Republican, will add to the GOP’s strength in the courthouse when she replaces Doreen Pliner, the Democratic retiring auditor.
“We’ll always work to have fiscal responsibility,” Montgomery said when asked what Webster County residents could ex-
By KELLI BLOOMQUIST editor@messengernews.net
Republican Sheriff Luke Fleener was re-elected as sheriff of Webster County Tuesday, defeating Libertarian candidate Trevir Michehl.
Fleener won with 9,773 votes to Michehl’s 5,696 votes. Fleener was first elected to the role in 2020, succeeding Sheriff Jim Stubbs.
“I’m excited that the citizens of Webster County believed in me,” said Fleener. “I think it’s important to recognize that it takes commitment and experience to do this job.”
With 35 years of experience in law enforcement, Fleener said his goal for the upcoming term is to “continue to do
LEFT:
ADVANCES TO 3A FINALS/PAGE 9
By BILL SHEA
Six people were injured when a blaze ripped through the top floor of a downtown Fort Dodge building early Sunday morning.
One occupant of the building at 1107 Central Ave. was brought down ladders to safety by firefighters in what was described as a “dramatic rescue.”
The building next door at 1109 Central Ave. had to be evacuated also. That blaze was one of two significant structure fires in Fort Dodge over the weekend. The first was a Saturday morning arson fire that gutted a vacant house at 702 N. 16th St.
Additionally, firefighters responded to a fuel truck on fire at Fort Dodge Regional Airport Sunday morning.
Downtown blaze Fort Dodge firefighters were returning to their firehouse from a reported gas leak at McDonald’s, 2509 Fifth Ave. S., when 911 dispatchers notified them of a structure fire with people trapped at 1107 Central Ave.
The fire was reported at 2:21 a.m.
When firefighters arrived, they found flames shooting out the front windows on the third floor. They also spotted a woman in a third floor window on the building’s west side.
“She was in very serious danger,” Fire Chief Steve Hergenreter said. He said the woman was surrounded by “a lot of heat and very heavy smoke.” Because the Fire Department’s aerial ladder truck was not on the scene yet, firefighters used portable ladders carried on the pumper trucks to reach her.
Hergenreter said a 24-foot ladder was placed
By KELLI BLOOMQUIST editor@messengernews.net
Fort Dodge second-graders received a special gift on Wednesday — a Caitlin Clark book titled “Just Like Caitlin.”
The books were given to students as part of a statewide reading initiative to not only inspire children to read, but to help them focus on hard work and dedication as well.
The books were donated by Dickson and Luann Jensen. Dickson Jensen was one of Clark’s former coaches when she played for the All Iowa Attack. In a letter sent to second-grade
students’ parents, it’s also noted that the Jensens “are proud Iowans, business owners, coaches, parents, and grandparents. They are proud of Caitlin and believe she is a great role model for all kids.”
The Jensens donated more than 50,000 copies of “Just Like Caitlin,” which were distributed to all second-grade students throughout Iowa and the greater Indianapolis area. Clark plays for the WNBA’s Indianapolis Fever and previously was a standout for the Iowa Hawkeyes.
-Photos courtesy of the Fort Dodge Fire Department
ABOVE: Flames erupt from thirdstory windows at 1107 Central Ave. in Fort Dodge Sunday morning as Fort Dodge firefighters arrive on scene. Six people were injured in the blaze.
LEFT: A firefighter works at the scene of a house fire at 702 N. 16th St. early Saturday morning. The cause of the fire has been determined to be arson, according to the Fort Dodge Fire Department.
By KELLI BLOOMQUIST
editor@messengernews.net
MANSON — Justin Metzger loves farming. But a dirt bike accident on May 24 left him paralyzed from the waist down, making what was once the simple act of getting in and out of a tractor extremely difficult.
On Tuesday, the Manson Northwest Webster community is coming together to support the Manson Northwest Webster student, his family, and his love of farming as they host a benefit fundraiser. All proceeds from the benefit will help Metzger’s family purchase adaptive equipment for his home, vehicles, and farm equipment.
“It’s absolutely amazing the way the community has supported us,” said Kelly Metzger, Justin’s mother. “Friends, family, strangers, everyone has been so supportive.”
-Submitted photo
THE MANSON community is holding a benefit Tuesday for Justin Metzger, a sophomore at Manson Northwest Webster who is paralyzed from the waist down after a dirt bike accident in May.
By BILL SHEA
bshea@messengernews.net
Increases in water and sewer bills for Fort Dodge residents will be considered by the Fort Dodge City Council when it meets tonight.
The proposed increases would raise the monthly water bill for an average family by $2.12 per month starting Jan. 1
They would raise the monthly sanitary sewer bill for an average family by $1.33 per month starting Jan. 1. The proposed increases are necessary to cover inflation, City Manager David Fierke wrote in reports to the council.
The council will begin its efforts at 5:30 p.m. today in the Municipal Building, 819 First Ave. S., with a workshop session. During that session there will be a report on Main Street Fort Dodge and a discussion of a proposed Environmental Protection
-Submitted photo
SECOND-GRADE STUDENTS, like these at Feelhaver Elementary School in Fort Dodge, were given copies of the book “Just Like Caitlin.” The books were given as part of a reading initiative statewide to inspire young readers.
