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Hands-free fines begin: tickets being issued for using phone while behind the wheel

As 2026 begins, drivers in Iowa have even more reason to put down their phones while behind the wheel. That’s because a law authored by state Rep. Ann Meyer, R-Fort Dodge, is now in full effect and law enforcement officers will be issuing tickets to anyone caught with a phone or other electronic device in their hand while driving. The law, which Meyer had pushed for almost since taking office in 2019, actually went on the books on July 1, 2025. But it included a six-month grace period in which only warnings would be issued. That grace period is now over. According to Meyer, about ...

Hamilton County Supervisors to set organizational structure for 2026

The Hamilton County Supervisors will be meeting today at 9 a.m. at the Hamilton County Courthouse, located at 2300 Superior St. The meeting, which begins at 9 a.m., will be held in the basement level of the courthouse. This is the organizational meeting for 2026. During this meeting, the supervisors will establish the basic operational criteria for the year of 2026. Early on the agenda will be the election of the 2026 chairman and the chairman pro-tem in addition to a number of financial resolutions. David Young served as chairman of the supervisors during 2025. Young ...

Hamilton County Conservation sets night hike for Saturday

The Hamilton County Conservation office will be leading a night hike at Briggs Woods Park on Saturday. The hike will begin from the Conservation office located at 2490 Briggs Woods Trail. It will follow the luminaries along the Boone River Trail to the barn and back. The bike trail has been plowed, but participants should plan to dress warmly, with good walking shoes, and to bring a flashlight. The event starts at 7 p.m. and should last until 8 p.m. Information about the the full moon, constellations, planets and satellites will be shared as hikers study the night sky. For more ...

Coffee and Create to be held Tuesdays through Fridays

Try your hand at one of the Coffee and Create sessions sponsored by Legacy Learning-Boone River Valley each week. The event is free, with a free-will offering encouraged to cover the cost of coffee and materials. A table of art supplies will be available for open-ended playful creativity, but will also open doors to new skills and new friends. This is a drop-in event, designed for adults and teens. Children 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult.

City of Webster City to pick up Christmas trees on Monday

The Webster City Street Department will be picking up Christmas trees on Monday, weather permitting. Trees should be placed at the nearest street corner prior to 7 a.m. on Monday as only one trip will be made through the city. Please remove all stands and decorations and place these treses so they will not obstruct sight, distance and not blow into the street to create a traffic hazard. Bagged trees or trees with a stand will not be picked up.

Filling the big shoes

It’s a new year, and it’s a year with changes already. At the end of 2025, we saw the retirement of the Daily Freeman Journal publisher Terry Christensen, and the retirement of the Daily Freeman-Journal editor, Jane Curtis. We saw the hiring of our publisher Grant Gibbons. And then we have me. Officially, I’m stepping up with a new title as community editor. Unofficially, I’m filling the big shoes left by Jane Curtis. At least in some ways. I can't be Jane; I've watched her off and on my whole life. We are not the same, yet we have many similar experiences. Jane is my ...