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News Headlines for June 13, 2026

Crime

Mason City cops collar convicted domestic abuser on fresh assault rap

MASON CITY — A convicted domestic abuser was arrested Friday night at a Mason City convenience store with a sketchy history of crime calls, including a past murder and armed robbery.

Brooke McKee Dalgliesh, 30, was arrested at 9:17 p.m. on June 12, 2026, after Mason City police were called to Casey’s at 813 North Federal Avenue for…

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Business

USDA invests $27.5 million in Floyd County Medical Center expansion and renovation

CHARLES CITY — Floyd County Medical Center is set for a major expansion and renovation after the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a $27.5 million loan to modernize the Charles City hospital.

USDA Rural Development Iowa State Director Mike Sexton announced Friday, June 12, 2026, that the agency is loaning the money to Floyd County Medical Center to help expand and renovate the rural healthcare facility.

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Business

Franklin County supervisors certify primary election results, set ordinance hearings at June 9 meeting

HAMPTON — The Franklin County Board of Supervisors certified the June 2 primary election results, moved forward with two ordinance amendment hearings, discussed battery storage facilities and reviewed several county policy and building matters during its regular meeting on June 9, 2026.

County candidates nominated in the primary were Larry Sailer, Republican, Board of Supervisors District 1; Richard Lukensmeyer, Republican, Board of Supervisors District 2; Andrea Miller, Republican, County Attorney; Heather Bushbaum, Republican, County Recorder; and Chad Murray, Republican, County Treasurer.

County offices without a Democratic Party nominee were Board of Supervisors District 1, Board of Supervisors District 2, County Attorney, County Recorder and County Treasurer. No Republican county offices were listed as lacking a party nominee.

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Business

Worth County supervisors approve drainage bid, claims, sheriff’s labor agreement at June 9 meeting

NORTHWOOD — The Worth County Board of Supervisors approved a drainage district bid, county claims, a sheriff’s office labor agreement and the official canvass of the June 2 primary election during its regular meeting on June 9, 2026.

The board approved a request to use the courthouse grounds from June 26 through July 5 for the 11th Annual 99 County Bible Reading.

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Business

Iowa to shift state IT work to AWS and Cognizant, raising job-loss concerns for about 200 workers

DES MOINES — Iowa’s state government technology operations are headed for a major private-sector overhaul, with Gov. Kim Reynolds announcing that the state will move executive branch data to Amazon Web Services and turn day-to-day IT operations over to Cognizant Government Solutions.

The Reynolds administration says the move will modernize Iowa’s aging technology systems, improve cybersecurity, reduce reliance on physical servers and data centers, and save taxpayers more than $525 million over the next 10 years.

But the change also raises immediate questions about the future of roughly 200 state employees who currently work in the Iowa Department of Management’s Division of Information Technology. According to the governor’s office, those workers are expected to receive “individualized, competitive job offers” from Cognizant later this month.

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Top Stories

Northern Iowa train derailment blocks road as deputies, firefighters secure scene

ODEBOLT — A Northern Iowa train derailment blocked a rural road Monday afternoon, prompting a response from deputies and firefighters as crews worked to secure the scene.

The Sac County Sheriff’s Office said dispatchers received a call at about 4:38 p.m. on June 8, 2026, reporting a train derailment in the area of Ira Avenue and 350th Street near Odebolt.

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Politics

Trump administration says global birth tourism networks exposed as citizenship fight heads through courts

WASHINGTON — The U.S. State Department says American embassies have uncovered and shut down international birth tourism networks involving hundreds of foreign nationals accused of using fraudulent documents, visa fixers and coaching operations to get into the United States so their children would be born as American citizens.

The issue strikes directly at one of the country’s hottest immigration debates: birthright citizenship.

“A U.S. visa is a privilege, not a right,” the State Department said, framing the crackdown as part of an effort to defend the integrity of American citizenship.

According to the department, a U.S. embassy in West Africa uncovered a sophisticated birth tourism network involving more than 100 foreign nationals accused of using fraudulent documents and visa “fixers” to obtain visas. The department said those visas were revoked and that U.S. officials are coordinating with local authorities to identify and cut off similar operations.

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Top Stories

Central Iowa water warning raises questions about drinking water safety, scarcity in Northern Iowa

MASON CITY — A mandatory lawn watering ban in Central Iowa is drawing new attention to a question that matters in every Iowa community: how safe, reliable and plentiful is the state’s drinking water?

Mason City’s public drinking water system is supplied by groundwater. Unlike Central Iowa Water Works, which is dealing with high nitrate levels in river and infiltration-gallery source water, Mason City’s system does not appear to be facing the same public nitrate emergency.

Public EPA-based records list no current open health-based violations for Mason City’s water system. That means the city’s drinking water is meeting current federal legal standards.

However, legal compliance does not mean the water is completely free of contaminants…

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Business

Grant helps NIACC launch small business incubator program for North Iowa entrepreneurs

MASON CITY — A federal rural business grant has helped North Iowa Area Community College launch a new small business incubator program aimed at helping entrepreneurs move beyond an idea and into the day-to-day work of building a sustainable company.

The first Venture Launch Lab cohort brought together 11 businesses and 14 entrepreneurs from across North Iowa. The participants represented a variety of communities and industries, highlighting the role small businesses continue to play in the region’s rural economy. The cohort completed the program with a pitch competition on Tuesday, June 2, 2026. Seven teams chose to compete before a panel of judges, with cash prizes awarded to several North Iowa entrepreneurs.

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Politics

U.S. and Japan reaffirm nuclear-backed military alliance as threats rise from China, Russia and North Korea

TOKYO — The United States and Japan, two of the world’s most important military allies, reaffirmed this week that America’s commitment to defend Japan includes the possible use of nuclear weapons if necessary.

The pledge came during the June 2026 U.S.-Japan Extended Deterrence Dialogue, held June 8-9 at Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tokyo. According to a joint statement released by the two governments, the United States “reaffirmed its commitment to the defense of Japan, using the full range of U.S. defense capabilities, including nuclear.”

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