- Protected: Iowa man sentenced to 50 years in prison for killing his cousin
- Protected: Mason City man behind bars after setting dumpster fires
- Protected: Charles City woman evades indecent exposure rap, faces felony after new disturbance
News Headlines for September 24, 2026
Northern Iowa house heavily damaged as multiple fire departments battle evening blaze
PLYMOUTH — A Northern Iowa home sustained heavy damage Wednesday evening when a fire broke out while nobody was home, drawing firefighters from several communities.
The Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Office said emergency crews responded to 600 Main Street East in Plymouth at approximately 7:12 p.m. September 23, 2026, following a report of a house fire.
Northern Iowa property owner hit with $4,500 penalty after fire burns roughly 100 tires
RUDD — A Floyd County property owner who told investigators he went into town for lunch while a brush pile burned has been assessed a $4,500 state penalty after the fire spread to abandoned mobile homes containing roughly 100 tires, sending thick black smoke into the air and drawing four fire departments.
Brandon Wood agreed to the penalty in an Iowa Department of Natural Resources administrative consent order signed by DNR Director Kayla Lyon on September 9. The order stems from an April 29, 2026, fire at his acreage at 1651 Jersey Avenue near Rudd.
Larry D. Freerksen, 86, remembered for family, farming, hard work and his famous “Lar-isms”
RICEVILLE — Larry Donald Freerksen, 86, died September 21, 2026, at the Riceville Family Care and Therapy Center, or, as Larry himself might have put it, he “grabbed a harp.”
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, September 25, at Hindt-Hudek Funeral Home in Riceville, with Pastor Herman Bakker officiating. Visitation will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. Friday at the funeral home. Larry will be laid to rest beside his wife, Elaine, at Wayne Cemetery in rural McIntire.
Sharon J. Koenigsfeld, 84, remembered for family, faith, adventure and a lifetime of service
MASON CITY — Sharon J. Koenigsfeld, 84, passed away September 20, 2026, at MercyOne Medical Center in Mason City.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, September 25, at First United Methodist Church in Mason City, with Pastor Jon Montgomery officiating. Visitation will be held from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Thursday, September 24, at Major Erickson Funeral Home in Mason City.
Iowa Hawkeye volleyball stuffs Milwaukee with 18.5 blocks, races to best start since 2006
CORALVILLE — Iowa Hawkeye volleyball slammed the door at the net Tuesday night, piling up a season-high 18.5 blocks and beating Milwaukee in four sets to give the Hawkeyes their best start in two decades.
Iowa defeated Milwaukee 22-25, 25-20, 25-22 and 25-17 on September 22 at Xtream Arena, improving to 11-3 overall while extending its winning streak to five matches. The 11-3 start is Iowa’s best since the 2006 season.
Pilot Knob Wildlife Area transforms tough farmland into 1,000-acre prairie and wetland haven
FOREST CITY — A sprawling Northern Iowa wildlife area assembled in just a few years is turning difficult-to-farm ground into more than 1,000 acres of prairie, wetlands and wildlife habitat while also helping protect water in the Winnebago River watershed.
The Pilot Knob Wildlife Area in Winnebago County includes about 850 acres of highly diverse restored prairie and another 170 acres of restored wetlands, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
Waldorf launches women’s hockey program, will call Mason City Arena home
FOREST CITY — Women’s college hockey is coming to Northern Iowa, and Mason City will be home ice when the newest Waldorf University Warriors team takes the rink.
Waldorf University announced that it will add women’s hockey beginning in fall 2027.
UNI Panther volleyball crushes Drake in MVC opener, pushes conference win streak to 53
ho has been running the league, blasting in-state rival Drake in straight sets Tuesday night to open conference play with another convincing victory.
Northern Iowa swept the Bulldogs 25-13, 25-21 and 25-21 at the Knapp Center, improving to 7-5 overall and 1-0 in MVC play.
The victory extended UNI’s remarkable regular-season conference winning streak to 53 consecutive matches.
Delores Grove, 84, remembered for family, farming and a life of hard work
NEW HAMPTON — Delores Grove, 84, of New Hampton, passed away Monday, September 21, 2026, at Accura HealthCare of New Hampton with her loving family by her side.
A funeral service for Delores will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, September 25, at Trinity Lutheran Church in New Hampton, with Pastor Dan Christensen officiating. Burial will follow at New Hampton Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 9:00 a.m. until the start of the service Friday at the church.
Northern Iowa man leaves hospital in custody after officer-involved shooting, faces two felonies
WATERLOO — A 22-year-old man involved in last week’s officer-involved shooting in Waterloo has been released from the hospital and taken into custody on two felony weapons-related charges, state investigators announced September 23.
The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation identified the man as Deandrew Naqawn Spates (pictured at top). University of Iowa police arrested him September 22 on warrants obtained by Waterloo police following his hospital release.
Spates was being held at the Black Hawk County Jail, according to the DCI announcement.
Iowa woman killed, three children and teen critically injured in crash involving semi
A 32-year-old Iowa woman was killed and three children and an 18-year-old woman were critically injured when two vehicles collided with a semitrailer Tuesday evening on a lonely stretch of road.
Cerro Gordo supervisors close stretch of Swallow Avenue, approve $601,926 in county bills
MASON CITY — Cerro Gordo County supervisors unanimously closed a portion of Swallow Avenue and
Mason City remembers Donald “Duck” Allen, a Marine, detective and outdoorsman
MASON CITY — Donald K. Allen Jr., known as “Duck” to his colleagues at the Mason City Police Department, passed away September 21, 2026, surrounded by family. He was 80, a Marine Corps veteran and retired detective whose life also held plenty of room for hunting, fishing, bowling and cards with his mother.
A celebration of Don’s life will be held Saturday, October 3, from noon to 2 p.m. in the fellowship hall at Trinity Lutheran Church, 213 N. Pennsylvania Ave. He will be laid to rest at Elmwood-St. Joseph Cemetery following a private family service. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the estate of Donald K. Allen Jr.
Nature photographer turns striking wildlife images into gift for Mason City’s MacNider museum
MASON CITY — A Minneapolis photographer who spent years turning his lens toward some of nature’s smallest creatures and biggest birds is now turning that work into a gift for Mason City’s Charles H. MacNider Art Museum.
Retired commercial photographer Ray Colby has donated a selection of his wildlife photographs, printed on canvas, for an online auction benefiting the MacNider museum.
The auction is already underway and will remain open until 6 p.m. Monday, September 29.
Riceville native Michael Gaffey journeyed from one-room school to the stars
RICEVILLE — Michael J. Gaffey, 80, a Riceville native who became an internationally recognized planetary scientist, NASA mission participant and one of the world’s leading authorities on asteroids, died Sunday, September 20, 2026.
A private family service will be held. The public is invited to join Michael’s family at Goosey’s at 11 a.m. Thursday, September 24. His final resting place will be Calvary Cemetery in Elma.
Michael’s life carried him an extraordinary distance — from a one-room Iowa schoolhouse to work that helped scientists better understand objects moving through the solar system.
Lyle Paine, 75, remembered by family from Iowa to London and Texas
MASON CITY — Lyle John Paine, 75, of Mason City, died Sunday, September 20, 2026, leaving behind his wife, siblings, stepdaughters, grandchildren and a wide circle of relatives and friends.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, September 26, at Hogan Bremer Moore Colonial Chapel, 126 Third Street NE in Mason City. Visitation will be held at the chapel for one hour before the service, beginning at 10 a.m.
Floyd County extends battery storage moratorium, advances road projects and Nora Springs shop plans
CHARLES CITY — Floyd County supervisors are giving themselves more time to write rules for large battery energy storage projects while county road crews push ahead with fall work and officials continue exploring a new Secondary Roads facility in Nora Springs.
Northern Iowa predator’s joyride spoiled after cops spot him behind wheel of unreported car
A Northern Iowa predator allegedly took to the streets in a set of wheels law enforcement didn’t have listed on his registry — and the drive ended with him getting hauled to jail.
Records show the suspect has been convicted of indecent contact with a child, harassment, and more.
Chicago felon gets 13 years for “massive” stolen Treasury check racket targeting Iowa banks
A Chicago felon who supplied recruits with stolen Treasury checks, fake identification and victims’ personal information to raid Eastern Iowa financial institutions has been sentenced to 13 years and four months in federal prison.
Tyrone Terrell Harris (pictured at top), 34, was sentenced September 9 after admitting his role in a scheme involving nearly $1.44 million in stolen or altered government checks. Federal prosecutors said Harris and his co-conspirators successfully pocketed $462,696.56 in taxpayer money.
Iowa harvest bogs down as relentless rain leaves farmers waiting for fields to dry
DES MOINES — Iowa farmers had fewer than two days suitable for fieldwork last week as soaking rains slowed harvest, left more than a quarter of the state’s topsoil with surplus moisture and dumped nearly six inches on Fayette during one extended storm system.
Just 4 percent of Iowa corn and 2 percent of soybeans had been harvested through September 20, according to the USDA’s weekly Crop Progress and Condition Report released September 21. Both crops trailed last year’s harvest pace.
Farmers had only 1.7 days suitable for fieldwork during September 14–20, compared with 4.9 days during the same week last year.
George Wright, 88, remembered for family, carpentry, Bluegrass music and an easy-going spirit
HAMPTON — George Benjamin Wright, 88, passed away September 20, 2026, at MercyOne Medical Center Waterloo from complications of pneumonia.
Visitation will be held Monday, September 28, from 9 to 10:30 a.m. at Woodley Funeral Home, 306 Central Ave. East in Hampton. A memorial service will follow at 11 a.m. at the funeral home, with interment afterward at Hampton Cemetery.
Donald “Don” Tool, 85, remembered for family, longtime Gilmore City roots and a love of Case IH red
GILMORE CITY — Donald “Don” Tool, 85, of Gilmore City, died Saturday, September 19, 2026, at Humboldt County Memorial Hospital in Humboldt.
Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, September 25, at First Lutheran Church in Gilmore City. Burial will follow at Marble Valley Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, September 24, at Lentz Funeral Home in Gilmore City.
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