Founded in 2010
News & Entertainment for Mason City, Clear Lake & the Entire North Iowa Region
By Bonnie Miller Rubin, Chicago Tribune – With the hours ticking down until Christmas, it’s the high-risk season for compulsive shoppers. In the past, those who struggled to control their urges could steer
Story by Jody Spear and Kelly Meyer Earlier this week, bell ringers were outside Wal-Mart trying to raise money for the North Iowa Youth Center. “Out ringing the bells for Christmas giving.
Story by Jody Spear and Kelly Meyer – In this time of self-service, there are still those with the “old school” way of thinking. Give the best service you can and your
By Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times LOS ANGELES — Every year at this time, a terribly old yet terrifically youthful supernatural being drops in from out of the sky. I speak of course
By Scott Collins and Joe Flint, Los Angeles Times LOS ANGELES — Roll over Bing Crosby, and tell Perry Como the news: Christmas variety specials on TV are getting a lump of coal
By Jonathan Tamari, The Philadelphia Inquirer ARLINGTON, Texas — The Philadelphia Eagles had the lead, but they were out of the playoffs. Michael Vick found Brent Celek for a touchdown on the game’s
By Dave Birkett, Detroit Free Press DETROIT — This is what the playoffs look like. Chris Houston dousing Jim Schwartz with the icy contents of a Gatorade bucket. A parade of Lions circling
By Carlos Monarrez, Detroit Free Press DETROIT — Often this season, the Lions’ offensive has either started fast and then sputtered or fallen behind early and surged late. Neither was the case Saturday
By Matthew Barrows, McClatchy Newspapers SEATTLE — Alex Smith, criticized all season for being a game manager instead of a game winner, shot back Saturday. With his 49ers reeling and the Seattle crowd
By Dan Wiederer, Star Tribune LANDOVER, Md. — In many ways, Christmas 2011 for the Minnesota Vikings should have been defined by an inspiring slogan, an 11-word adage delivered by Joe Webb from
By Joseph Goodman, McClatchy Newspapers Merry Christmas, basketball fans. It’s time to unwrap the NBA. After a long and frustrating lockout that threatened to alienate its fans, the NBA begins its 2010-11 season
By Sergei L. Loiko, Los Angeles Times MOSCOW — Tens of thousands of people fed up with Vladimir Putin’s domination of Russian politics and his perceived arrogance toward them jammed one of Moscow’s
By Robert Faturechi and Jack Leonard, Los Angeles Times LOS ANGELES — Hundreds of people have been wrongly imprisoned inside the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department jails in recent years, with some spending
By Kim Murphy, Los Angeles Times FAIRTON, N.J. — A little more than a year ago, he was a weather forecaster at a remote outpost in King Salmon, Alaska, population 442. He and
By Raja Abdulrahim, Los Angeles Times – LOS ANGELES — A soldier on leave from Afghanistan was shot and seriously injured Friday night in San Bernardino, Calif., during a welcome home party in
By Dahleen Glanton, Chicago Tribune CHICAGO — It was just after midnight when former Marine Cpl. James Dahan was awakened by a faint noise in the distance. Except for the glare of his
By Kathleen Hennessey and Lisa Mascaro, Tribune Washington Bureau WASHINGTON — House Speaker John A. Boehner likes to call himself a happy warrior. On days when Washington politics get rough, he whistles “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah”
By Richard A. Serrano, Tribune Washington Bureau – WASHINGTON — In a confidential deposition with congressional investigators, the then-head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives blamed agents, field supervisors and
By Summer Said CAIRO — Libya’s Oil Minister Abdurahman Benyezza said Saturday that there is a “gentlemen” agreement inside OPEC to accommodate the country’s crude oil as production recovers. “There is a
By Jeff Abramowitz and Jan-Uwe Ronneburger BETHLEHEM, Palestine — Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Fouad Twal — the Catholic church’s top spiritual leader in the Holy Land — on Saturday led the procession
By Roy Gutman and Laith Hammoudi, McClatchy Newspapers – BAGHDAD — The Iraqi government has arrested four of its own security officers in connection with a devastating wave of car bombs that killed
Q: When will the public have access to information about payments made by drug and device makers to doctors? A: The public is a step closer to learning just how much money
WASHINGTON – Senator Chuck Grassley will meet with Iowans in 36 counties in January, including 25 town meetings. Grassley has held at least one meeting in each of Iowa’s 99 counties every
WASHINGTON D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today announced that Webster County Acquisition has been awarded $1,558,716.00 to acquire/demolish nine flood prone residential properties that were severely damaged due to storms. This
MASON CITY – Raquel Hadacek, age 44, of Mason City has been booked into the Cerro Gordo County jail less than 48 hours after being released. Hadacek had been released from the
Christmas carolers entertained about 30 people Friday evening at the Mason City Library. Library Director Mary Markwalter opened the commons area just for the carolers at 5:30, who came from around the
By Chip Scoggins, Star Tribune (Minneapolis) MINNEAPOLIS — Sports bars and living rooms across the Twin Cities simultaneously erupted Thursday night in a deliciously ironic mixture of joy, hope and anticipation. Yes, the
By La Velle E. Neal III, Star Tribune (Minneapolis) – MINNEAPOLIS — The Twins didn’t plan to add to their payroll for 2012. The plan was to reduce it. The Twins didn’t have
By Bob McGinn, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel – GREEN BAY, Wis. — Marshall Newhouse made the necessary performance jump from his first to second season that coach Mike McCarthy deems crucial in evaluating a
By Ken Dilanian, Tribune Washington Bureau WASHINGTON — In an effort to mend badly frayed relations with Pakistan, the CIA has suspended drone missile strikes on gatherings of low-ranking militants believed to be
By Stephen Ceasar, Los Angeles Times Not even the holiday spirit could overcome the frenzied demand for Nike Air Jordans on Friday. A release of one model of the popular basketball shoe caused
By Robin Abcarian and Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times – DES MOINES, Iowa — With no snow on the ground in this unseasonably warm state, the only blizzard Iowans are facing is the
By Kim Geiger, Tribune Washington Bureau – WASHINGTON — A solicitation from the 1990s that carried Texas Rep. Ron Paul’s name predicted a “coming race war,” suggested the government was engaged in a
By Ashley Powers and Stephen Ceasar, Los Angeles Times – Armando Nido spotted the flashing lights of a Maricopa County sheriff’s patrol car. He stiffened in fear. It was February 2009, and
By Peter Nicholas, Tribune Washington Bureau – HONOLULU — President Barack Obama’s success in getting congressional Republicans to renew a payroll tax cut flowed from a strategy the White House has employed since
By Neal Justin, Star Tribune (Minneapolis) – If TV can make room for an “adorkable” gal, a dwarf Lothario and a Joan Crawford impersonator, why can’t it be more open to minorities? In
By Alison Johnson, Daily Press (Newport News, Va.) – Rabies is no joke: once you show symptoms of the viral disease, it’s invariably fatal. But if you suffer a bite or scratch, you
Trish Mehaffey, Cedar Rapids Gazette – The Iowa Supreme Court ruled Friday a video camera hidden in a bathroom by an insurance agent doesn’t have to produce images for two employees to believe
Duane Nollen, The Oskaloosa Herald, Iowa – OSKALOOSA Patrons of the Pizza Ranch got a free side order of politics with their food Thursday night as Republican Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann made
By Justine Wettschreck, The Daily Globe, Worthington, Minn. – Dec. 24–SIBLEY, Iowa — A memorandum opinion and order was filed Thursday with the federal court in the northern district of Iowa, granting