Founded in 2010
News & Entertainment for Mason City, Clear Lake & the Entire North Iowa Region
By Dan Wiederer, Star Tribune (Minneapolis) – MINNEAPOLIS — Well, it’s over. Done. Finished. That has to count for something, right? So if you have any of those plastic New Year’s horns left
By David Ramsey, The Gazette – DENVER — Playoff pessimism. Yes, the Broncos are champs of the AFC West, but the Chargers, Chiefs and Raiders almost certainly will be the happy ones while
By Chip Scoggins, Star Tribune – MINNEAPOLIS — Jared Allen desperately wanted one more one-on-one matchup, one more third-and-long, one more surefire passing situation. (PHOTO: Minnesota Vikings Jared Allen (69) celebrated on the sidelines
By Adam Teicher, McClatchy Newspapers – DENVER — Kyle Orton was something less than definitive about his future with the Chiefs after their season ended with Sunday’s 7-3 win over the Broncos. (PHOTO: Kansas
By Ramin Mostaghim and Alexandra Zavis, Los Angeles Times – TEHRAN, Iran — Iran said Sunday that its scientists had produced the country’s first nuclear fuel rod, and its navy had test-fired a
ROCKFORD – Shortly before 1 a.m. Sunday, morning law enforcement received a report of an underage drinking party. Law enforcement went to 22598 210 Street in Rockford and found several underage individuals
By Jody Spear and Kelly Meyer – So long 2011, hello 2012. People were out celebrating the beginning of a new year Saturday night in Mason City. Click here to view photos.
By Jondi Gumz, Santa Cruz Sentinel SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — The numbers are mind-boggling. The price tag for a year at San Francisco State University is rising to $25,000. At the University
By Tovin Lapan, Santa Cruz Sentinel SANTA CRUZ, Calif. _ In 2009, Ashley Sorci graduated from her suburban Sacramento high school with a 4.25 grade-point average and was about to become the
MONDAY AND TONIGHT SUSTAINED WINDS OF 25 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 40 MPH WILL BE SEEN THROUGH MID DAY. THE WINDS WILL SLOWLY DECREASE DURING THE AFTERNOON WITH A SIGNIFICANT
By Rich Heldenfels, Akron Beacon Journal – Drag comedy has a long American tradition, some of it inspired by other countries: “Some Like It Hot.” Abbott and Costello’s “Here Come the Co-Eds.” “The
By Moira Macdonald, The Seattle Times SEATTLE — Following a tradition established long ago, here is a list of year-end awards you won’t see anywhere else: The Dubious Achievements — in movies, that
By Keith Lawrence, Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer – JANIE FRICKE, “Country Side of Bluegrass,” New Music Deals. 13 tracks. The surest way to tell if a musical genre is becoming more popular is to watch
By Rene Rodriguez, McClatchy Newspapers THE DEVIL INSIDE (R): Yet another horror movie disguised as a documentary, this one purporting to recount the story of a woman trying to find out if her
By Thomas Fitzgerald, The Philadelphia Inquirer – WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — An icy wind scoured the parking lot of the Hy-Vee supermarket, ruffling Mitt Romney’s perfect hair as he urged about 500
By Tom Hamburger and Melanie Mason, Tribune Washington Bureau – WASHINGTON — Political committees unfettered by donation limits are dominating the last weeks of the presidential nominating contests in Iowa and New Hampshire,
By Maeve Reston, Los Angeles Times – LACONIA, N.H. — The Rotarians of Laconia applauded when Jon Huntsman Jr., the former Utah governor, announced that he was celebrating the 130th New Hampshire event
By Mike Anton, Los Angeles Times – LOS ANGELES — Midnight ushered in the new year. But at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Canada Flintridge, celebration will have to wait — until
By Lisa Demer, McClatchy Newspapers – ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Disturbing new numbers accent what law enforcement, social agencies, Native leaders and politicians have long realized about Western Alaska: It struggles with far
By Laura King, Los Angeles Times – KABUL — It was by no means a common occurrence. But in the year that just drew to a close, a day would often pass, sometimes
By Sid Astbury SYDNEY, Australia — One Australian not hanging around on Sydney Harbour to watch the New Year’s Eve fireworks and welcome 2012 is Tom Denniss. Early on Saturday, 50-year-old Denniss
By Sid Astbury, Helen Maguire, Joseph Nasr and Jasper Mortimer BERLIN — Fireworks, light shows and bell ringing hailed the arrival of 2012 on New Year’s Eve as many put the troubles
By Takehiko Kambayashi TOKYO — A magnitude-7 earthquake rattled wide areas of eastern and north-eastern Japan on Sunday, shaking buildings in Tokyo, the meteorological agency said. No tsunami warning was issued and
By Girlie Linao MANILA — Nearly 500 people were injured by fireworks and gunfire in the Philippines despite a government campaign against rowdy celebrations to welcome the New Year, officials said
By Nathan Olivarez-Giles, Los Angeles Times – LOS ANGELES — Verizon Wireless, under fire from consumers and federal regulators, scrapped plans to charge a $2 “convenience fee” for those who pay their phone
By William Hennigan, Los Angeles Times – LOS ANGELES — The Air Force has bought a new hunter-killer aircraft that is the fastest and largest armed drone in its fleet. The Avenger, which
LOS ANGELES — When it comes to stocks, the U.S. is unexpectedly sitting on top of the world. Stock markets from Berlin to Shanghai to Sao Paulo ended 2011 with double-digit losses
By Drew DeSilver, The Seattle Times – SEATTLE — In a year when stocks swung wildly from day to day based on perceived macroeconomic risk, it was Europe’s long-running debt crisis, not the
Scott Dochterman, CR Gazette NEW YORK — Iowa State players, coaches and officials held their chins high and forced smiles through clenched lips Friday night, but their faces read the disappointment of
Iowa needed quarterback depth and found it Saturday. Scottsdale (Ariz.) Community College’s Cody Sokol picked the Hawkeyes over Arizona and six other offers, including Maryland. The 6-foot-2, 210-pounder announced his decision via
Trish Mehaffey, CR Gazette – CEDAR RAPIDS — Iowa’s animal abuse laws lack not only bite but even the bark, according to an annual report by the Animal Legal Defense Fund,
Jim Polzin, Wisconsin State Journal – Jordan Taylor had a difficult time explaining one of the most shocking defeats since coach Bo Ryan took over the University of Wisconsin men’s basketball program
The new year is here, when it arrived I was asleep but I left the door open and it entered my life all by itself, just as I knew it would. As
Mason City police confirmed that an ambulance was dispatched to Roller City on New Year’s eve at about 11:30 pm. No other information was released but it was said that a woman
by Jody Spear and Kelly Meyer Who would believe that we, as North Iowans, would be spending a beautiful day outside on the last day of 2011? The temperature was 45 degrees
Sunday Night Mixed League Rose Bowl 12/25/11 No Bowling Women’s Classic League Rose Bowl 12/26/11 Team High Series Decker Sports 1438 Team High Game Decker Sports 521 Individual High Series Brenda McWhorter