Founded on Oct. 1, 2010
News & Entertainment for Mason City, Clear Lake & the Entire North Iowa Region
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 — 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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.
Preparing a coastal house for seasonal weather used to be an exhausting, multi-day ritual. You would spend a weekend dragging heavy sheets of plywood out of the garage, measuring wood cuts, and…
Life changes, but not always on your terms. And even if you’ve come around to admitting that help may be the way forward, it might be hard to explain exactly what that…
Dr. Roland Pagniano Jr. Dublin Ohio, is one of the names patients find when they start reading about how preventive dentistry has changed. From the waiting room, the visit still looks familiar….
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WAVERLY — A disturbing social media post circulated to Waverly-Shell Rock students Sunday evening prompted an investigation involving two law enforcement agencies and school officials, with police identifying a male juvenile as its author and announcing extra patrols for the week.
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NORTHWOOD — Worth County’s proposed administration building moved closer to bidding at the Board of Supervisors’ September 21 meeting. A week earlier, supervisors approved wetland work, a drainage repair claim and a request to join a regional juvenile detention center.
IOWA CITY — Two days after Indiana handed Iowa field hockey its first loss of the season, the Hawkeyes got another shot at the Hoosiers. This time, Dionne van Aalsum delivered the winner in a shootout, giving Iowa a 2-1 nonconference victory Sunday at Grant Field.
TERRE HAUTE, Indiana — Northern Iowa’s defense held the line for more than 70 minutes Sunday, but two Indiana State goals seven minutes apart sent the Panthers to a 2-0 loss in their Missouri Valley Conference women’s soccer opener.
A twisted Iowa child predator who fled the state and abandoned his innocent pets while trying to escape the law has been dealt a brutal blow to his future: more than 27 years in federal prison with no possibility of parole.
An Iowa jury previously convicted this specimen of eight offenses connected to the sexual abuse of his then-girlfriend’s young daughter. The child was between 9 and 10 years old during the abuse. With investigators on his trail, he fled Iowa and left his pets trapped behind inside his home. Law enforcement officers later rescued the abandoned animals.
CORALVILLE — Iowa Hawkeye volleyball left little doubt Sunday afternoon, overwhelming Central Arkansas in straight sets to capture the Kwik Star Klassic championship and extend its winning streak to four matches.
The Hawkeyes rolled 25-12, 25-15, 25-14 at Xtream Arena on September 20, improving to 10-3 and matching their start from last season. The sweep was Iowa’s fifth of the year, while the four-match winning streak is its longest this season.
HAMPTON — Janice D. Campbell, 79, of Hampton, died peacefully September 18, 2026, at Franklin Country View. She is remembered for her dedication to caring for her family and the love she shared with generations of children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and a great-great-grandchild.
Visitation will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, September 23, at Woodley Funeral Home, 306 Central Avenue East in Hampton. Funeral services will begin at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, September 24, at the funeral home. A private burial ceremony will take place at Dumont Cemetery.
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SWALEDALE — Judy P. Fessler, 74, of Swaledale, died Saturday, September 19, 2026, at MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center in Mason City. She is remembered for the family and friends she welcomed into her home, the things she made for those she loved, and the adventures she shared with her husband, Dick.
Visitation will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, September 24, at Ward Van Slyke Colonial Chapel, 310 First Avenue North in Clear Lake. The funeral service will begin there at 1 p.m. Burial will follow at Clear Lake Cemetery.
A West Coast violence spreader with a history of domestic abuse has been packed off to an Iowa prison after admitting to another attack—his third or subsequent domestic-abuse assault offense.
IOWA CITY — Dani Carnegie has yet to take the court for the Iowa Hawkeyes, but the talented guard is already bringing some international gold to Iowa City.
Carnegie helped the United States capture the women’s championship Saturday at the 2026 FIBA 3×3 U23 World Cup in Wuhan, China. Team USA defeated Canada, 15-10, in the gold-medal game to complete an unbeaten run through the tournament.
A Northern Iowa predator who admitted sexually exploiting a minor has been handed a 25-year prison sentence, with at least half of that time locked behind bars before he can become eligible for release.
Adam Lawrence Joseph (pictured at top), 39, of Fort Dodge, pleaded guilty in Boone County District Court to sexual exploitation of a minor, a Class B felony.
MASON CITY — Local children and families will have an opportunity to meet the people behind the helmets, explore fire safety and enjoy an afternoon inside the Mason City Fire Department during its 2026 Fire Prevention Open House.
The family-friendly event will be held from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday, October 11, at the Mason City Fire Department, 350 Fifth Street SW.
CEDAR FALLS — UNI Panther volleyball unleashed a relentless service attack and a season-best blocking performance Saturday, September 19, knocking off Wichita State in four sets to complete a perfect home-opening weekend.
Northern Iowa defeated the Shockers 25-16, 26-28, 25-22 and 25-14, improving to 6-5 as the Panthers closed the non-conference portion of their schedule.
IONIA — Lois Irene Zobel, 89, of Ionia, died Saturday, September 19, 2026, at Hillcrest Homes in Sumner, closing a life filled with family, hard work, country living and countless adventures with her husband of nearly 70 years.
In keeping with Lois’ wishes, she will be cremated and no formal services will be held at this time. Her family plans to gather privately at a later date.
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A 17-year-old Northern Iowa driver and an area man were injured late Saturday when a vehicle crossed the center line and smashed head-on into the teenager’s Jeep on a rural stretch of highway.
IOWA CITY — Three running backs eclipsed 100 yards as No. 18 Iowa overwhelmed Northern Iowa from the opening kickoff Saturday, rolling to a 55-0 victory at Kinnick Stadium.
The Hawkeyes scored touchdowns on their first five possessions, built a 42-point halftime lead and finished with 640 yards of offense. Iowa rushed for 422 yards — its most during the Kirk Ferentz era — while holding the Panthers to 155 total yards.
Iowa improved to 3-0, while UNI fell to 1-2.
MASON CITY — A feisty local woman’s encounters with the law are piling up this year with numerous accusations involving substances and assaults, culminating in her latest drunk driving arrest in a post-midnight traffic stop.
Joanna Lynn Bailie, 47, was arrested after Mason City police were called at approximately 12:45 a.m. September 14 to 2301 Fourth Street SW for a report of an intoxicated driver.
What followed was Bailie’s third alcohol-related criminal case of 2026…
AMES — Iowa State Cyclone football unleashed a torrent of long touchdowns and special-teams fireworks Saturday afternoon, hammering Bowling Green 55-7 at Jack Trice Stadium behind a historic all-around performance from Aiden Flora.
Flora rushed for 194 yards and two touchdowns, returned a punt 66 yards for another score and finished with 296 all-purpose yards as Iowa State improved to 2-1. Bowling Green fell to 0-3.
A federal loan of up to $1.9 billion has pushed Iowa’s only nuclear power plant substantially closer to a planned 2029 restart, with much of its electricity expected to support Google’s rapidly growing cloud and artificial-intelligence operations in the state.
The U.S. Department of Energy and NextEra Energy announced September 8 that they had reached financial close on the loan supporting the restart of the Duane Arnold Energy Center in Linn County.
The 615-megawatt plant could produce enough electricity to match the consumption of nearly 500,000 homes, according to the Energy Department. Duane Arnold stopped producing power in 2020 after operating for more than four decades.
SIOUX CITY — A Northern Iowa attorney who placed a wrecked and inoperable Rolls-Royce at the center of a scheme to help an elderly couple qualify for Medicaid has been handed six months in federal prison and ordered to repay more than $184,000.
Timothy Mark Anderson of Garner was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand after pleading guilty to making a false statement relating to a health care matter.
CORALVILLE — Iowa Hawkeye volleyball shook off a second-set setback and took control down the stretch Saturday afternoon, knocking off Texas Tech in four sets at Xtream Arena.
The Hawkeyes earned the September 19 victory by scores of 25-22, 22-25, 25-20 and 25-19, improving to 9-3 overall and 2-0 at the Kwik Star Klassic.
CRESCO — John Mikkelson believed in giving the people he loved room to become everything they could be. The Cresco father, grandfather and conservationist passed away September 19, 2026, at the Rehabilitation Center of Allison, surrounded by his family. He was 79.
Family and friends will celebrate John’s life Saturday, October 3, at Heritage Event Center, 231 Third Avenue West in Cresco. Visitation will be held from 9:30 to 11 a.m., followed by a memorial service from 11 to 11:30 a.m. Brunch will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., with time to gather and visit until 1 p.m. A private family burial will follow at 1:30 p.m. at New Oregon Cemetery, where John will be laid to rest beside his wife, Sandy.
ACKLEY — Karen Stoppelmoor, 87, of Ackley, passed away Friday, September 18, 2026, at UnityPoint Health–St. Luke’s Hospital in Cedar Rapids, leaving a legacy of kindness, community service and a home where others could find comfort.
A private family viewing will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday, September 24, at Woodley Funeral Home, 516 S. Oak Street in Iowa Falls. A family graveside service and burial will take place at Pleasant Hill Cemetery, north of Ackley. Woodley Funeral Home of Iowa Falls is caring for Karen and her family.
FREDERICKSBURG — Jerry Allen Ptacek, 78, of Fredericksburg, died Friday, September 18, 2026, at MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, September 22, at Holy Family Parish in New Hampton, with the Rev. Ivan Nienhaus celebrating the Mass. Interment will follow at St. Mary’s Cemetery in New Hampton.