Founded on Oct. 1, 2010
News & Entertainment for Mason City, Clear Lake & the Entire North Iowa Region
SPIRIT LAKE — Janice Mae (Rasmussen) Clark, 93, passed away peacefully Sunday, September 7, 2026, in Spirit Lake. She is remembered for her devotion to family, deep Christian faith, artistic talent, love of music and books, and a generous spirit that made room for others.
A celebration of Janice’s life will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, September 19, 2026, at Epworth Hall, 15360 214th Avenue in Spirit Lake. An informal luncheon will follow the service.
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ESTHERVILLE — Michael “Mike” L. Anderson, 61, of Estherville, died Monday, September 7, 2026, following a courageous battle with cancer.
In accordance with Mike’s wishes, cremation has taken place and no services are scheduled at this time.
OSAGE — James Lee “Jim” Miller, 88, of Osage, passed away peacefully Friday evening, September 4, 2026, surrounded by his loving family.
A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, September 14, at First Grace Lutheran Church, 726 State Street in Osage. Hoff Celebrations – Champion Chapel of Osage is assisting the family with arrangements.
LANSING — A major new Mississippi River bridge connecting Iowa and Wisconsin is running well ahead of schedule and is now expected to open to traffic in early November, months earlier than originally planned.
The Iowa Department of Transportation and Wisconsin Department of Transportation announced that the new Iowa 9/WIS 82 Mississippi River crossing at Lansing is progressing quickly enough to open before winter.
The bridge had originally been scheduled to open in spring 2027.
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA — From Lake Mills to Ames and now Happy Valley, former Northern Iowa prep standout Caleb Bacon continues to make his mark on college football.
Bacon, a Lake Mills native and former Lake Mills High School star who spent four seasons playing for the Iowa State Cyclones, was named Big Ten Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Week following a dominant performance in Penn State’s 45-0 victory over Marshall.
CLEAR LAKE — Brian Wesley Stogdill, 64, of Clear Lake, passed away Friday, September 4, 2026, at 9th Street Chautauqua in Charles City following a lengthy battle with renal failure.
A remembrance gathering honoring Brian’s life will be held at a future date, with arrangements and additional details to be announced.
CHARLES CITY — Bertha “Bert” Holland, 87, of Charles City, is remembered for her adventurous spirit, decades of community involvement and the warm smile she shared with friends wherever she went.
A funeral service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, at Hauser Weishaar Funeral Home, 1205 South Main St. in Charles City. Burial will follow at Riverside Cemetery.
Visitation will be held at the funeral home from 9:30 a.m. until the service begins Friday.
Bert died peacefully at her Charles City home Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026.
MASON CITY — After felony drunk-driving convictions in two North Iowa counties, a five-year prison sentence, repeated probation violations and years of court intervention aimed at keeping her from driving impaired, Amber Ann Ward is accused of getting behind the wheel and doing it again.
Ward, 41, was nabbed by the Iowa State Patrol on Sunday, September 6, and booked into the Cerro Gordo County Jail at 1:01 p.m. Her latest booking photo shows her smiling proudly, but the criminal history behind that image is considerably more serious: Ward has previously been convicted of felony third-or-subsequent OWI offenses in both Floyd and Cerro Gordo counties, has been convicted of driving while barred, has repeatedly violated probation and has previously been sent to prison.
EMMETSBURG — Diane Ruth Manwarren, 70, of Emmetsburg, died peacefully Saturday, September 5, 2026, at her home surrounded by family.
A come-and-go visitation will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday, September 11, at Geelan Funeral Home, 403 11th St. SE, Spencer. A private family interment will be held later at St. John’s Catholic Cemetery in Emmetsburg.
DOLLIVER — Billy “Bill” Delose Huntley, 74, of rural Dolliver, died Saturday, September 5, 2026, at his home.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, September 9, at Henry-Olson Funeral Chapel, 401 N. Seventh St., Estherville. Burial will follow at Oak Hill Cemetery in Estherville. Visitation was held Tuesday evening at the funeral home.
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MASON CITY — Cerro Gordo County officials are raising concerns about a manure management plan update tied to a large livestock operation near Thornton, citing the site’s proximity to a protected waterfowl area.
The report before the Cerro Gordo County Board of Supervisors concerns Balsam Beef & Bacon, formerly known as Luscombe Enterprises. The operation is located at 7442 Balsam Ave. in Thornton in Section 31 of Union Township.
According to the report prepared by the Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health, the confinement unit has capacity for 3,550 finishing hogs and 250 cattle.
The annual manure production is listed at 907,025 gallons of liquid manure, which is stored in below-building pits, along with 2,717 tons of solid manure from bedded cattle barns.
MASON CITY — Mason City is pursuing state transportation money for improvements at the busy intersection of Iowa Highway 122 and South Taft Avenue, with Cerro Gordo County officials throwing their support behind the effort.
The Cerro Gordo County Board of Supervisors is being asked to support two city funding applications tied to improvements at the western Mason City gateway.
IOWA CITY — No. 4 Iowa Hawkeye field hockey unleashed another offensive barrage Sunday, crushing Ball State 8-0 at Grant Field behind hat tricks from Dionne van Aalsum and Fréderique van Cleef.
MACOMB — Freshman Ella McGinnis scored the first goal of her collegiate career during the closing minutes Sunday, but Northern Iowa could not complete the comeback in a 2-1 loss to Western Illinois at John MacKenzie Alumni Field.
The Leathernecks controlled much of the offensive action, outshooting the Panthers 18-13 and holding a 10-4 advantage in shots on goal.
IOWA CITY — Iowa Hawkeye soccer overwhelmed Missouri State from the opening minutes Sunday afternoon, allowing just one shot while cruising to a 3-0 victory at the Iowa Soccer Complex to close out nonconference play.
The Hawkeyes improved to 5-1-1 and finished their nonconference schedule with the same record for the second straight season. Missouri State fell to 2-4-1.
FOREST CITY — Donald Erickson, 87, of Forest City, passed away Friday, September 4, 2026.
A visitation will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, September 12, at Schott Funeral Home, 505 North Clark Street in Forest City.
A celebration of Donald’s life will follow at 11 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home.
MASON CITY — Nancy Elizabeth Bailey, 83, of Mason City, passed away Friday, September 4, 2026, at her home while under the care of St. Croix Hospice.
Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, September 12, at Hogan-Bremer-Moore Colonial Chapel, 126 3rd Street NE in Mason City, with Chaplain Jani Dahlin officiating. Nancy’s family will greet relatives and friends beginning at noon and continuing until the service.
Burial will follow at Memorial Park Cemetery in Mason City.
CRESCO — Robert “Rob” Myers, 86, of Cresco, died Friday, September 4, 2026, at Regional Health Services of Howard County.
Memorial service arrangements are pending. His final resting place will be Oak Lawn Cemetery in Cresco. Memorials may be directed to First Lutheran Church or the Howard County Cancer Association.
ESTHERVILLE — Carroll Lee Monsen, 92, of Estherville, died Friday, September 4, 2026, at Ruthven Care Center.
Funeral services will be held at 4 p.m. Wednesday, September 9, at Henry-Olson Funeral Chapel, 401 N. Seventh St., Estherville. Visitation will be held from 3 p.m. until the time of the service at the funeral home.
NORA SPRINGS — Donald “Don” Dean Walker, 70, of Nora Springs, died Friday, September 4, 2026, at MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center in Mason City surrounded by his family.
A Celebration of Life will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday, September 12, at the Rock Falls Community Center, 3 S. Nottingham St. in Rock Falls. Don will be laid to rest at Rock Grove Cemetery in rural Nora Springs.
AMES — The Jimmy Rogers era at Iowa State began with a convincing victory Saturday as the Cyclones overwhelmed Southeast Missouri, 38-10, in the 2026 season opener at Jack Trice Stadium.
After a 30-minute lightning delay, Iowa State jumped ahead 14-0 in the first quarter, carried a 28-7 advantage into halftime and never allowed the Redhawks to seriously threaten again. A crowd of 51,802 watched Iowa State open its 135th season of football with a win and improve to 1-0.
VERMILLION — Cassidy Hartman delivered one of the biggest performances of her UNI career Saturday, smashing a career-high 31 kills and joining Northern Iowa’s 1,000-kill club, but the Panthers couldn’t finish off South Dakota in a five-set thriller.
The Coyotes survived two UNI match points and escaped with a 25-22, 21-25, 19-25, 25-21, 17-15 victory in the final match of the 2026 South Dakota Classic.
CHENEY, WASHINGTON — Northern Iowa built a halftime lead behind three rushing touchdowns from quarterback Jaxon Dailey, but Eastern Washington shut out the Panthers in the second half and claimed a 34-24 victory Saturday, September 5.
The loss dropped UNI to 0-1 and extended the program’s struggles in the Evergreen State.
IOWA CITY — Iowa Hawkeye football opened the 2026 season with an emphatic statement Saturday, hammering Northern Illinois 40-0 behind an explosive performance from Kamari Moulton, an aggressive new-look offense and a defense that barely allowed the Huskies to move.
No. 22 Iowa scored 20 points in the opening quarter, carried a 33-0 lead into halftime and finished with a staggering 507-120 advantage in total offense before 69,250 fans at Kinnick Stadium.
Moulton was the centerpiece of the destruction.
The senior running back rushed only 11 times but piled up 183 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 16.6 yards every time he touched the football.
Both touchdowns came during Iowa’s first-quarter avalanche.
MASON CITY — Patricia “Pat” DeeAnn Ulrich, 81, of Mason City, passed away peacefully at home on Thursday, September 3, 2026.
Visitation will be held from noon until 1 p.m. Thursday, September 10, at Hogan Bremer Moore Colonial Chapel, 126 3rd St. NE in Mason City. A funeral service will follow at 1 p.m. at the funeral home, with Chaplain Jani Dahlin officiating.
Pat will be laid to rest at Memorial Park Cemetery in Mason City.
MASON CITY — A convicted felon whose probation was revoked and suspended prison sentence ordered imposed last year is back behind bars after a suspicious-person call in Mason City.
An Iowa motorcyclist was critically injured after he apparently ran a stop sign, entered a mobile home park and slammed into two parked vehicles early Saturday morning.
GARNER — Daniel A. Van Note, 74, of Garner, passed away Saturday, August 29, 2026, at MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center.
In accordance with Dan’s wishes, cremation will take place. No visitation or funeral services are planned.
ST. ANSGAR — Lillian Arlene Warrington, 88, passed away peacefully on Friday, September 4, 2026, surrounded by the love of her family.
A celebration of Lillian’s life was held Monday, September 14, 2026, at Immanuel Lutheran Church in St. Ansgar. Burial followed at Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery.
OSAGE — Two drivers were killed and a passenger was airlifted to a hospital after two vehicles collided head-on Friday afternoon in Mitchell County.
The Iowa State Patrol said the crash happened at approximately 4:05 p.m. September 4 at Kirkwood Avenue and 440th Street near Osage.
STACYVILLE — Holly Jo Kruse, 44, of Stacyville, died Thursday, September 3, 2026, at her home.
Burial will take place at 11 a.m. Saturday, September 12, at Osage Cemetery. A celebration of Holly’s life will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, September 13, at The Old County Seat in Mitchell.
BOONE — Marilyn J. Davison, 100, a longtime Mason City resident, died peacefully September 3, 2026, at West Haven in Boone, surrounded by family sharing memories, laughter, hugs and music.
A memorial service will be held at 10:00 a.m. Monday, October 19, at First United Methodist Church, 119 S. Georgia Avenue in Mason City, with Pastor Jon Montgomery officiating. Visitation will be held at the church for one hour before the service, beginning at 9:00 a.m.
Inurnment will take place at 1:30 p.m. at Eldora City Cemetery in Eldora.
CRESCO — Eugene “Gene” Scott Thorne, 64, of Cresco, died peacefully September 2, 2026, at The Highlands in Decorah surrounded by loved ones.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, September 9, at First Congregational Church, 130 3rd Ave. E. in Cresco, with Pastor Tim Sir officiating.
STACYVILLE — Charles Edward Yoders Jr., 71, of Stacyville, died September 4, 2026, from injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident. His family remembers his ready humor, skill at fixing things and gift for turning strangers into friends.
Services will be held at a later date.