Founded on Oct. 1, 2010
News & Entertainment for Mason City, Clear Lake & the Entire North Iowa Region
MASON CITY — Mason City residents who use city sanitation service will soon see a major change at the curb as City Hall prepares to roll out automated garbage and recycling collection.
The city announced that its new “Cart Smart” program will begin the week of July 6, replacing the familiar blue recycling bins and regular garbage cans with city-issued rolling carts designed for automated collection.
DES MOINES — Iowa agriculture officials say a pseudorabies response that began after the virus was detected in a small commercial swine facility has been completed, with no additional cases found and all affected farms released from quarantine.
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig confirmed Monday that the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship has completed the response protocol outlined in USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service program standards.
MASON CITY — A full-scale emergency exercise planned at the Mason City Municipal Airport has been postponed because of the threat of inclement weather.
The drill, originally scheduled for Wednesday, June 17, will now be held Wednesday, June 24, from 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
CLEAR LAKE — Swimming is currently not recommended at Clear Lake State Park Beach after elevated E. coli levels were detected, according to an advisory shared by the City of Clear Lake.
The city said the advisory applies to Clear Lake State Park Beach and directed residents and visitors to Iowa DNR’s beach monitoring site for more information.
“Swimming is currently not recommended at Clear Lake State Park Beach due to elevated E. coli levels,” the city announced.
ORCHARD — Phillip Eugene Scott, a longtime Orchard man whose life centered on family, work, gardening and the land he cared for, has died at age 79.
Scott passed away on June 12, 2026, at his home in Orchard.
BOONE COUNTY — An Iowa man was killed and a woman was flown to a Des Moines hospital after a Jeep collided head-on with a semi Monday afternoon in Boone County.
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ESTHERVILLE — Deborah M. Anderson, whose life is now being mourned and honored by family, friends and those who knew her, has died at age 70.
Anderson passed away on June 15, 2026, at Avera McKennan Hospital.
MASON CITY — The Cerro Gordo County Board of Supervisors approved property tax credit funding levels, monthly fee reports, tax abatements, a fireworks permit, a temporary road closure for the TRI Clear Lake Triathlon and more than $445,000 in claims during its regular meeting on June 15, 2026.
BRITT — City officials in Britt are warning residents to stop throwing live ammunition into trash or recycling bins after bullets were reportedly found during local waste collection.
The City of Britt said it was notified by Absolute Waste that live bullets had been found in trash bins. Officials said residents should never place live ammunition in garbage or recycling containers.
“We ask that these residents PLEASE stop doing this,” the city said in its warning, posted this afternoon.
CHARLES CITY — The Floyd County Board of Supervisors approved claims, updated banking authorizations, discussed expiring board appointments and handled several program and contract matters during its regular meeting on June 9, 2026.
MASON CITY — Mary Smith, whose life stretched across nearly a century of change, family history and community memory, has died at age 95.
Smith passed away on June 14, 2026. She was born September 14, 1930.
MASON CITY — Thomas Paul “Tom” Johnston, 89, of Mason City and Naples, Florida, passed away Sunday, June 14, 2026, at MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center.
ESTHERVILLE — An Iowa man wearing only shorts was arrested after deputies say he entered multiple vehicles at Fort Defiance State Park, ran into a wooded area and triggered a search involving officers, drones and K-9s.
Police say, “a male wearing only shorts had entered vehicles that did not belong to him and was running around the campground at Fort Defiance State Park.”
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Joni Ernst went out a winner in her final Congressional Baseball Game, helping Team GOP deliver another lopsided defeat to Democrats in Washington.
Republicans beat Democrats 11-2 at Nationals Park, marking the GOP’s sixth consecutive victory in the annual Congressional Baseball Game.
MASON CITY – NIACC’s Chloe Thurlby earned third-team NJCAA Division II all-American honors as a pitcher.
Thurlby, a freshman left-hander from Bondurant, is the first pitcher in school history to earn NJCAA all-American honors. She is the fifth softball player in school history to earn NJCAA all-American honors.
An Iowa driver with a prior meth conviction and recent jail history involving felony theft, criminal mischief and parole-violation allegations was arrested Friday evening after police say he led officers on a felony eluding pursuit that topped 90 miles per hour, endangered road workers and motorists, and sent his damaged vehicle into a ditch before the chase ended at a rural residence.
MASON CITY — A theft or shoplifting call at a Mason City auto parts store helped police snare a wanted Wisconsin woman who was later held without bond in the Cerro Gordo County Jail.
MASON CITY — A registered sex offender placed in Mason City after prior court and correctional proceedings was jailed Friday night on a new sex offender registry violation charge, adding another chapter to a record that includes a conviction involving obscene material shown to a young girl and a prior registry violation.
MASON CITY — The Mason City Community School District Board of Education is set to consider a long list of personnel changes Monday night, June 15, 2026, including new teachers, resignations, transfers, support staff changes and extracurricular assignments for the 2026-27 school year.
The personnel report was prepared by Human Resources Director Tom Drzycimski for board consideration.
Several of the proposed certified hires are tied to special education positions across the district. Some of the proposed salaries are well above $70,000 per year.
MASON CITY — A convicted North Iowa sex offender was arrested Friday evening by Mason City police on an out-of-jurisdiction warrant, adding another law enforcement encounter to a record that includes a felony sexual abuse conviction and a later probation violation.
WEBSTER CITY — A suspicious package scare in Hamilton County prompted a law enforcement, fire and HazMat response Friday before investigators determined the mailed item was part of a prank and posed no threat to the public.
The package contained a small cylindrical tube with an unknown substance inside. The package had been mailed from an out-of-state address unfamiliar to the recipient.
Investigators also found that the package received in Hamilton County was identical to several similar packages reported across the United States that had been confirmed as pranks.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced Sunday that the United States has reached a peace agreement with Iran, a potentially historic diplomatic breakthrough aimed at ending months of war, reopening the Strait of Hormuz and easing pressure on global oil markets.
Trump said in a statement that “the Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete,” congratulating all sides and authorizing the removal of the United States naval blockade. He also said the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened.
“Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!” Trump said.
An Iowa man faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and up to life behind bars after a federal jury convicted him of sex trafficking, drug distribution and related crimes in what prosecutors described as a violent exploitation scheme targeting vulnerable women.
“This case represents some of the most egregious forms of exploitation — using violence, threats, drugs and weaponized addiction to force vulnerable women into commercial sex,” Acting Special Agent in Charge Rick Sabatini of Homeland Security Investigations Kansas City Field Office said in the DOJ announcement.
CHARLES CITY — Deborah “Deb” Anne Freebury, a Charles City woman whose final wishes called for a quiet goodbye, has died at age 74.
Freebury passed away Saturday, June 13, 2026, at home with her loving husband by her side.
ARMSTRONG — Roy Alan Cheever, an Armstrong man remembered for his humor, love of the open road and the friendships he built along the way, has died at age 60.
Cheever passed away suddenly on June 12, 2026, at Avera Holy Family Hospital in Estherville.
HARRISON COUNTY — A 15-year-old Iowa teen died Wednesday morning after a pickup crashed at a high rate of speed on a remote Iowa roadway, according to the Iowa State Patrol.
WEBSTER CITY — Seven firefighters were taken to Van Diest Medical Center for observation and treatment after a fire broke out Wednesday evening at a building within the Van Diest Supply Company complex in Webster City.
MASON CITY — A wanted Northern Iowa suspect was nabbed Friday afternoon after police conducted an officer check and allegedly found him facing a warrant, license trouble and registration-related violations.
MASON CITY — A convicted domestic abuser was arrested Friday night at a Mason City convenience store with a sketchy history of crime calls, including a past murder and armed robbery.
Brooke McKee Dalgliesh, 30, was arrested at 9:17 p.m. on June 12, 2026, after Mason City police were called to Casey’s at 813 North Federal Avenue for…
CHARLES CITY — Floyd County Medical Center is set for a major expansion and renovation after the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a $27.5 million loan to modernize the Charles City hospital.
USDA Rural Development Iowa State Director Mike Sexton announced Friday, June 12, 2026, that the agency is loaning the money to Floyd County Medical Center to help expand and renovate the rural healthcare facility.
MASON CITY — Juanita J. Cooper, a Mason City woman whose life touched family, friends and others who knew her, has died at age 82.
Cooper passed away peacefully on Thursday, June 11, 2026, at MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center in Mason City.
She was born December 1, 1943.
WATERLOO — A Northern Iowa woman has been arrested in connection with a fatal hit-and-run crash that killed a Waterloo man who was found lying injured in a roadway last month.
MASON CITY — John William Prust, 68, of Mason City, passed away Thursday, June 11, 2026, at his residence.
In keeping with his wishes, cremation will take place. No formal services are planned at this time.
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CHARLES CITY — A Northern Iowa woman facing felony burglary and domestic assault allegations was arrested Tuesday morning after police conducted a warrant check in Charles City.
A Northern Iowa man was arrested after authorities say he led law enforcement on a high-speed pursuit, tried to evade officers in a red Dodge pickup and intentionally drove into a Hamilton County deputy vehicle.
WODEN — Sandra L. Hugo, 85, of Woden, died Wednesday, June 10, 2026, at Kossuth Regional Health Center in Algona.
A Celebration of Life service will be held at a later date. Inurnment will be at Bingham Township Cemetery south of Woden.
Two juvenile girls have been identified in a graffiti vandalism spree that left blue spray paint on public and private property across a small Iowa town, police said Tuesday.
“This type of vandalism is extremely disappointing and has a real impact on our community,” police said.