Founded in 2010
News & Entertainment for Mason City, Clear Lake & the Entire North Iowa Region
Affordable & Professional: Breakthrough Web Design 515-897-1144
WASHINGTON – This criminal illegal alien was out tooling around when his sloppy driving skills caused him to run down and kill an innocent American citizen on a motorcycle, but thanks to ICE, he won’t be able to maim or delete anyone else in America.
AMES – The Iowa State football program will hold its Cyclone Football Spring Showcase, the first under head coach Jimmy Rogers, on Saturday, April 25.
The event, which is free and open to the public, will take the form of a traditional practice and is slated to start at 10:30 a.m. at MidAmerican Energy Field at Jack Trice Stadium.
WAVERLY – Work to reconstruct U.S. 218 in Bremer County from the Cedar River to Iowa 116 in Waverly will require lane closures to pave median crossovers and add temporary pavement beginning on Thursday, April 2, weather permitting, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation’s New Hampton construction office. This portion of the project is expected to be completed by late April.
CEDAR FALLS – University of Northern Iowa President Mark Nook and Director of Athletics Megan Franklin on Wednesday, announced that Kyle Green has accepted the position of head men’s basketball coach.
SIOUX CITY – This Chicago man brought his way of life to small town north Iowa, and now he will take his attitude to a federal prison cell for at least a year.
CLEAR LAKE – Volunteers with Iowa’s frog and toad survey have been collecting important information for more than 35 years, documenting population trends, identifying places with data gaps, and how changing land use and fluctuating levels of precipitation impacts the amphibians. They’ll be headed out again this year starting on April 1.
MASON CITY — Residents of a Southeast Mason City neighborhood were met with an early morning emergency on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, as a house fire forced local occupants to evacuate their home.
KOSSUTH COUNTY – Authorities in Kossuth County have identified a North Iowa man following a death investigation that took place near Ledyard on March 31, 2026. The incident began late Tuesday morning when the Kossuth County Law Enforcement Center received a 911 call at approximately 11:13 a.m. regarding a person down with an unknown medical emergency. The call originated from a residence located at 1707 460th Street, prompting an immediate response from local emergency crews.
WASHINGTON D.C. — In a landmark decision that could reshape the legal landscape for LGBTQ+ rights and professional speech, the Supreme Court ruled 8-1 on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, that Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy for minors likely violates the First Amendment.
CARACAS, VENEZUELA — A new era of American diplomatic influence has officially returned to Venezuelan soil as the U.S. State Department announced the formal resumption of operations at the U.S. Embassy in Caracas on Monday, March 30, 2026.
WATERLOO — A Waterloo man lost his life on Monday, March 30, 2026, following a single-vehicle rollover accident in Black Hawk county involving a utility task vehicle (UTV).
HERRIMAN, UTAH — A developing domestic violence case involving high-profile reality stars has led to the unprecedented cancellation of the upcoming season of The Bachelorette.
LOGAN, Utah – Utah State tapped one of the most successful head coaches of the past two decades, Ben Jacobson, as its 23rd men’s basketball head coach in program history on Monday, as announced by Utah State Vice President and Director of Athletics Cameron Walker.
CEDAR FALLS – Ben Jacobson, the winningest coach in the history of the University of Northern Iowa men’s basketball program announced on Monday his departure from the Panther program to accept the head coaching position at Utah State.
CEDAR RAPIDS – An Iowa man was sentenced on March 25, 2026, to seven years in federal prison for receipt of child pornography.
Ardis L. Sansgaard, 93, of Humboldt, passed away on Saturday, March 28, 2026, at Humboldt County Memorial Hospital in Humboldt.
Linda Dunbar, age 72 of Graettinger, passed away on Friday, March 27, 2026 at the Palo Alto County Hospital in Emmetsburg, Iowa. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date. Martin Mattice Funeral Home of Emmetsburg is assisting the family.
CLEAR LAKE – A Clear Lake man is facing multiple felony charges, including third-degree sexual abuse, following an investigation that began with a domestic disturbance late last year.
“With things moving a bit slower at the Capitol this week, it is the perfect time to touch on one of the most important issues we are tackling property taxes. While we are working hard on legislation at the state level to provide serious structural reform, many of our local government bodies are currently holding their own tax and budget hearings. This makes it an opportune time to pull back the curtain on how our property taxes actually work and where your hard-earned money goes.” Rep. Christian Hermanson of Mason City said.
CHICAGO – The 2025-26 Iowa State men’s basketball season reached its conclusion on the evening of Friday, March 27, 2026, as the sixth-ranked Cyclones fell to No. 23 Tennessee in a 76-62 Sweet 16 battle. Playing in front of a packed crowd in Chicago, Iowa State finishes a remarkable campaign with a 29-8 overall record.
Sheryl Rozann (Yost) Smith, of Stacyville, Iowa, passed peacefully to her reward on March 26, 2026, at home, at the age of 69 following a courageous battle with cancer.
Scott Alan Landers, 61, of Greene, passed away peacefully on March 26, 2026, at his home on the farm outside of Greene.
RUTHVEN, IOWA — A Tuesday morning collision between a sedan and a semi-truck has claimed the life of a Northern Iowa woman.
WASHINGTON D.C. — Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins appeared on FOX Business’s *Mornings with Maria* Wednesday morning, March 25, 2026, to announce a historic decline in federal food assistance enrollment, framing the shift as a major victory for the American taxpayer and the labor market.
Citing new official data from the USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), Rollins confirmed that SNAP participation has plummeted by 3.3 million recipients since January 2025. This rapid decline has pushed the total number of recipients below 40 million for the first time since the start of the pandemic in 2020.
Donald J. Welty, 94, of Iowa Falls, passed away Thursday, March 26, 2026 at Hansen Family Hospital.
HOUSTON — For the first time in nearly four decades, the Iowa Hawkeyes are heading to the Elite Eight.
In a gritty comeback at the Toyota Center on Thursday night, the ninth-seeded Hawkeyes erased a double-digit deficit to stun fourth-seeded Nebraska, 77-71. The victory marks Iowa’s first trip to the regional finals since 1987 and continues a historic “giant-killer” run that has seen them topple No. 8 Clemson, No. 1 Florida, and now the Huskers in just seven days.
A Honduran national prowling around Iowa was sentenced to 42 years in federal prison for sexual exploitation and possession of child pornography.
LOS ANGELES – Common sense has re-entered the discussion on fairness in sports, and after men pretending to be women have dominated actual female humans in sports for years, and sometimes delivered brutal beatings (see: boxing), this travesty will never again take place in Olympic competition as biological men will have to stay out of women’s events and take their lumps against males.
Eligibility for any female category event at the Olympic Games or any other IOC event, including individual and team sports, is now limited to biological females, determined on the basis of a one‑time SRY gene screening.
An errant driver slammed into numerous children this week at an Iowa school’s student pickup lane, and those involved are trying to process the aftermath.
MASON CITY – An armed standoff that paralyzed a Mason City neighborhood ended safely Thursday evening after a wanted man, previously accused of violent crimes, refused to surrender to authorities, triggering a shelter-in-place order for nearby residents.
WASHINGTON D.C. — In a session that stretched well past midnight on March 26, the House Ethics Committee’s adjudicatory subcommittee found Democrat Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) in violation of 25 counts of ethics breaches, even as a parallel criminal indictment in Florida continues to threaten her future outside of Congress.
Michael Allan Hanson, 78, of Ventura, Iowa, passed away Wednesday, March 25, 2026, at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, with his family by his side. A family graveside service will be held at a later date in Brush Point Cemetery.
At the plea and sentencing hearings, convict Victor Ineson admitted that between about April 2024 and continuing to December 2024, he and another utilized the “dark web” to purchase approximately three pounds of methamphetamine which was shipped to them from the U.S. Postal Service for further distribution in the Iowa area.
WASHINGTON – In honor of the 250th anniversary of the United States of America, President Donald J. Trump’s signature will appear on future U.S. paper currency along with the Secretary of the Treasury, marking the first time in history for a sitting president.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, we are on a path toward unprecedented economic growth, lasting dollar dominance, and fiscal strength and stability,” said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent.
Nick J. Zahariades, 89, of Mason City, passed away on Thursday, March 19, 2026, at MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 28, 2026, at Major Erickson Funeral Home.
DES MOINES — The Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) Board this week approved assistance for two manufacturing companies, which will assist in the creation of 26 jobs and result in $5.38 million in new capital investment for the state. These projects are located in Adel and Waverly. The board also approved assistance for startups in Ames, Des Moines and West Des Moines, while projects in Spencer and Webster City received awards through the Community Attraction and Tourism (CAT) program. In addition, reinvestment districts in Des Moines and Fort Dodge received approval for amended plans.
IOWA CITY – The Iowa City Fire Department responded to a residential fire at 1:08 p.m., Thursday, March 26, 2026, at 55 Amber Lane. Reports indicated the home and deck were on fire.
It has pleased Almighty God to call to Himself in heaven the soul of Doreen Kay Miller, who passed away early Wednesday morning, March 25, 2026 at the Westview Care Center in Britt. She was 67 years old.
Marshall A. Thompson, 88, Lake Mills, passed away Wednesday, March 25, 2026, at the Lake Mills Care Center.
This Iowa man allegedly beat a woman senseless with his fists during a traffic altercation – and was free at the time of the incident even though he had earlier been accused of heinous crimes like attempted murder – and although he fled the scene, cops eventually tracked him down to stand trial.