Category: Watercooler

OKOBOJI — An elderly Iowa woman died Thursday after an apparent drowning at East Lake Okoboji, according to the Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office.

The incident happened June 18, 2026, near the Edgewater Plaza Condominiums in Okoboji.

An Iowa man was killed and a woman was injured in a head-on crash involving a Jeep and a semi in Boone County, according to the Iowa State Patrol.

MASON CITY — Drivers in Mason City are being urged to avoid part of 19th Street SW as road construction gets underway immediately and continues through the end of June.

An Iowa man was killed in a western Iowa rollover crash after his SUV left an Interstate highway and crashed into a ditch, according to the Iowa State Patrol.

GILLETTE GROVE — A recently acquired 425-acre tract in southern Clay County is giving the Little Sioux Wildlife Area a major boost, adding rare remnant prairie, more than two miles of river corridor and a mix of habitat that supports hunting, fishing, birding, hiking and conservation work.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources acquired the Callahan Tract from the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation in 2023.

An Iowa man was killed Monday afternoon after his car left an highway, struck a bridge railing, became airborne and landed upside down in Mosquito Creek, according to the Iowa State Patrol.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.