CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – March 15, 2013 – Interstate Power and Light Company (IPL), an Alliant Energy company, has donated $500,000 to its Hometown Care Energy Fund. The Fund benefits Alliant Energy…
Category: Watercooler
Breaking news. News of interest. Bulletins. Editorials. The word on the street.
Upmeyer: Flat tax bill “will leave more money in Iowans’ pockets and reduce income taxes”
From Rep. Linda Upmeyer – We had a busy and productive week at the Capitol, as we accomplished a great deal of bipartisan work on behalf of Iowans. The number of bills…
Bishop: Pedophilia a disease, not a crime
DURBAN, South Africa, March 16 (UPI) — The Catholic archbishop of Durban, South Africa, says sexual abuse of children is not a crime but a psychological illness. Cardinal Wilfrid Fox Napier says…
Iowa woman gets 6 years in prison for burning down house near school while making meth
CEDAR RAPIDS – A woman who assisted in the manufacture of methamphetamine that caused a fire in a home she was renting was sentenced on March 15, 2013, to just less than…
Iowa man convicted of receiving, possession of child porn
CEDAR RAPIDS – A man who received and possessed child pornography was convicted by a jury today after a four-day trial in federal court in Cedar Rapids. James Sumner, age 49, from…
What is wrong with men in India? Swiss tourist gang-raped Friday
BHOPAL, India, March 16 (UPI) — A Swiss tourist camping with her husband in central India was gang-raped and the couple were robbed, police said. About 15 men have been arrested in…
Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Office helps nab meth kingpin
CEDAR RAPIDS – A Colorado man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine in Iowa was sentenced March 15, 2013, to more than seven years in federal prison. Javier Torres, 30, from Denver, Colorado,…
Steckman: “Grave concerns” regarding Branstad’s “continuing refusal to accept Medicaid expansion”
From Rep. Sharon Steckman – During this first week after funnel week, committees have seldom met and most of the action has taken place in floor debate. Many of the bills brought…
Op-ed: Lack of voting has devastated Mason City (by Peter Children)
Community; did you ever stop and think what that word encompass? To me it signifies a group of people living in the same proximity or area that forms a village or town,…
Obama: Harness American energy to reduce dependence on oil
WASHINGTON – President Obama discusses the need to harness American energy in order to reduce our dependence on oil and make the United States a magnet for new jobs. He highlights his…
Commentary: Rags to riches to rags
By ARNAUD DE BORCHGRAVE WASHINGTON, March 15 (UPI) — Once a year Forbes publishes “The Definitive Guide to the Richest People on Earth.” This year it added 210 new billionaires, including 138…
Assault weapons ban passes committee
WASHINGTON, March 14 (UPI) — The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday approved a bill on a party-line vote that would ban nearly 160 specific military-style assault weapons. All 10 Democrats on the…
Vatican defends pope in ‘Dirty War’ claim
VATICAN CITY, March 15 (UPI) — The Vatican denied Pope Francis failed to speak against human rights abuses during military rule in his native Argentina in the 1970s. Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi…
‘Slavery’ trial begins in France
CAVAILLON, France, March 15 (UPI) — A man accused of buying a 14-year-old African girl and keeping her at his home in southern France to do chores was set to go to…
Iowa Trooper Receives National Award
Des Moines, IOWA — A Trooper with the Iowa State Patrol has been selected as one of 10 law enforcement officers from across the nation to receive an award from the National…
Former Osage man sentenced to prison for receiving child porn
CEDAR RAPIDS – A man who received child pornography was sentenced March 14, 2013, to 14 years in federal prison. Kevin Perrin, age 49, formerly of Osage, Iowa, received the sentence after…
After two Mason City residents stopped for traffic violation, “large quantity” of meth discovered
RURAL MASON CITY – A routine traffic stop has lead to the arrest of two Mason City residents and the discovery of a “large quantity” of methamphetamine. According to a Cerro Gordo…
Will “female and minority business enterprises” suffer if Human Rights Commission and Director cease operation?
by Matt Marquardt – MASON CITY – The City of Mason City is currently seeking bidders for a the 2013 Street Panel and Curb Replacement Program and likely many other spring projects….
Romney ’47 percent’ recorder reveals self
NEW YORK, March 15 (UPI) — Scott Prouty, the man who shot the “47 percent” video of Mitt Romney during the 2012 presidential campaign, told MSNBC he agonized about releasing the video….
Grassley demands answers on released aliens
WASHINGTON – A group of U.S. Senators have proposed an amendment to the Continuing Resolution currently being debated in the Senate that would require the Department of Homeland Security to provide Congress…
Illegal alien sentenced to prison after 2 drunk driving offenses
SIOUX CITY – A man who illegally re-entered the United States from Mexico was sentenced on March 8, 2013, to three months in federal prison. Juan Rodriguez-Aragon, age 34, from Mexico, received…
Filing snafu delays 600,000 tax refunds
KANSAS CITY, Mo., March 14 (UPI) — An estimated 600,000 U.S. tax filers may have to wait six weeks to get tax refunds because of a company filing error, the Internal Revenue…
Teen meets man on Facebook, hasn’t been heard from since
PORT HURON, Mich., March 15 (UPI) — A Michigan teenager has not been seen or heard from since she went to a motel Feb. 26 with a man she met on Facebook,…
Pope Francis urges courage at first mass
VATICAN CITY, March 14 (UPI) — Pope Francis, in his first mass as leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics, Thursday urged the church to have courage. “When we don’t walk, we…
Dr. Hamburger removes woman’s ovaries by mistake, then disciplined
DES MOINES – A Sioux City doctor has been disciplined by the Iowa Board of Medicine for “performing the wrong procedure on a patient.” On July 29th, 2011, the Board charged Dr. Kevin…
Armed with knife and crescent wrench, Clear Lake man arrested for kidnapping, assault
MASON CITY – A Clear Lake man with a history of domestic abuse is in jail after being arrested Wednesday for another violent crime. Chad Ryan Tannahill, 44, was arrested by 5…
State auditor praises Branstad’s budget
(Des Moines, Iowa) – Continuing in his role as the “Taxpayers’ Watchdog” and his duty to report directly to the people of Iowa on the condition of the State’s finances, State Auditor…
Mexican man sent to prison for illegally entering U.S., driving drunk
SIOUX CITY – A man who illegally re-entered the United States from Mexico was sentenced on March 7, 2013, to seven months in federal prison. Isael Ramirez-Hernandez, age 22, from Mexico, received…
Two men killed in auto crash
INDIANOLA – A single vehicle crash took the lives of two men near Indianola, Iowa Wednesday. According to a report, a vehicle driven by Don Geisler, 56, of Indianola, was northbound on…
Organized faith adherence at all-time low
BERKELEY, Calif., March 13 (UPI) — A survey conducted by researchers from three universities showed the number of Americans affiliated with organized religion is at an all-time low. Sociologists Mike Hout and…
Harvest Food Bank introduces open adoption for month of April
From Ozzie Ohl, Hawkeye Harvest Food Bank Volunteer – MASON CITY – Hawkeye Harvest Food Bank is up for adoption. The local north Iowa food bank will not be doing a food…
To Bolster American Manufacturing, Sen. Harkin, Rep. Braley Introduce the Rebuild American Manufacturing Act
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Seeking to strengthen the competitiveness of Iowa and American manufacturing, U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) and U.S. Congressman Bruce Braley (D-IA) today introduced the Rebuild American Manufacturing Act. Central to the…
Iowa Senate OK’s funding for mental health
DES MOINES – The Iowa Senate on Wednesday OK’d nearly $11.6 million in funding for counties to treat mental health patients. The bill passed 44-5 in the Senate and passed in the…
Former Canadian Prime Minister: Canada right to stay out of Iraq
TORONTO, March 14 (UPI) — Former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien said the country made the right decision 10 years ago when it decided not to support the invasion of Iraq. In…
Obama: Secret Service canceled tours
WASHINGTON, March 13 (UPI) — The U.S. Secret Service made the decision to cancel White House tours, President Obama said in an interview broadcast Wednesday. Obama talked to George Stephanopoulos of ABC…
“Iowa Buy American Act” advances in Senate
DES MOINES – A bill requiring the use of American products for public improvement projects in Iowa advanced in the Iowa Senate on Tuesday. According to the bill, each contract for the…
Pot brownies sicken students ages 10-12
COSTA MESA, Calif., March 13 (UPI) — Seven California elementary school children were taken to a hospital after eating marijuana-laced brownies a 10-year-old classmate gave them, police said. Police said a student…
Gun laws advance in U.S. Senate
WASHINGTON, March 12 (UPI) — The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday approved bills to expand background checks for gun sales and reauthorize federal funding for security at schools. The background check bill…
Entitlement cuts raise liberal hackles
WASHINGTON, March 13 (UPI) — Liberal U.S. senators challenged President Obama over his readiness to cut entitlement benefits, as the president prepared to meet with House Republicans. “I think he is more…
Grassley to hold public meetings across North Iowa in March
WASHINGTON – Iowa Senator Charles Grassley will hold series of town meetings across the North Iowa region in March. “Representative government is a two-way street. It’s strengthened by dialogue between elected officials…