Category: Watercooler

DES MOINES – AFSCME Iowa Council 61 President Danny Homan released the following statement regarding the “sequestration” cuts that went into effect Friday: “The massive and arbitrary budget cuts known as sequestration

MASON CITY – Skies are partly cloudy and the sun is bright Sunday afternoon, but according to the National Weather Service in Des Moines, North Iowa is in for a heavy snowfall.

CEDAR RAPIDS – A man whose house caught fire from an illegal methamphetamine lab pled guilty on February 28, 2013, in federal court in Cedar Rapids. Rory Lee Zirkelbach, age 43, from

Forest City, Iowa – Waldorf associate professor of music Dr. Kristín Jónína Taylor will perform in the Hagen Recital Hall on Thursday, March 7, at 7:30 p.m. The recital will feature Danish,

KABUL, Afghanistan, March 2 (UPI) — The head of NATO-led forces in Afghanistan apologized Saturday for the killing of two young children in an airstrike gone tragically awry. Gen. Joseph Dunford, commander

ST. LOUIS, March 2 (UPI) — Independent testing of three varieties of Budweiser beer shows alcohol content slightly under the levels listed on the label, CNN said. The cable news channel reported

WASHINGTON, DC—President Obama used this week’s address to urge Congress to stop the harmful automatic cuts that threaten thousands of jobs and affect our national security—called the sequester—from taking effect on March

MASON CITY – Reports are now coming into the NIT newsroom that a pit bull attacked at least 5 people early Saturday morning in Mason City. Mason City police confirmed the incident,

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 (UPI) — In a brief filed with the U.S. Supreme Court, the American Sociological Association said children fare as well with same-sex parents as traditional parents. Cecilia Ridgeway, president

Op-ed by Peter Children of Mason City – Comes now Eric Bookmeyer; problem drinker, some time trouble maker in Clinton, Iowa where he and his physician wife migrated from. No one could

GARNER – On Nov. 25th, 2011 the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call to report an armed robbery at the Klemme Town Mart. After investigation by the Hancock County Sheriff’s

(DES MOINES) – Gov. Terry E. Branstad denied the following an application for commutation for Harry Sisco, age 78. Siscocommitted his crime on April 2, 1991, in Scott County.  He is currently

MASON CITY – The Tri-County Drug Enforcement Task Force had been on the hunt for 22-year-old Terry Lee Kiefer since the morning of February 16th after he fled the scene of a

Gov. Terry E. Branstad on Thursday issued the following statement upon learning Iowa had moved into the top 10 in the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index®. Iowa increased 0.7 points to 68.1 in overall

Iowa AFL-CIO says Republicans take economy hostage to protect tax loopholes for corporations and wealthy – Des Moines Iowa, February 28, 2013 A report from the Senate Appropriations Committee shows that Congressional

CHICAGO, Feb. 28 (UPI) — An Illinois man who put a noose around the neck of an African-American teenager has been ordered to write an essay about lynching, officials say. Matthew Hermann,

CUSTER, S.D., Feb. 28 (UPI) — A South Dakota toddler who went missing from his back yard was found safe, police said, adding he was protected by his pet pit bull. The

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 (UPI) — Veteran journalist Bob Woodward, half of The Washington Post’s famous Watergate team, says he received a threatening email from a senior White House aide. In his “Behind

From Senator Amanda Ragan – Iowa businesses need skilled workers to compete and grow. Studies show that in the next five years, 62 percent of all Iowa jobs—that’s 1.1 million jobs—will require

ST. PAUL – A Minnesota legislator doesn’t think very highly of the gay and lesbian lifestyle. Striking back at legislation introduced in the Minnesota Legislature this week for marriage equality, state Minnesota

(DES MOINES) – Gov. Branstad today signed the following bills into law today: Senate File 91: an Act increasing civil penalties applicable to specified pipeline safety violations. Senate File 110: an Act

MASON CITY – A Mason City woman plead guilty this week to felony unauthorized use of a credit card and will go to prison for five years. Brenda Leah Askildson, 50, plead

DES MOINES – AFSCME Iowa Council 61 President Danny Homan issued the following statement regarding the Iowa Senate Human Resources Committee’s vote to expand Medicaid: “On behalf of the members of AFSCME

From the Mason City School District – With the girls’ basketball team winning the first round game at the Girl’s State Basketball Tournament on Wednesday evening, Mason City Community School District will

AMES, Iowa – Most parents carefully select what television programs and movies their children can watch. But a study in the latest Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology found that even educational shows could come

CHICAGO, Feb. 27 (UPI) — Six-of-10 U.S. workers age 60 or older would look for a new job once they retired from their current job, a nationwide survey found. In a survey

DENVER, Feb. 27 (UPI) — A 6-year-old who was born a boy but identifies as a girl should be able to use the girls’ restroom at school, a transgender rights group said

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 (UPI) — The White House says major government agencies must make taxpayer-funded research freely available to the public within 12 months after publication. The directive that went into affect

MASON CITY – The Mason City Police Department is alerting people to a possible scam. Victims are receiving a phone call from a suspect stating the victim just won a lottery drawing

AMES, Iowa – Feb. 27, 2013; 11 a.m. update – Warmer pavement temperatures and diminishing snowfall has helped most interstate routes return to normal winter driving conditions, which consists of wet roads

MASON CITY – A former Mason City man who had faced up to 15 years in prison for two felony drug counts walked out of his sentencing hearing with a deferred judgment

Former Scarville city clerk Jolene June Carter, who issued over $8,000 in checks to herself while participating in the theft of city funds totaling over $37,000 with former Scarville Mayor Michelle Hermanson