Category: Watercooler

MASON CITY – Shortly before 2 AM Wednesday morning Mason City police were dispatched to 610 11th Street NE on a report of an attempted theft from a residence. During the investigation

MASON CITY – A man convicted of a sex offense who was wanted for failing to register turned himself in on Thursday. James Chris Landrum, 20, living in Mason City but showing

By Patrick Kevin Day, Los Angeles Times – LOS ANGELES — Jane Fonda made her TV series debut this year with guest shots on Aaron Sorkin’s HBO series, “The Newsroom.” Apparently, she liked

MASON CITY – Mason City police responded to a report of a subject causing a disturbance at 311 5th Street NW shortly before 1am Wednesday morning. When officers arrived 26-year-old Ashley Elizabeth

MASON CITY – Accused robber Joshua Albert Rutledge, now in the Cerro Gordo County Jail held on $25,000 bond, is no stranger to dangerous criminal charges and owes courts thousands in unpaid fines and fees.

By Andrew Blankstein, Los Angeles Times – LOS ANGELES—Entertainment impresario Sean “Diddy” Combs was injured in a two-car traffic accident in front of the Beverly Hills Hotel, police said Wednesday. Combs, who complained

Iowans, we are better than this. Women are still underrepresented in 48 states, with 19 states and 22 percent of the nation’s population without a female U.S. Senator or Representative.  Among these,

MASON CITY – An early morning traffic stop by Cerro Gordo County Sheriff deputies has led to a felony drug charge for a Clear Lake man. Deputies made traffic contact near the

From Iowa DNR – Upland game hunters have a good reason to step out into the fields this weekend across Iowa. Pheasant numbers are up, for the first time in seven years.

By Colin Covert, Star Tribune (Minneapolis) – Three directors, plus six story lines, times five centuries equal one grandly conceived, impressively mounted megaflop. “Cloud Atlas” gene-splices genres, spans planets and leap-frogs millennia until

By Paul Richter, Tribune Washington Bureau – WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney agreed strongly in their third and final debate that the United States needed to vigorously expand its leadership

By Steven Rea, The Philadelphia Inquirer – “We’ll just be wine-with-dinner people,” is how Charlie and Kate Hannah, the Los Angeles couple played by Aaron Paul and Mary Elizabeth Winstead in “Smashed,” agree

DES MOINES — NETWORK today announced the return of ‘Nuns on the Bus’ to Iowa for a one-day, three-stop tour on Thursday, November 1st. The tour will feature Sr. Simone Campbell, SSS, along

By Roger Moore, McClatchy-Tribune News Service – A work of stunning images, staggering ambition and epic length, “Cloud Atlas” is an attempt to create nothing less than a “unified field” theory of science

By Gina McIntyre, Los Angeles Times – LOS ANGELES — Michael Myers, the masked silent Shape that emerged from the shadows of Haddonfield, Ill., to stalk generations of moviegoers, will return to theaters

By Jeremy Gorner, Chicago Tribune – CHICAGO—A South Side rapper who posted taunting tweets about the fatal shooting of aspiring rapper Lil Jojo is under fire again after video footage of him purportedly

By John M. Glionna, Los Angeles Times – Colorado resident Lee Mulcahy discovered that there are limits to the discussion when it comes to political signage outside your home in this presidential election

By Kathleen Hennessey and Maeve Reston, Los Angeles Times – DAVENPORT, Iowa — For Barack Obama, Iowa was the state that launched his path to the presidency, turning a long-shot candidacy into a

By Ned Parker, Los Angeles Times – KABUL, Afghanistan — Two U.S. soldiers were killed on patrol Thursday in southern Afghanistan when a man in an Afghan national police uniform opened fire on

By Michael A. Memoli, Tribune Washington Bureau – President Barack Obama told Jay Leno Wednesday night that Indiana Senate candidate Richard Mourdock’s comments about pregnancy and rape illustrate why men alone should

MASON CITY – A 13 year-old girl was in the Cerro Gordo County Jail on drug charges Wednesday.  Her photo and charges were publicly displayed on the Cerro Gordo County website. Takota

By Christie D’Zurilla, Los Angeles Times – LOS ANGELES — Tom Cruise is going on offense, suing the publishers of Life & Style Weekly for defamation and seeking $50 million in damages

By Don Lindich, McClatchy-Tribune News Service – Q. I have recently upgraded my TV from an old rear projection box to a 55-inch Samsung flat panel and the sound quality has greatly dropped.

By Rick Bentley, The Fresno Bee – LOS ANGELES — While writing “Cloud Atlas,” author David Mitchell never thought about how his novel could be turned into a movie. “My only film-related thought

By Roger Moore, McClatchy-Tribune News Service – It’s funny how the beloved movies of one’s less politically correct youth turn out to have a lot more edge to them once you show

United States Attorney Deborah R. Gilg announced that United States District Court Judge Joseph F. Bataillon sentenced Charles Phillips, Jr., age 43, of Macy, Nebraska, for his conviction for assault on a

By Omar L. Gallaga, Austin American-Statesman – In the late ‘90s, I thought I was pretty tech-forward when I went to interviews. I carried a Palm Pilot digital organizer, a bulky cell phone,

Statement from UNI President Benjamin Allen regarding the decision of a UNI faculty member not to allow a student to take an exam missed because of National Guard duty- As university president

A Mason City woman was sentenced September 25, 2012, to 8 years in federal prison for her role in a Mason City area methamphetamine conspiracy. Victoria Flores, age 41, of Mason City,

MASON CITY -A Coralville man was arrested in  Mason City for impaired driving. Erik Michael Halverson, 34, was pulled over by Mason City police on October 21st at 2:11 AM for a

I hereby endorse Kyle Klinksiek because: When I was new to the Navy and stationed aboard the USS Enterprise (CVN 65), Kyle, who had already been in the Navy for a few

Mason City, IA — Visit Mason City has several progressive programs aimed at attracting, retaining and expanding direct visitor spending in the community. One such program is the Visit Mason City Tourism

By Rich Heldenfels, Akron Beacon Journal – Q: Who is the African-American announcer with the deep voice who does the Allstate TV commercials? A: That would be the veteran actor Dennis Haysbert. His