Category: Watercooler

Historic Survey will focus on development in Mason City’s parks during the New Deal Era. Mason City, IA – On Thursday, October 4, 2012, the City of Mason City’s Growth Development and

MASON CITY, IOWA – United Way of North Central Iowa and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention will be holding the sixth annual Out of the Darkness Community Walk on Saturday, October

CHARITON, IOWA – A Knoxville, Iowa man driving a pickup truck in central Iowa near Chariton, Iowa, on Friday night crossed a center line and struck another vehicle, killed all three occupants

By David S. Cloud, Tribune Washington Bureau – WASHINGTON — The top U.S. military commander in Afghanistan is being transferred and another Marine general will take over the war effort early next

Portable heaters were involved in 45 percent of all fatal heating fires in residential buildings, reports say. The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) announced the release of a

By Joe Flint, Los Angeles Times – Crystal nibbles on some yogurt and nuts as her eyes dart around the room. A wardrobe person comes by with an outfit to wear in

By Rene Rodriguez, The Miami Herald – BUTTER (R) When her husband retires, a woman (Jennifer Garner) decides to keep his 15-year streak as Iowa’s champion butter carver going by entering the

CALMAR, IOWA – One person was killed and another injured in a motorcycle accident near Calmar, Iowa on Friday afternoon. The Iowa State Patrol said Saturday that Trish Ann Taylor, 44, of

By Rene Rodriguez, The Miami Herald – Before he made his debut with “Brick,” his award-winning 2005 film noir set in a high school, director Rian Johnson already had the idea for

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) last week announced that the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has awarded $3,106,967 to Iowa for Unemployment Insurance (UI) program integrity and performance. The grant

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA—On September 26, 2012, Richard Pearson, age 51, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, was sentenced in United States District Court in Council Bluffs for coercion and enticement of a minor to

From the Iowa DNR – Iowa’s turkey population likely benefited from an early nesting season and dry spring and summer, which is good news for turkey hunters who should expect to see

From the Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP), part of the State of Iowa Insurance Division – We’re heading into a very important time of year for people on Medicare—the annual open

By Aisha Sultan, St. Louis Post-Dispatch – ST. LOUIS — Washington University law professor Neil M. Richards worries about a day when everyone knows what everyone else is reading. From social reader

LISBON, IA – An elderly Iowa woman was killed Friday when a train struck her car. Wilma Joan Morningstar, 76, was attempting to pass a rail crossing near Lisbon, Iowa at about

DES MOINES – More Iowa schools and districts missed Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) state targets for test participation and proficiency in reading and mathematics in the 2011-12 school year, according to the

CLEAR LAKE – A Clear Lake man is in the Cerro Gordo County Jail after charges of child endangerment were brought by the Clear Lake Police Department. Shadrick Dennery Vogt, age 29,

NORTH IOWA – The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has scheduled another National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day which will take place on Saturday, September 29, 2012, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. This

MASON CITY – A man listed with a Clear Lake address was arrested for a domestic assault in Mason City this week. Brandon Clark Manning, 31, was arrested by Mason City Police

WASHINGTON – Senator Chuck Grassley is pressing FBI Director Robert Mueller for information about taxpayer dollars possibly being spent on prostitutes for an FBI agent and several cooperating witnesses in the Philippines.

By Nicole Sperling, Los Angeles Times – The new film “Won’t Back Down” tells the story of a crusading single mother and a dedicated teacher who take on a bad principal, an

By Dennis McLellan, Los Angeles Times – Herbert Lom, the actor who played Chief Inspector Dreyfus in the Pink Panther movies and was memorably reduced to eye-twitching madness dealing with Peter Sellers’

MASON CITY – The North Iowa Area Community College Art Gallery is currently exhibiting the two person show of Kentucky graphic artists Jeff Jensen and Matthew Tullis. The artwork ranges in media

New Report: Iowa Families Buying Health Insurance Would Pay Much More under Romney than under ObamaCare Families Buying Health Coverage on Their Own Would Pay an Average of $11,163 under Romney’s Proposals

From the Osage Police Department – Good Shepherd, Inc. in Mason City, Iowa provides a free Telephone Reassurance Program to all Senior Citizens in the surrounding counties including Mitchell County. The Program

From Alliant Energy: Audit affirms company’s focus on customers CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – September 27, 2012 – Interstate Power and Light Co. (IPL), an Alliant Energy company (NYSE: LNT) announced today that

James Q. Lynch, CR Gazette – CEDAR RAPIDS — Early voting, which gets under way in Iowa today, makes casting a ballot easier and, according to supporters, increases turnout. Voting participation in

FLOYD, IOWA – Today, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and Floyd County Sheriff’s Office will hold a press conference to inform the public and media of a significant development in the

DES MOINES – The Iowa Board of Medicine has suspended a Hampton doctor who is accused of sexual misconduct.  The allegations include what the board calls a “pattern of sexual misconduct” including making

Peter Mucha, Philadelphia Inquirer – Who says 13 isn’t lucky? Last night, it helped land $202.1 million for someone who played Powerball in Iowa, as well as $1 million for a Pennsylvania

By Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times – NO DOUBT “Push and Shove” (Interscope) 3 stars ——— Gwen Stefani poses some big questions on “Push and Shove,” the first album from her SoCal ska-pop

By Meredith Blake, Los Angeles Times – NEW YORK — Who’s more qualified to analyze a presidential debate than someone who has actually participated in one? This appears to be the thinking at

MASON CITY – Cerro Gordo County Sheriffs on Wednesday arrested a registered sex offender for failing to comply with the sex offender registry. Joseph Daniel Mustain, 28, was booked into the Cerro

By Tiffany Hsu, Los Angeles Times – LOS ANGELES — More people than ever before will get their spooky on for Halloween this year, even though most said they’ll be watching what they