By JEFF REINITZ – Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, Iowa (TNS) WATERLOO — A Waterloo man has been sentenced to a year and a half in jail in connection with a gun found during a 2023 traffic stop. Judge C.J. Williams sentenced Dominique Doyle Banks, 20, on a charge of drug user in possession of a firearm
Continue ReadingBy Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, Iowa (TNS) CEDAR FALLS — Students from Cedar Falls and La Porte City are among 34 Iowans nominated for acceptance to U.S. military academies by U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley. Brayden Bohnsack, La Porte City, and Shae Magley, Cedar Falls, were nominated to enter the United States Air Force Academy during the
Continue ReadingBy Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, Iowa (TNS) CEDAR FALLS — Nearly 700 students celebrated their achievements Saturday as the University of Northern Iowa hosted its fall 2024 commencement at the McLeod Center. According to a news release, there were a total of 664 graduating, including 570 undergraduates and 94 graduate students. Of those, 609 were resident
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By PAN PYLAS and DANICA KIRKA – Associated Press LONDON (AP) — King Charles III used his annual Christmas message Wednesday to hail the selflessness of those who have cared for him and the Princess of Wales this year, after both were diagnosed with cancer. The 76-year-old monarch said he and his family are “continually”
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By Lucky Beverage Company Beverage Company Announces Partnership With “Naz Isn’t Lucky” Video Starring Reid. AUSTIN, Texas, Dec. 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Lucky Energy, the cleaner, better-for-you energy drink known for its deliciously refreshing beverages, announced today it has signed the NBA’s 2024 Sixth Man of the Year, Minnesota Timberwolves Center Naz Reid, as its
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By Kirsten Stokes Missouri State Representative, Brenda Shields, (R-St. Joseph) pre-filed a tax incentive package for the third time addressing the childcare shortage in Missouri for the upcoming legislative session. The past two legislative sessions have been successful for the package in the House, but have run stale with the Senate. With 89 out of
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By Charles Christian A trailer designed to look like a Christmas sleigh is being restored by the DeKalb High School FFA decades after it once soared through Lewis and Clark State Park. The sleigh, once an annual tradition in the park, had become worn down to the point where it was dangerous for passengers. It
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By The Associated Press Hang onto those stocking-stuffer lottery tickets. The Mega Millions jackpot has surpassed $1 billion after no ticket matched all six numbers drawn on Christmas Eve. That means the estimated jackpot for Friday’s drawing is $1.15 billion, potentially the fifth-largest jackpot in the game’s history. “We know that many people will likely
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By MIKE SCHNEIDER – Associated Press ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A man accused of attempting to assassinate President-elect Donald Trump in South Florida won’t be tried until September 2025, a federal judge ruled this week. Ryan Routh’s trial will begin Sept. 8 instead of the previously scheduled Feb. 10, 2025 start date, U.S. District Judge
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By RIAZ KHAN and MUNIR AHMED – Associated Press PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan’s airstrikes on eastern Afghanistan killed 46 people, mostly women and children, a Taliban government official said Wednesday, raising fears of further straining relations between the two neighbors. Hamdullah Fitrat, the deputy spokesman for the Afghan government, said those killed in the
Continue ReadingBy DAVID HOTLE – Muscatine Journal, Iowa (TNS) While cases of animal hoarding in Muscatine County are not common, the number is on the rise, with area law enforcement seeing about two cases a year, said Muscatine Police animal control officer Courtney Patel. She said every case of animal hoarding she has seen is different.
Continue ReadingBy DAVID HOTLE – Muscatine Journal, Iowa (TNS) The flagpole extending on top from the roof of the Muscatine County Courthouse will be permanently removed. Use of the flagpole ceased years ago and now that work is being done to the courthouse, the Muscatine County Board of Supervisors has determined now is a good time
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By Leah Rainwater One local food kitchen was able to serve up some Christmas Day cheer. The Open Door Food Kitchen, located at 615 S. 8th St., was able to serve an average of 200 patrons with a Christmas Day meal, hot chocolate, gifts and more. The meal was served by the Jewish Community. Numerous
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By MARI YAMAGUCHI – Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — A government-commissioned panel of experts on Wednesday largely supported Japan’s new energy policy for the next few years that calls for bolstering renewables up to half of electricity needs by 2040 while maximizing the use of nuclear power as the country seeks to accommodate the growing
Continue ReadingBy AP MOSCOW (AP) — Kazakhstan officials say 38 people have died after an Azerbaijani airliner crashed near the city of Aktau.
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By KEN MORITSUGU and MARI YAMAGUCHI – Associated Press BEIJING (AP) — China and Japan agreed Wednesday to set up talks on often contentious security issues as they seek to improve a relationship riven in recent years by a range of issues, from territorial disputes to the discharge of water from Japan’s tsunami-wrecked nuclear power
Continue ReadingBy Grace King – The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa (TNS) Dec. 25—The Gazette offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced. A Watkins man memorialized the story of how his daughter was adopted into their family in a children’s book they self-published on Amazon illustrated by a local high school student.
Continue ReadingBy AP MEXICO CITY (AP) — The organizer of a Christmas fair in southern Mexico was assassinated at his city’s holiday event, authorities said late Tuesday. The governor of the southern state of Guerrero said gunmen killed the organizer of the annual Christmas and New Year’s fair in the state capital of Chilpancingo. Gov. Evelyn
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By Leoguar Electric Bikes HOUSTON, Dec. 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — As the holiday season draws near, Leoguar is excited to offer exclusive deals on their range of electric bikes, bringing families together for memorable moments. With a collection designed to combine fun and fitness, this Christmas is the perfect time to gift an unforgettable experience.
Continue ReadingBy ROBIN McCLELLAND – Globe Gazette, Mason City, Iowa (TNS) After two hours of debate involving nearly 40 members of the public, the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Monday to prohibit utility-scale wind, solar and battery energy developments in rural Cerro Gordo County. Supervisors approved Ordinance 69, making permanent a moratorium on such developments that
Continue ReadingBy MARY PIEPER – Globe Gazette, Mason City, Iowa (TNS) Cerro Gordo County Sheriff Kevin Pals, who is retiring Dec. 31 after more than 45 years in law enforcement, first became involved in that career field as a teen. When he was a senior at Clear Lake High School, the town’s police department started a
Continue ReadingBy ROBIN McCLELLAND – Globe Gazette, Mason City, Iowa (TNS) Mason City’s Seventh Day Adventist Church welcomed residents to its 10th annual live Nativity scene Saturday. The church glowed warmly with light as guests came up the drive. The sound of Christmas carols drifted across the parking lot as people came to witness the sharing
Continue ReadingBy MARY PIEPER – Globe Gazette, Mason City, Iowa (TNS) When Brian Luallen was growing up, he listened to Buddy Holly and Chuck Berry records every night. Naturally, when he learned the nonprofit North Iowa Cultural Center and Museum was looking for a new CEO for the Surf Ballroom, “It took me about five minutes
Continue ReadingBy AP PARAMARIBO, Suriname (AP) — Desi Bouterse, a dictator convicted of murder who twice ruled Suriname, has died at 79.
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By MARY CLARE JALONICK – Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The fate of President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet is still unclear after Republican senators spent much of December carefully dodging questions about Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ’s views on vaccines, accusations of sexual misconduct against Pete Hegseth and Tulsi Gabbard’s 2017 meeting with then-President Bashar Assad
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By ILLIA NOVIKOV – Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia launched a massive missile and drone barrage targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure on Wednesday, striking a thermal power plant and prompting Ukrainians to take shelter in metro stations on Christmas morning. The strikes on Ukrainian fuel and energy sources included 78 air, ground, and sea-launched
Continue ReadingBy AP PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Taliban say Pakistani airstrikes have killed 46 people in eastern Afghanistan, mostly women and children.
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By SAM MCNEIL – Associated Press MODIIN, Israel (AP) — For more than 400 days after being critically wounded during Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, Yona Brief tried to recover. But after losing both legs and enduring medically induced comas, the combat medic died in late November. The dual Israeli-American citizen has
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By MAJDI MOHAMMED and TIA GOLDENBERG – Associated Press JENIN REFUGEE CAMP, West Bank (AP) — Gunfire has rung out for days from the West Bank’s Jenin refugee camp. But this time, it’s not Israeli forces that are facing off against armed groups. It is the forces of the Palestinian Authority clashing with Palestinian gunmen.
Continue ReadingBy AP MOSCOW (AP) — Kazakhstan’s emergency ministry says 42 people likely dead in Azerbaijan Airlines’ plane crash.
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