News

Turning Back the Pages of Time

Local News July 14, 2026

July 14, 1936 90 years ago New Heat Record for the City 109 DEGREES IS RECORDED AT 3 O'CLOCK Previous High for the Summer Was 106 Yesterday and July 4. The all time heat record for Webster City was shattered this afternoon when the mercury went shooting skyward to touch 109 degrees at 3 p. m. All indications pointed to another degree rise before the peak for the day was reached. The previous high mark for the city and immediate vicinity of this slimmer was 106 degrees yesterday and that also was the top mark of July 4, the second day of the current heat wave. ...

Iowa corn silking jumps ahead following hot, dry week

Iowa News July 14, 2026

After several weeks trailing last year’s pace and the five-year average, corn development in Iowa has jumped ahead according to the latest crop progress and condition report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. According to the report, 38% of Iowa corn acres were silking as of the July 6-July 12 reporting period, which is 9 percentage points ahead of the five-year average pace and 5 percentage points ahead of 2025’s crop. It also represents a large jump from the week prior, when just 8% of corn acres in the state had reached the silking phase. One percent of Iowa corn ...

Young lawmakers talk online child safety and AI policy at annual bipartisan summit

National News July 14, 2026

WASHINGTON — Young Democratic and Republican state lawmakers from across the country found common ground Friday on the need to regulate artificial intelligence and kids’ online safety. Legislators at an annual conference hosted by Future Caucus, an organization that aims to strengthen bipartisan dialogue among Gen Z and millennial leaders, engaged in tech-related policy discussions and agreed states should impose some guardrails on online activity, especially for kids. South Carolina state Rep. Brandon Guffey urged lawmakers to pursue policy that would hold Big Tech companies ...

Tritt Concert moving to downtown Fort Dodge in August

Iowa News July 13, 2026

The Aug. 8 Fort Dodge Country Jam concert featuring Grammy-winner Travis Tritt will be moved downtown, back to where the popular series of country music shows began almost 10 years ago. The Tritt concert had been slated for Harlan and Hazel Rogers Sports Complex just north of the city. Leaders of Shellabration, the non-profit group that organizes the shows, announced the change Thursday evening. They cited two major road construction jobs as the reasons for moving the concert. The intersection of Nelson Avenue and 170th Street just south of the sports complex is already under ...

Hinson says she will ‘stand with Iowa agriculture’ and fight against California pork rule

Iowa News July 13, 2026

MARSHALLTOWN – Iowa pork producers, at a Friday news conference supporting U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson, emphasized the need for federal legislation that will stop individual states from dictating the growing conditions of agricultural products. Hinson, a Republican running for U.S. Senate, previously introduced the “Save Our Bacon Act” in an effort to stop state-specific laws like California’s Proposition 12. That law stipulates certain proteins sold in the state must comply with California animal confinement regulations, even if the animals were raised in Iowa or any other ...

Short Takes

Life July 13, 2026

Auditions for Webster City Community Theatre for “Birthday Club” Auditions for the fall production of “Birthday Club” will be on Sunday, July 26 at 6 p.m. and Monday July 27 at 7 p.m. for the Webster City Community Theatre. Scripts are available to check out now at the Kendall Young Library for those interested in auditioning for one of five roles for women. Auditions will be held at the WCCT Performing Arts Center located at 1001 Willson Ave. in Webster City. Auditions at Iowa River Players theater in Rowan for “The Hallelujah Girls” Auditions will be held for "The ...