🌱 North Iowa Woman Dies In Accident + Rochester Woman Pleads Guilty

Good morning, friends! It's Wednesday in Rochester-Mason City and I'm back in your inbox to get you caught up on all the most important things happening locally.

But first, your local weather:

• Wednesday: Mostly sunny. High: 57 Low: 44.
• Thursday: An a.m. shower or two; cloudy. High: 64 Low: 49.

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Here are the top three stories today in Rochester-Mason City:

1. A three-car crash occurred on Friday afternoon nearby in Clear Lake that resulted in one person dead and two others critically injured. The accident occurred around 12:30 p.m. near Highway 18 and Four Winds Drive, during which a van driven by Diane Schmidt crossed the middle line and side-swiped a car before colliding head-on with a pickup truck. All three drivers, Dennis Ostrem, Tom Richardson, and Schmidt, were transported by ambulance to MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center in Mason City with critical injuries where Schmidt passed away from her injuries. (KCHA News)
2. Patricia Radich of Rochester was sentenced to 90 days in prison and more than $250,000 in restitution for stealing from a local church. Radich served for the church as a volunteer treasurer for 12 years before it was found in a financial audit going back to 2013 that checks totaling over $400,000 were written out to her. Radich admitted to having a gambling addiction, and law enforcement agents reportedly found through an investigation that large withdrawal transactions occurred at casino ATMs. Radich pled guilty to eight counts of theft by swindling. (KROC-AM)
3. A historic apartment building in downtown Mason City was destroyed on Monday afternoon by a fire that lasted for hours. The fire started a bit after 2:00 p.m. and continued for hours as firefighters and police officers remained on the scene until Monday night. There were no reported injuries from the fire, but the fire has left around 44 people without a home. The historic building has been in Mason City for more than 120 years and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1982. (KIMT 3)

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Today and tomorrow in Rochester-Mason City:

Wednesday, April 26

• Open Hockey — Mason City Arena (5:00 PM)
• Oliver — Steben's Children's Theatre (7:00 PM)

Thursday, April 27

• Hospitality 1st Roundtable — Rochester Area Chamber Of Commerce Conference Room (9:30 AM)
• 2023 Workforce Development Forum — Rochester International Event Center (11:30 AM)
• Business After Hours — Two Discovery Square (4:30 PM)

From my notebook:

• School Resource Officers Brian Smith and Tim Condon were awarded the Paul Harris Fellow by the Rotary Club for their contributions to Mayo High School and Century High School. Both officers volunteer with academically challenged seniors at the high schools to assist with their education. (City of Rochester, MN Police Department via Facebook)
• Come out to the open house being held at the Rochester Art Center from 3:00-7:00 p.m. on Thursday to provide feedback on the Comprehensive Surface Water Management Plan. Click here to visit the website and learn more about the management plan. (City of Rochester, MN Government via Facebook)
• The Mason City Police Department wants to thank the North Iowa CERT team as well as the Salvation Army of Mason City for the generous offers and donations presented in support of the fire response team. Lastly, a special thanks to the community for giving the department space to work and making sure the situation did not spread to more of the community. (Mason City Police Department via Facebook)

Now you're in the loop and ready to start this Wednesday. I'll see you soon!

— Nicole Fallon-Peek

About me: Nicole Fallon-Peek is a journalist and copywriter with a degree in Media, Culture and Communication from New York University. She has served as a freelance reporter, managing editor, copy editor, and editorial director for a variety of B2B news outlets. She currently co-owns and operates content creation agency Lightning Media Partners.