Northiowatoday

NorthIowaToday.com was launched on October 1, 2010 by Matthew E. Marquardt of Mason City, Iowa. Marquardt is a native of Mason City, a graduate of Mason City High School and the University of Iowa. The inspiration for NorthIowaToday.com came from a Time magazine article (read it here) that questioned the future of local newspapers and praised micro-local news websites. “As newspapers keep cutting back on staff and printing skimpier editions, journalists, entrepreneurs and ordinary citizens have responded by creating websites to cover the local news they feel is going under reported,” the article stated. Marquardt’s vision for NorthIowaToday.com since its launch has been to bring the news of everyday North Iowans to the people in a concise, clear and fun online environment where everyone has a chance to contribute. “I’m thrilled with the success of NorthIowaToday.com,” Marquardt said recently. “After five years, to see what NIT has become and developed into, I coudn’t be happier. I’m looking forward to the future at this time and meeting the challenges of a growing news agency.”