IOWA – A rare space weather phenomenon took the entire Hawkeye State, and seemingly, the Midwest, by storm Friday night. Usually reserved for the northern most states, powerful solar activity provided quite the aurora borealis for Iowans border to border for several hours into the overnight. The National Weather Service Space Weather Prediction Center has deemed 2024 one of the most active years on record for solar storm activity.

LEE COUNTY – A Burlington resident has died in a two vehicle crash Friday evening. The Iowa State Patrol reports two unidentified drivers collided on U.S. Highway 61 when a Chevy SUV driven by a 19-year-old hit the back of a Chevy pickup driven by a 90-year-old. The driver of the truck died from injuries after being ejected during a rollover. The crash remains under investigation.

PERU – An off-duty sheriff’s deputy died while driving a construction vehicle over a private bridge in Madison County, which collapsed. KCCI-TV reports Adam County Deputy Nicholas Koeppe was trying to move an excavator over a bridge on private property near the town of Peru when it, along with Koeppe, fell into a pond below. He was trapped in the cab of the excavator and died, despite rescue attempts.