PELLA – Four Iowa school districts have faced threats of violence from current or former students in the past week. Police departments and administrators in Pella, Centerville, Norwalk, and Perry have responded to incidents that have led to arrests. A similar uptick of violent threats were reported shortly after the shooting in Perry this past January and in eastern Iowa this current academic year, according to KCRG, including Cedar Rapids, Marion, Dubuque, and Independence. Police departments involved in these incidents are urging parents to monitor their children’s use on social media and to encourage their own kids to speak up if they notice something wrong.

IOWA – Following a drier, warmer trend for most of September, an active system is set to bring rain and possible severe weather in the region over the next few days. The best chance for intense thunderstorms will be today largely along and north of Highway 30 this evening. The National Weather Service indicates several rounds of rain showers are set to impact most of the state through early next week, with some locations expecting up to 2″ of precipitation in that span. This comes as many pockets of the state were rated as abnormally dry in the latest U.S. Drought Monitor Report.

IOWA – The Iowa DNR Reports millions of birds are set to migrate north tonight over the state as the official start to fall looms this weekend. The DNR says to turn off unnecessary lighting to allow the bird to more safely travel into Minnesota and the Dakotas. A similar pattern will form over the southeast part of the U.S. this evening as well.