IOWA – Several communities reported damage from thunderstorms that pushed through southern and eastern Iowa on Thursday, with more possible today. According to the National Weather Service, Ottumwa received baseball-sized hail and multiple tornadoes were reported, including near West Branch. Additional chances for severe weather return this afternoon and evening, mainly with the southern half of the state. DES MOINES – A second executive for Iowa’s Public Employees Retirement System has been placed on leave related to allegations of misconduct. KCCI-TV reports that Chief Benefits Officer Steven Herbert is now also being investigated. CEO of IPERS Greg Samorajsk was accused of misconduct earlier this week. The governor’s office claims that the retirement plan has not been impacted by the investigations. TAMA – The City of Tama has lost its mayor and now faces a state audit due to several budget related concerns. The Des Moines Register reports that Mayor Brian Hanus, the city’s attorney, and other EMS personnel all departed the community in March. The police department has outspent its overtime budget and that overall finances in the community have spiraled to a deficit.

DES MOINES – The CEO of Iowa’s Public Employees’ Retirement System is under paid leave due to an investigation into misconduct. KCRG-TV reports IPERS CEO Greg Samorajski will continue to receive his salary as the state looks into the allegations. He was appointed by Governor Kim Reynolds in 2020. State investigators claim this will not risk the $45 billion trust fund or payments to retirees. URBANDALE – A third teenager has been charged in relation to a deadly shooting in Urbandale. KCCI-TV reports another 13-year-old faces first degree murder. Two other juveniles face the same count for the death of a 14-year-old in February. Additionally, Lindsey Louison, a mother of one of the teens, has been charged for not properly securing a firearm that was used in the shooting. IOWA – Heavy rain and severe thunderstorms remain in the forecast for many Iowans through Friday night, especially in southern and eastern Iowa. According to the National Weather Service, multiple thunderstorms are capable of producing large hail, damaging winds, and a few tornadoes as an active system settles into the state to start the month. A much cooler Saturday will follow ahead of the Easter holiday.

COUNCIL BLUFFS – A jury convicted a man this week accused of killing a 31-year-old woman in 1989. KCCI-TV reports that 62-year-old Robert Davis was the first arrest of the Iowa Cold Case Unit formed in 2024. He was found guilty of second degree murder. Lenz disappeared from her Woodbine home, and her body has never been recovered. Court records indicate that Davis was the last person to see her alive, and had formed a pattern of abuse during a two-year relationship. CLARKE COUNTY – A Grand River man has been sentenced after pleading guilty to his involvement in a crash with a buggy that killed a teenager in Clarke County. WHO-13 reports 41-year-old Jacob Wright fled the scene of the incident that resulted in the death of 16-year-old Elm Borntrager in November. He was arrested nearly one month later. He pled guilty to Leaving the Scene of an Accident Resulting in Death and Failure to Assist, and faces up to 12 years in prison. An involuntary manslaughter charge was dropped as part of the plea agreement. COUNCIL BLUFFS – A teaching assistant let go from an Iowa School District will not receive unemployment benefits. Iowa Capital Dispatch reports paraeducator Patricia Pike was fired from the Lewis Central Community School District after she was accused of violating school policy on phone use. In October 2025, Pike was using her cell phone in a middle school classroom after students had been dismissed, and allegedly pulled up photos of men on OnlyFans and showed those to a coworker. Administrative Law Judge Elizabeth Johnson ruled that the job-related misconduct disqualified Pike from unemployment benefits.

IOWA – Several thunderstorms brought hail throughout the Des Moines metro and in Dallas County late Monday night. Multiple rounds of severe weather prompted the warnings late in the evening, as several confirmed reports of quarter-sized hail were collected across multiple central Iowa communities. It came after near-record heat arrived again, with daytime highs in the mid-to-upper 80s spotted throughout hte state. More mild conditions return, with multiple chances for rain in the forecast through Easter Sunday. DES MOINES – Iowa Senate Republicans have set their fiscal year 2027 budget target of $9.623 billion ahead of the final weeks of the Legislative Session. KCCI-TV reports it comes in about $48 million below the Governor’s January proposal. Republican leadership argues it aligns with flat taxes passed two years ago, while Democrats in the minority argue it masks a $1 billion shortfall, and underfunds several programs in the state. FREMONT COUNTY – Police identified the man killed in an explosion in a Fremont County salvage yard a week ago. WHO-13 reports the incident on March 24th resulted in the death of 66-year-old Blaine Schoening of Council Bluffs. The man was in the process of disassembling a fuel tank at J-Dogg Salavage Yard in Bartlett. No other injuries were reported.

WOODBURY COUNTY – Several buildings and vehicles have been destroyed in northwest Iowa after a massive fire shut down Highway 20 on Saturday. WHO-13 reports several fire crews were dispatched to a blaze that spread over several miles due to dry, windy conditions. Homes, machine sheds, and farm equipment were all damaged and lost. Firefighters from Nebraska and South Dakota were called in for assistance as well. One injury was reported due to the fire. IOWA – Several Iowa-based newspapers may be closing this week after a publishing company shut down. KCCI-TV reports Mid-America Publishing based in Hampton oversees several small-town publications, including those in Madrid, Ogden, and Sigourney. Many of those newspapers announced April 1st as their final date of news if nobody buys their outlets. IOWA – Record heat is possible again today across much of the state before a cool down later this week. Many Iowa communities have recorded their first 90+ degree day of the year, according to the National Weather Service, and some in southwest Iowa may approach that mark again. Temperatures in the 80s will be common today, before multiple rounds of thunderstorms come with an approaching cold front. Some isolated severe weather is possible, especially in eastern Iowa.