CLIVE – President Donald Trump is visiting Clive today to rally support for the Third U.S. Congressional District. KCCI-TV reports Trump is beginning a push of campaign stops for the upcoming 2026 Midterm elections. Representative Zach Nunn is expected to be in attendance. Several national election forecasters see both his seat and the one held by Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks as vulnerable to be flipped by the next congress in January. IOWA – Iowa’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 3.5 percent in December, level with November and up slightly from 3.3 percent one year ago. The labor force participation rate increased to 67.7 percent in December, as Iowa gained 4,600 workers in comparison to the previous month. Meanwhile, the U.S. unemployment rate decreased to 4.4 percent. CLINTON – A Clinton man was sentenced last week to three years in federal prison for falsely using a social security number, aggravated identity theft, and firearms offenses. According to public court records, 46-year-old Rusty Todd Johnston was convicted of a felony drug offense in Texas in 2005 and violated that probation. By 2008, Johnston stopped using his real name, date of birth, and social security number and assumed the identity of Adam Preston Duriga of the state of Nevada, who died in 2013. In early 2020, Johnston moved to Clinton and obtained an Iowa Commercial Driver’s License using Duriga’s identifiers. In December 2024, law enforcement officers searched Johnston’s residence and found a handgun that Johnston had illegally purchased.

CEDAR COUNTY – The Iowa State Patrol is investigating a pedestrian found dead along Interstate 80 in Cedar County on Saturday morning. The individual was struck by multiple vehicles. That person is not being identified, and was transported to the State Medical Examiner’s Office in Ankeny. FAIRFIELD – A Fairfield teenager was killed in a crash on Saturday night in Jefferson County. The Iowa State Patrol reports a Lexus E350 driven by 18-year-old Emmelia Miller was driving a long a rural road before losing control due to weather conditions. That vehicle was side struck by another. Miller was not wearing a seatbelt and died from her injuries, and two other passengers were hurt in the collision. CLIVE – President Donald Trump is scheduled to speak in Iowa ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The Des Moines Register reports Trump will be at the Horizon Events Center in Clive. The event has tickets for registration. Trump was last in Iowa last summer to kick off the America 250 celebration. DUBUQUE – The annual RAGBRAI route has been announced, and its the shortest in the event’s 53-year history. KCCI-TV reports the bike ride across the state held in July will start in Onawa on July 19th and end in Dubuque on July 25th, spanning 391 miles. Harlan, Guthrie Center, Boone, Marshalltown, Independence, and Dyersville are the overnight stops.

OSKALOOSA – An Oskaloosa woman faces a criminal charge after attempting to sell a baby. KCRG-TV reports 33-year-old Tiffany Smith is accused of purchase or sale of an individual. Court documents accuse Smith of giving a baby to a family member of a potential buyer in August of 2025. That person had the baby for two hours when Smith demanded $10,000 or the child back. DES MOINES – Iowa’s first certified resource for sexual assault care is opening its first location. The S.A.F.E. center will be a resource tailored to victims of sexual-based crimes. An event was held this week to highlight blueprints of the facility that will be funded through donations. Beyond medical care resources, law enforcement plan on working with patients at their request. DES MOINES – Iowa State Senator Bill Dotzler is retiring from the Iowa Legislature. KCCI-TV reports he served for 30 years in a district that includes parts of Waterloo. He will serve out the remainder of this term before the November mid-term elections.

DES MOINES – The former Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent has now officially pleaded guilty to both charges against him. Fifty-five year old Ian Andre Roberts entered guilty pleas to False Statement for Employment and Illegal Alien in Possession of a Firearm. According to public court documents, Roberts falsely stated that he was a United States citizen on employment paperwork related to his position at the Des Moines Public Schools in June 2023. On September 26, 2025, Roberts knowingly possessed a loaded Glock pistol in his vehicle while knowing that he was unlawfully present in the United States. Roberts is scheduled to be sentenced on May 29th and faces up to 15 years in prison on the firearms charge and up to five years in prison on the false statements charge. CARROLL COUNTY – A Lanesboro man has been arrested in connection to a man who went missing in 2020. This week, 33-year-old Albert John Wolfe was arrested and charged with Murder in the First Degree for the death of 26-year-old Christian Balke-Thompson. The arrest stemmed from an extensive investigation conducted by the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, and Iowa Attorney General’s Office Cold Case Unit. Balke-Thompson has still not been found. IOWA – Extremely cold air presents danger to several Iowans today. Wind chill values as low as 40 below zero are expected to impact the northern part of the state until Saturday morning, and arctic air will settle into the region through at least Sunday night. Those with outdoor plans are reminded to limit direct exposure, as frostbite can occur in as little as 15 minutes without precautions.

IOWA – A strong cold front will surge across Iowa this evening and bring an Arctic airmass to Iowa through at least Saturday. According to the National Weather Service, the coldest conditions will come from late tonight through Friday morning, when temperatures will fall below zero statewide. Wind chill values will range locally from near 30 below southwest to near 40 below, resulting in very dangerous conditions with frostbite to exposed skin resulting in as little as 10 minutes. IOWA – President Donald Trump is returning to Iowa next week. The Des Moines Register reports the president is expected to speak about the economy and energy on January 27th. Trump was last in Iowa on July 3rd, 2025, to kick off the America 250 celebration. The tour for Trump is expected ahead of the upcoming Midterm elections, and Iowa is expected to have competitive elections in two congressional districts held by incumbent Republicans Zach Nunn and Mariannette Miller-Meeks. DES MOINES – The former Superintendent of the Des Moines Public Schools arrested by federal immigration officers has signed a plea agreement. WHO-13 reports Ian Roberts has been an inmate at the U.S. Marshals Service in the Polk County jail. Robert signed a 15-page plea agreement late last week. He was arrested in September of 2025. DES MOINES – Iowa House Republicans unveiled their property tax proposal. KCCI-TV reports House Study Bill 596 involves a revenue cap of two percent for local governments and a tax exemption for all homeowners. House Democrats have proposed direct reimbursements to taxpayers and renters from the taxpayer relief fund, and to cap growth at four percent annually.