ODEBOLT – Republican Wendy Larson won a special election on Tuesday that maintains the supermajority held by the Iowa House. The Des Moines Register reports Larson fills the seat vacated by former Representative Mike Sexton, who has moved to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Larson won the seat by nearly 40 points over Democrat Rachel Burns. ZEARING – The final defendant in a kidnapping case in Zearing has pled guilty. KCCI-TV reports Danielle Graham is guilty of second-degree kidnapping, two counts of willful injury, and dependent adult abuse, and subsequently sentenced to 55 years in prison late last week. Gary Graham was sentenced to life in prison, and family member Aaron Williams awaits sentencing. They were all arrested after another family member was found with life-threatening injuries in severe malnourishment in 2023. GUTTENBERG – The Iowa Department of Education accuses leadership with the Iowa Virtual Academy of discrepancies in records. KCRG-TV reports three of the Clayton Ridge Community School District’s administrators, who operate the academy, face accusations of violated state law. Superintendent Shane Wahls, Dean Wade Marlow, and Principal Terri Thompson are alleged to have had issues with mandatory reporter obligations and in regards to false information. DES MOINES — Des Moines has been selected as a stop on the U.S. Navy Blue Angels’ 2027 national schedule, marking the return of a major air show to Central Iowa for the first time since 1991. The Iowa Air Show: Fields of Thunder will take place May 8 and 9, 2027, at the Iowa Air National Guard base at the Des Moines International Airport.

IOWA – The northern half of Iowa is bracing for the impacts of strong wind gusts that could cause blizzard conditions tonight into early Wednesday. According to the National Weather Service, wind gusts up to 60 MPH are possible, and most communities along and north of U.S. Highway 30 received 6-8 inches of snow over the weekend. While there won’t be any new precipitation, that snow blowing around could cause whiteout conditions. Gusty winds will also impact the southern half of the state, although it will be without the snow totals causing visibility concerns. IOWA – The Iowa Supreme Court has ruled that Auditor Rob Sand’s office can represent itself legally in a dispute with Davenport City Officials. The Des Moines Register reports Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird argued her lawyers should be representing the state agency. Sand has accused Davenport leaders of violating open records laws in 2023 and called the city attorney a walking audit risk. While Bird’s office initially backed Sand’s legal requests, it eventually backed off, prompting the auditor to seek his own legal counsel. MOULTON – An Iowa school district cancelled classes this week due to a high rate of illness. KCCI-TV reports the Moulton-Udell District in Appanoose County had nearly 30% of students and staff out with influenza A. All athletic events and activities were also cancelled through Wednesday. State Medical Director Dr. Robert Kruse urged Iowans to get the flu shot and to keep kids sick with flu-like symptoms home and away from others.

ROCKWELL CITY – Two candidates are running a special election to fill a vacancy in the Iowa House. State Representative Mike Sexton resigned earlier this year for a federal job at the USDA. Republic Wendy Larson ran against Sexton in the primary and lost by 53 votes. She’s running against Democrat Rachel Burns. Democrats were able to win the last special election, breaking a Republican Supermajority in the Iowa Senate. IOWA – A clipper storm dropped 6-8 inches of snow for many communities over the weekend, especially between the Interstate 80 and U.S. Highway 20 corridors. It’s the second major winter storm to impact Iowa in as many weekends in the 2025-26 winter season. According to the National Weather Service, strong winds return to most of Iowa on Tuesday night, with gusts up to 50 MPH possible. WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – No. 10 Iowa State handed top-ranked Purdue its first home, non-conference men’s basketball loss since 2019 as it blasted the Boilermakers by 23 points, winning 81-58 ISU’s 23-point win is tied for the largest margin of victory on the road against the top-ranked team in NCAA History. It is also tied for the largest margin of victory over the No. 1 team on the road ever.

IOWA – Several Iowans will once again be dealing with multiple inches of snow today as a clipper system passes through. The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning today in 14 Iowa Counties, primarily along and north of Highway 20, as a quick 3-6 inches of snow could fall in that region with strong wind gusts to follow. Nearly 2/3rds of Iowa is under a Winter Weather Advisory, mainly along and north of Interstate 80. AMES – The most successful coach in the history of Iowa State Football is moving on, and the Cyclones have already tabbed his replacement. ESPN reports Matt Campbell is heading to the Penn State Nittany Lyons after ten seasons in Ames, winning 72 games and turning around a team that often struggled on the gridiron until his arrival. Current Washington State and former South Dakota State Coach Jimmy Rogers has been announced as the replacement. DES MOINES – The Iowa Board of Regents has a new president. KCCI-TV reports Robert Cramer replaces the outgoing Sherry Bates in a leadership role. Cramer is the 24th president of the group that oversees Iowa’s three public universities.

FREMONT COUNTY – Three teenagers have been accused of distributing an explicit, AI-generated photo of juveniles on social media. WHO-13 reports the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office was informed by parents and school officials about a picture that was being shared among students. Three teenagers — a 16-year-old and two 15-year-olds, have been charged with six counts each of first degree harassment and multiple counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. HUMBOLDT COUNTY – A Humboldt County man died after an accidental shooting this week. KCCI-TV reports 26-year-old Georg Filmalter thought the weapon wasn’t loaded in the incident that occurred just outside of Goldfield. The county sheriff’s office issued a statement to remind everyone to treat all firearms as if they are loaded. IOWA – Another round of measurable snow is on the horizon for many Iowans in an active early winter season. The National Weather Service is monitoring a potential system that could drop 3-5 inches of snow in the northern half of the state. The Des Moines Register reports at least 14 Iowa cities broke record cold temperatures for December 4th, including 15 below zero in Waterloo.