IOWA (IRN) – The National Weather Service has issued a blizzard warning for counties north and east of the Des Moines metro area from 6 a.m. Thursday until 6 a.m. Friday. A winter weather advisory is in effect for most of the rest of the state until 6 a.m. Friday. A powerful cold front will bring falling temperatures, strong winds up to 45 miles per hour and wintry precipitation starting Thursday. Significant travel hazards will be possible due to icy roads and blowing snow. Blizzard conditions are expected in north central and central Iowa, particularly in rural areas. WASHINGTON, D.C. (IRN) – The Senate Agriculture Committee approved former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack once again for secretary of agriculture. His nomination now heads to the full Senate. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines School district leaders asked the Des Moines School Board Tuesday to end its School Resource Officer program. The program started in 1999. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Employees of Des Moines Public Schools are expressing frustration that Dowling Catholic employees are getting Covid-19 vaccinations Friday from UnityPoint, while the public school teachers appointments were cancelled. The UnityPoint CEO’s son attends Dowling Catholic High School. Both Dowling and UnityPoint said his attendance played no factor in the scheduling of the clinic. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A woman from Waterloo created a Pulitzer Prize-winning project, and a Republican sponsored bill in the legislature aims to keep it out of Iowa classrooms. House File 222 would reduce funding for public schools if the New York Times Magazine’s 1619 Project was used as part of a history class. The 1619 Project is an effort to reframe United States history through slavery and shows its’ effects on the nation today. The project was led by Waterloo native Nikole Hannah-Jones.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Department of Corrections says that inmate Robert Frank Taylor, age 72, has died of likely COVID-19 complications. Robert Taylor was serving a life sentence for first degree murder in Black Hawk County. Taylor began his life sentence on Jan. 26th, 1980. The Department says that this is their 17th inmate death related to COVID-19. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Department of Public Health has confirmed three cases of the COVID-19 variant commonly known as the U.K. variant in Iowa. Researchers believe that the U.K strain can be spread more easily than the original strain. Current COVID-19 vaccines are considered to be effective against it. Two of the three cases were detected in Johnson County, and one in Bremer County. GRAETTINGER, IA (IRN) – Two Iowa high schools are investigating after a basketball player allegedly used a racial slur during a game. The alleged racial slur occurred Friday during a game between Southeast Valley and Graettinger-Terril. The student-athlete who said the slur was not allowed back in the game. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines Public Schools is considering removing school resource officers. 62% of high school students felt the officers were not helpful. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – The Dubuque Police Department is investigating a death at the Dubuque Arboretum & Botanical Gardens. Authorities say they responded Monday for a “suspicious circumstance investigation” and found a body.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Department of Public Health has confirmed three cases of the COVID-19 variant commonly known as the U.K. variant in Iowa. Researchers believe that the U.K strain can be spread more easily than the original strain. Current COVID-19 vaccines are considered to be effective against the variant strain. Two of the three cases were detected in Johnson County, and one in Bremer County. NASHVILLE, TN (IRN) – Olympic gold medal gymnast Shawn Johnson East, who is pregnant with her second child with husband Andrew East, revealed Sunday that she has tested positive for COVID-19. The Des Moines-born gold medal winner in the 2008 Olympic games says she had “a cough, terrible sore throat and headache” as well as fatigue. She suspects that her pregnancy adds to the fatigue. CEDAR FALLS, IA (IRN) – Cedar Falls Police arrested a man accused of assaulting the mother of his children and kidnapping his children on Saturday night. Deshaun Lee Jackson, 22, faces multiple charges. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – A new University of Iowa study shows workers in agriculture have greater chances of hearing loss, depression and social isolation. University of Iowa College of Public Health professor Kanika Arora also showed that agricultural workers have a 46% greater chance of having dementia. Pesticide exposure is the suspected cause, but the link hasn’t been proven. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – RAGBRAI organizers announced the 2021 route for the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa. This year, the ride will take place between July 25 and July 31. On Saturday, organizers said it would be the same Le Mars to Clinton route that was scheduled for 2020. The ride last year was postponed due to COVID-19 concerns. INNSBRUCK, AUSTRIA (IRN) – Lolo Jones and Kallie Humphries rallied in their final run to jump from third to first and win gold in the Women’s World Cup 2-person bobsled in Innsbruck, Austria. Jones, a Des Moines native and former track star, switched to bobsled nearly a decade ago. She won a pair of World Championship 60 meter hurdles titles in 2008 and 2010.

MARSHALLTOWN, IA (IRN) – A Marshalltown woman was struck and killed by a train early Thursday morning. Deputies responded to the scene and discovered Teresa Hannam, 55, of Marshalltown unresponsive, and pronounced her dead. Evidence indicates Hannam was struck by accident. The incident occurred in a low light, wooded area with a nature conservation area and bike path less than a mile away. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Long-time Polk County Treasurer Mary Maloney has died unexpectedly. Maloney had held the office for seven terms, since January 1989. The Polk County Board of Supervisors has not disclosed the circumstances of her death. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Two more people who work at the Iowa Capitol tested positive for COVID-19 Saturday, including state Rep. Amy Nielsen; the cases were the third and fourth known positive cases at the Capitol this year. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – RAGBRAI organizers announced the 2021 route for the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa. This year, the ride will take place between July 25 and July 31. On Saturday, organizers said it would be the same Le Mars to Clinton route that was scheduled for 2020. The ride last year was postponed due to COVID-19 concerns. The ride will start in Le Mars and go to Sac City, Fort Dodge, Iowa Falls, Waterloo, Anamosa, Dewitt and Clinton.

HIAWATHA, IA (IRN) – No one will be charged with the shooting death of a Hiawatha man in a shootout that wounded three other people after the Linn County Attorney ruled it a case of self-defense. Joshua Lathrop died in a shooting on May 30th at the Sunset Village Mobile Home Park. Three other people were shot but survived in what was described as a “frenzied gun battle” involving 25 shots with bullets also hitting a trailer and vehicle in the area. IOWA (IRN) – The National Weather Service says a winter storm will arrive in Iowa Saturday and linger into Sunday morning. A winter storm watch is in place into Sunday for many Iowa counties. The storm is expected to bring a combination of rain and freezing rain before transitioning into snow. The greatest snowfall amounts are expected in eastern and northeast Iowa. IOWA (IRN) – An Arizona man who threatened to commit a mass shooting against the Iowa legislature was sentenced Friday to five years in prison. Cody Leveke, also identified in court records as Cody Meyers, was arrested in December 2019 and federally indicted on two charges of interstate communication of a threat. He was convicted after a jury trial in September, during which he represented himself. Leveke is a registered sex offender and wanted off the sex offender list. IOWA (IRN) – Teachers will be eligible for the coronavirus vaccine starting next week. Iowa school districts are now in different stages of their vaccine preparations. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Drake men’s basketball team is off to its best start in history. The Bulldogs are 15-0 and among the last unbeaten teams in the country.