IOWA – Following a relatively quiet winter in relation to precipitation, a large portion of the state was impacted by a snowstorm on Wednesday. Many Iowa communities received 8-12″ of fluffy snow that caused travel issues. The Iowa State Patrol and Iowa DOT reported at least three plows were involved in crashes as they were attempting to clear precipitation from highways. Bitter wind chills near 30 below zero followed the snow, with more chances for winter precipitation and subzero temperatures in the forecast over the next several days, according to the National Weather Service. AMES – An Iowa State University student led police to a series of eventual arrests that slowed a global group of sexual predators. A press release from the university shared details about a female student in 2018 who reported she was being blackmailed by a man she met online. The Iowa State University Police Department looked into the claim, which led them into a multiple year investigation that identified more than 30 victims and led to the arrests of four men tied to an international neo-Nazi group a few weeks ago. ISU Officer Kami Feld worked with federal, state, and international police agencies, including those in France and New Zealand. WATERLOO – A staple on television screens in eastern Iowa for five decades is retiring this year. KWWL-TV reports anchor Ron Steele is wrapping up his 50-year career as an anchor and reporter for the station based in Waterloo. A member of the Iowa Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame and the Jack Shelley Award from the Iowa Broadcast News Association, Steele has interviewed U.S. Presidents dating back to George H.W. Bush, and reported from Saudi Arabia during the Persian Gulf War. Ron is a lifelong Iowan, born in Washington, raised in Wapello, and a University of Iowa graduate.

IOWA – The first widespread, significant snowfall of the season is here in February for much of the state. According to the National Weather Service, the highest snow accumulations will be over southern into portions of central Iowa with 5 to 8 inches expected. Snow covered and slick roads should be expected and create for hazardous travel. Snow rates will generally be a quarter to half an inch per hour, though there will be a few periods where rates will be half an inch to three-quarters of an inch per hour. While visibility will be reduced in falling snow, blowing snow will not be a significant issue with wind speeds averaging 10 to 15 mph. The snow will taper off from west to east from the afternoon into this evening. DES MOINES – Hands-free driving legislation is moving through the Iowa Senate. KCCI-TV reports the Senate Judiciary Committee advanced Senate File 22, which would ban the use of cell phones while driving unless its hands-free or voice activated. Several versions of legislative have been introduced over the past seven years, but some in the Senate are confident this version will pass. The new legislation would allow police to pull over drivers for violating the law and increases the fine associated with the violation, if signed by Governor Kim Reynolds, who supports the bill. CEDAR RAPIDS – The man who fell through the ice at Lake McBride this past weekend has been identified. KCRG-TV reports Jack Peacock of Cedar Rapids died after a passerby called police and believed someone had fallen through the ice and into the water. Police say they don’t know how long Peacock was under water. The most recent report from the Iowa DNR showed the lake ice at McBride was rated as unstable as of last week.

IOWA – A widespread winter storm is set to impact much of the state on Wednesday after what has been a below-average season for precipitation for many so far. The National Weather Service anticipates most areas of Iowa will receive at least three inches of snow, and many locations in the southern half will get closer to six or more by Thursday morning. This will come with extremely cold wind chills that start today, especially in northern Iowa. Another chance of snow is anticipated by Friday evening. DES MOINES – Governor Kim Reynolds signed an executive order on Monday launching Iowa’s DOGE Task Force. Led by Sukup Manufacturing Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel Emily Schmitt, the Department of Government Efficiency group modeled after the Trump administration aims to further cut spending in Iowa. The Iowa DOGE Task Force will hold its first meeting within 60 days and submit its report and recommendations within 180 days of that initial meeting.CENTERVILLE – A Centerville man and Texas native was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for production of child pornography. According to court documents, 48-year-old Luis Nathan Hernandez Jr. exploited a minor younger than 12 and produced child sexual abuse material of her between 2022 and March 2024. Hernandez persuaded the victim to take nude photos and videos, which she sent to Hernandez. Hiss Centerville residence was searched in April 2024 and police found nearly 600 files on a computer and more than 500 files on two different cell phones. In 2004, Hernandez was convicted in Texas of indecency with a child, which required him to register as a sex offender. Twice in 2013, Hernandez plead guilty to failing to register as a sex offender in Wayne and Appanoose counties.

SOLON – A person has died from falling through the ice at an eastern Iowa lake. The Des Moines Register reports a body was recovered from Lake MacBride near Solon on Saturday morning. The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office received a report of broken ice and a pair of gloves near the hole from a passerby on a walking trail near a boat ramp. The Solon Fire Department removed a body from the water, and that person was declared dead at the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics. The Iowa DNR’s latest ice fishing report showed the ice on Lake McBride was highly variable. WINFIELD – A Winfield woman was killed in a single vehicle crash early Saturday morning. The Iowa State Patrol reports a Ram Pickup driven by 50-year-old Michelle Moore was traveling on Highway 78 in Henry County at 12:40 a.m. and left the roadway and caught fire in the ensuing crash. Moore was pronounced dead at the scene. IOWA CITY – A former University of Iowa basketball player who survived a crash that killed her father in 2022 announced she now has cancer. WHO-13 reports Ava Jones confirmed she received a diagnosis for Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Jones medically retired in 2024 after two years of recovery from a brain injury and other extensive injuries suffered when she was hit by an intoxicated driver in Louisville while walking. Jones remained on scholarship for two years after signing to compete for the Iowa Women’s Basketball team. NEW ORLEANS – A former Iowa Hawkeyes and OABCIG standout took center stage in Sunday’s Super Bowl 59. Cooper DeJean recorded an interception return for a touchdown on his 22nd birthday, a key play in the Philadelphia Eagles’ 40-22 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. He is the second rookie in NFL history to collect a “pick-six” in a Super Bowl and the first to do so on his birthday since 1998. DeJean wore his OABCIG letterjacket as he entered the locker room Sunday, paying tribute to his alma mater.

EVERLY – Two people died in a fatal head-on crash in Clay County Friday. The Iowa State Patrol reports a Chevy Silverado operated by 70-year-old Randall Scott Dykstra of Everly was traveling northbound and ran head on with a Nissan Rogue driven by 45-year-old Bridget Lee Baird of Milford, who was traveling in the wrong lane. Both were declared dead on scene. Several Clay County agencies assisted. DES MOINES— Governor Kim Reynolds issued a proclamation setting Tuesday, March 11th, as the date for a special election in Iowa House District 100 following the death of Representative Martin Graber.  Graber served his country for more than three decades in the Iowa Army National Guard before he was elected to the Iowa House in 2020. Graber was serving his third term in the Iowa Legislature when he passed away on Friday, January 31st. House District 100 is located in Lee County.NEW ORLEANS – An Iowa native is set to play on football’s biggest stage this weekend. Former All-American with the Hawkeyes Cooper DeJean will compete for a Super Bowl championship this Sunday in New Orleans against the Kansas City Chiefs. The former multi-sport star at OABCIG High School was voted 4th in the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year poll and is set to be featured heavily in the Philadelphia Eagles secondary against Patrick Mahomes and his team’s pursuit of a title threepeat.