TAMA COUNTY— Officials in Tama County report that they have been in contact with Arkansas authorities after a vehicle linked to an Eastern Iowa man was found in Johnson County, Arkansas. KCCI-TV reports that a 2012 Mini Cooper belonging to 22-year-old Nicholas Collins was located at an abandoned trailhead in the Ozark National Forest without its license plates Thursday morning. According to a press release from the Tama County Sheriff’s Office, Collins has not been seen or heard from since December 19th. Anyone with information on Collins’ whereabouts is urged to call the Tama County Sheriff’s Office. SIOUX CITY— A teenager has been accused of fatally stabbing another person in Sioux City on New Year’s Day. KTIV-4 reports that the Sioux City Police Department was called to a home for the report of a disturbance between family members at around 11:20 am on January 1st. According to Sioux City Police Sergeant John Sanders, a 17-year-old boy, identified as JK Athreee, was taken into custody and booked on one count of first-degree murder murder. According to court documents, Athreee told his family there was a dead body in a car found in a nearby alley. Upon arrival, officers found Jermel Ellington of Sioux City in a vehicle with 16 stab wounds. Ellington was taken to the hospital for treatment, but was declared deceased. Court records indicate that witnesses and family members told law enforcement that Athreee had come inside the home shortly after 11 am, and asked for assistance in helping hide things. Athreee allegedly told law enforcement in an interview that he and Ellington had issues with each other over the past month. DES MOINES— The Des Moines Police Department says preliminary data for 2025 shows a decline in the number of homicides and traffic fatalities in the city compared to 2024. WHO-13 reports that detectives in the Crimes Against Persons section investigated 10 homicides in 2025 compared to 15 in 2024. The Des Moines Police Department Traffic Unit investigated only 12 traffic fatalities in 2025 compared to 18 in 2024, and in total, police reports were down by over 1,000. A comprehensive report of the 2025 data will be released to the public at a later date.

BONDURANT— Authorities say that two people were injured in a barn fire in Bondurant, which resulted in the barn being deemed a total loss. WHO-13 reports that deputies and multiple fire departments were called to the scene of the fully engulfed structure north of Bondurant at around 5:30 pm on Thursday. According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, two adult females sustained minor injuries due to the fire and were transported to a local hospital by ambulance for treatment. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. MARION— A former business owner in Marion was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for gun charges on Tuesday. KCRG-TV reports that 28-year-old Cordell Mayfield, of Cedar Rapids, was convicted of possessing a firearm as a felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. According to court documents, Mayfield stored a gun with an obliterated serial number inside his used appliance business located in Marion in September of last year. A concerned parent contacted local law enforcement to check on their child, who was with Mayfield at his business. During the welfare check, officers found the gun in Mayfield’s hand. Mayfield was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison, three years of supervised release, and fined $2,000. He was also ordered to forfeit the firearm seized from him. MITCHELLVILLE—The city of Mitchellville has been left without local law enforcement, after the city’s entire police force resigned effective Thursday. KCCI-TV reports that this is not the first challenge to face Mitchellville this year, as two police chiefs resigned and a city administrator was fired. City mayor Tony Jensen recently held a special town hall meeting to address recent controversies. The city of Mitchellville is now working with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office to provide law enforcement, which is vital since the city houses the Women’s Correctional Institution. While Mitchellville and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office are working together to provide protection for the city, no formal deal has officially been agreed to.

DES MOINES— In a special election that was held on Tuesday, Democrat Renee Hardman was elected to the Iowa State Senate. KCCI-TV reports that Hardman bested Republican Lucas Loftin by an overwhelming margin to win the seat representing parts of Des Moines’ suburbs. The seat became vacant after the death of Democrat State Senator Claire Celsi on October 6th. Hardman, who is the CEO of the nonprofit Lutheran Services of Iowa and a member of the West Des Moines City Council, is the first Black woman elected to the Senate. Hardman’s election denied Republicans’ bid to reclaim a supermajority, or two-thirds control of the Senate. Democrats had flipped a Republican seat in a special election in August, giving Democrats 17 seats to the Republicans’ 33 seats. SIOUX CITY (KTIV) – A pet food company in Sioux City is recalling two of its products due to the possibility of Salmonella contamination. KTIV-TV reports that a recall notice posted on the FDA website stated that Consumers Supply Distributing of Sioux City is recalling their four-pound bags of Country Vet Biscuits- Original Meaty Flavor and Heartland Harvest Dog Biscuits – Meaty Flavor with Chicken. According to the notice, the products have expiration dates of September 6th, 2026, and were sold in stores in Iowa, Nebraska, and five other states. There have been no reported illnesses related to the issue that was discovered by FDA sampling, and customers that bought affected bags can return them to the place of purchase for a full refund. TAMPA, FLORIDA—The Iowa Hawkeyes closed out 2025 by earning their first win over a ranked opponent since 2021. Quarterback Mark Gronowski totaled three total touchdowns in leading the #23 ranked Hawkeyes past #14 ranked Vanderbilt in a 34-27 victory in the ReliaQuest Bowl on New Year’s Eve. The win gave head coach Kirk Ferentz his 11th career bowl win, giving him the most bowl wins in Big Ten History. Iowa finishes the season with a 9-4 overall record, marking the 11th time Iowa has won at least nine games since Ferentz took over the program.

MARSHALLTOWN— Marshalltown authorities arrested a suspect in connection to a report of shots fired in the Marshalltown High School parking lot earlier this month. KCCI-TV reports that authorities arrested 18-year-old Jace Antonio Vargas of Marshalltown on Monday, following the incident on December 18th. Marshalltown police had responded to a report of a person firing shots at people in the high school parking lot at around 4:45 pm, when school was not in session. According to court records, Vargas allegedly tried to rob the victims of drugs, before firing shots at the victims when they tried to drive away. Vargas is facing several felony charges, including attempted murder, first-degree robbery, carrying a weapon on school grounds and going armed with intent. He also faces multiple misdemeanor charges. DUBUQUE— A former Iowa High School football coach is scheduled to appear in court early next week for a plea and sentencing hearing. According to KCRG-TV, 40-year-old former Dubuque Senior High School football coach Darrell Moore is expected to enter into a guilty plea on January 5th, after he was accused of stealing over $47,000 in funds from the Dubuque Independent Football League. Court records indicate that the funds were deposited into Moore’s FanDuel account, and were also used to pay for his Roku account, purchases at grocery stores, gas stations, and restaurants. Court records also alleged that Moore used the funds at golf courses and to make hotel reservations, and other online purchases. As part of the plea deal for a first-degree theft charge, the court is planning deferred judgement after 24 months of informal probation, along with $15,000 in restitution. SIOUX CITY— An 18-year-old from Council Bluffs is facing arson charges after firefighters in Sioux City were called to a fire at a fast-food restaurant. KTIV reports that first responders were called to the Wendy’s on Gordon Drive in Sioux City on Tuesday for the report of a fire. Sioux City Police say the call came in around 9 am, and that customers and employees were evacuated from the building. Sioux City Police identified the suspect as 18-year-old Malachi Neylon, who was located at a separate business a short distance from the Wendy’s. Neylon faces one count of first-degree arson and one count of fourth-degree criminal mischief. Under Iowa law, a first-degree arson charge carries a possible sentence of 25 years in prison.

DES MOINES— Governor Kim Reynolds and the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced Monday that Iowa has been awarded funding through the Rural Health Transformation Program. The program is a federal initiative managed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Iowa’s proposal, Healthy Hometowns, will receive $209 million for the first year of implementation. The program is Iowa’s plan to strengthen health care in rural communities, by making care more accessible, connected, and patient focused. DES MOINES— Several cases of avian flu in Central Iowa have been confirmed by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. KCCI-TV reports dozens of dead birds were discovered at Maffitt Reservoir, south of Highway 5, while there have been more reports from Saylorville and Copper Creek. According to the Iowa DNR, Maffitt Reservoir has been closed to allow workers to remove the birds. The Iowa DNR adds that the birds pose no threat to Iowa’s water quality. MADISON COUNTY— Former Madison County Treasurer Amanda DeVos had a third felony charge added to the case against her, bringing the total number of criminal charges to six. WHO-TV reports that the 38-year-old former county treasurer was arrested in January for allegedly altering government records using her access as treasure to make it appear she had paid her vehicle registration plates in October of 2024 when she had not. DeVos was initially charged with a Class D felony for felonious misconduct and three aggravated misdemeanors for tampering with records, fraudulent practices in the third degree, and third-degree theft. Last week, an amended filing showed additional felony charges of fraudulent practices in the second degree and felonious misconduct related to her personal property taxes in May of 2024.