IOWA (IRN) – Dangerous wind chills continue today after a powerful winter storm on Friday. Gusts of up to 50 mph have created blizzard conditions. Many state rural roads are impassable, and Interstate 35 from Ames to Clear Lake has been closed. CEDAR FALLS, IA (IRN) Firefighters say blizzard winds fueled a fire that destroyed a home in Cedar Falls Friday morning. The homeowners were able to escape and ran to a neighbor’s house. They were later taken to a local hospital for smoke inhalation and minor injuries. The cause of the fire is unknown and the home is a total loss. CLIVE, IA (IRN) – A Clive police patrol car was involved in a crash Friday morning when an SUV hit a patch of ice on Interstate 35/80. The officer was in his car, responding to another vehicle that hit the median, and is expected to be OK. BOONE, IA (IRN) – A measure aimed at leveling the playing field for Iowa high schools with greater numbers of socioeconomically disadvantaged students has passed a vote by the member schools of the Iowa High School Athletic Association. The vote to amend the organization’s articles of incorporation about the classification of football teams passed with 80% approval from those voting. It only needed approval from 60% of the membership schools that participated in the vote.

IOWA (IRN) – A blizzard warning is in effect through Saturday for most of central Iowa north of Interstate 80. A winter storm warning is in effect through Saturday for many southern Iowa counties. IOWA (IRN) – The Iowa State Patrol has had a busy 24+ hours on Iowa highways responding to more than 200 crashes and a total of 402 motorist assists. Of the 207 crashes across the state on Iowa highways, the Iowa State Patrol says 195 led to property damage and the other 12 led to injuries. Those are the totals from Wednesday through Thursday at 5 p.m. The state patrol is reporting that no one has died from those crashes. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Firefighters responded to a fire at a mobile home park in Des Moines on Thursday. The Des Moines Fire Department says the fire was knocked down and there are no injuries. They believe the mobile home was vacant. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – The National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium has announced the Delta in the National River Center is closed until further notice. The announcement came Thursday morning after staff noticed animals in distress. The exhibit appeared to have a malfunction in the life support system, causing gas embolisms in the animals. Five Cownose Rays, two Yellow Stingrays, and one Atlantic Stingray were lost. One Cownose Ray remains in stable condition.

IOWA (IRN) – Much of Iowa is seeing dangerous blizzard conditions. Authorities urge people to stay home if possible. OELWEIN IA, (IRN) – An Oelwein woman who crashed her car while under the influence of drugs, killing her son, has pled guilty to vehicular homicide. On July 19, 2020, Robyn Reaves was under the influence of methamphetamine and amphetamine when she lost control of her car in rural Buchanan County. The vehicle went into the ditch and hit a culvert, killing 9-year-old Ace and injuring 6-year-old Ryker. An investigation found that Reaves was speeding well over the posted speed limit and never hit the brakes before going off the road. WEST DES MOINES, IA – A West Des Moines man will survive a brutal pit bull attack. On Dec. 8, the man was attacked by his own two dogs at an apartment. When police arrived, the attack was still ongoing. One of the dogs was soon put down, but the other escaped and was on the run for a while. The dog was eventually captured and was taken to a shelter pending the investigation. Police say the man faces a long road to recovery. IOWA (IRN) – As the seasonal flu continues circulating, there is good news. This year’s flu shot is a good match for the virus’ common strains according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The bad news is just 32.3 percent of Iowans have gotten their flu shot this season. IOWA (IRN) – Iowa has a new favorite liquor. The latest state report shows for the first time, Tito’s Handmade Vodka is the top-selling brand in the state. Black Velvet whiskey has held that title since 2012 but is now the runner-up. The Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division says Tito’s accounted for 393,000 gallons of the 6.6 million gallons of liquor sold in Iowa this year. In all, Iowans spent about $431 million on booze this year.

POLK COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines sex trafficking victim who admitted to killing her alleged rapist when she was 15 pleaded not guilty to escape charges Monday. Police say 18-year-old Pieper Lewis cut off her tracking monitor and fled the Fresh Start Women’s Center, where she was serving her probation, in early November. Lewis is on probation for killing 37-year-old Zachary Brooks in 2020. She claims she had been trafficked to Brooks, and he raped her multiple times in the weeks leading up to his death. MARSHALLTOWN, IA (IRN) – The Marshalltown Fire Department was called to a house fire early Tuesday morning. They found a building on fire and were able to quickly put it out after the cold temperatures caused a fire hydrant failure. No one was injured, and the cause of the fire was an improperly used wood-burning stove. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A winter storm warning is in effect through Friday. Predictions anticipate an accumulation of at least 3 inches of snow in most parts of the state by Saturday. Snow and wind will start to pick up by tonight and will lead to treacherous conditions for travel through Saturday morning. By Thursday afternoon, there will be potential wind gusts of 40 to 45 mph. The strong winds continue into Saturday morning, with blizzard conditions likely. AMES, IA (IRN) – The major winter storm has Iowa State University canceling basketball games out of concern for the safety of student-athletes. Tonight’s men’s basketball game against Omaha and the Thursday women’s game against Drake have been called off and will not be made up.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines police have identified a woman and her daughter found shot to death Monday inside their home in the Merle Hay neighborhood. Officers were called to the home just before 3 a.m. after receiving reports of a shooting. The victims were identified as 47-year-old Danielle Remily and her 20-year-old daughter, Emma Parker. The 22-year-old suspected gunman had a previous relationship with Parker. After the shooting, the man called 911 to report that he’d shot two people and that he was walking to Riley Park to take his own life. Officers found the suspect at the park with an apparent gunshot wound and is in critical condition. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – A man is now in custody as a suspect in an armed robbery in Iowa City. Iowa City Police have identified Dewayne Corely-Jones, 20, as the suspect. Corely-Jones was caught last week in Illinois and is currently in custody at the Peoria County, Illinois Sheriff’s Office. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Governor Kim Reynolds joined 24 other governors in sending a letter to President Biden urging him to put an end to the Federal Public Health Emergency. Reynolds says, “We have returned to life as normal and it is time the federal government’s policies reflected that.” IOWA (IRN) – Dangerously cold temperatures are expected across the state starting Wednesday. During this storm, Iowa will likely experience impactful snow with sub-zero wind chills and 50 mph wind gusts. The wind gusts will make blizzard conditions likely.