DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa is bracing for a winter storm that’s forecast to move across the state Friday. The National Weather Service says moderate to heavy snowfall is expected with six to eight inches of snow in north-central Iowa and four to six inches of snow for the rest of the state. Mixed precipitation is possible Friday night in southern Iowa. Slick and snow packed roads may create hazardous conditions, along with blowing snow reducing visibility.

WEST BURLINGTON, IA (IRN) – The West Burlington police department has released the name of the deceased man they say shot at them and forced an hours-long standoff. WQAD-TV reports police recovered the body of Michael Kartel, 62, after the standoff. Kartel was firing shots at officers through the windows of his house, and setting multiple fires inside.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds asked lawmakers on Tuesday to consider increasing the state sales taxes by 1 cent to raise money to boost funding for water quality, the environment and mental health care programs. To offset the tax increase she proposed an income tax cut by an average additional 10 percent beyond the rates set in the 2018 tax cut for next year.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A new hotel and casino could be coming to the Des Moines International Airport. KCCI-TV reports HighView, a property development group, presented the idea to the Des Moines airport in a meeting Tuesday morning. Airport officials say it’s important for them to review opportunities that could fund millions worth of the airport’s financial gaps.

DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – Athletes celebrated at the Grand River Center in Dubuque after wrapping up two days of competition in the Winter Games of the Iowa Special Olympics. KCRG-TV reports about 280 athletes competed in Dubuque during the two-day event. They came from all across the state to do their best in events that included Alpine and cross country skiing, figure and speed skating, and snowshoeing.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Gov. Kim Reynolds proposed a $8 billion state budget plan today that seeks to boost spending by 4.4 percent, or $342 million, in the 2021 fiscal year. The governor’s spending plan would provide a 2.5 percent boost in state aid to K-12 schools, as well as increasing funding for Medicaid, workforce and rural development initiatives, child care and other priority areas. It leaves a projected $386 million surplus.

WESTGATE, IA (IRN) – A former nursing home worker will serve two to five years probation for abusing a resident at the home. Michael Kane, 61, from the Fayette County town of Westgate, pinched and punched a resident there. He then attempted to suffocate the patient and threatened to shoot him.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Six out of the 12 Democratic presidential candidates will take the stage tonight in the last debate before the Iowa caucuses. The most recent Des Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom poll shows Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in the lead at 20 percent. Three candidates: former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and former Vice President Joe Biden follow Sanders separated by just one percentage point each.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – President Donald Trump will hold a rally in Des Moines just days before the Iowa Caucus. The event will be held Thursday, January 30 on the Drake University campus.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa lawmakers convened the 2020 legislative session Monday. With his family, including his grandparents U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley and Barbara Grassley looking on, Republican Rep. Pat Grassley was elected speaker of the house. The wooden gavel he will use was given to him by his father, and was made from a walnut tree on the family’s farm near New Hartford.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Protesters in Des Moines chanted “Black Lives Matter” during Pete Buttigieg’s speech yesterday, according to KCCI-TV. Demonstrators referred to Buttigieg as “anti-black and anti-poor” as police escorted them out. Last week, Black Lives Matter protesters interrupted a Buttigieg campaign event in California.

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – An early Sunday morning fire in a home in Waterloo required the rescue of two children trapped inside, according to KCRG-TV. Firefighters arrived to find the one and a half story home in flames. The 2 and 3-year-old girls were rescued through a window in a bedroom. Both sustained unspecified injuries, as did a man.

BENTON COUNTY, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is investigating an incident in Benton County after a man was shot in the leg Saturday. Brian McManemy, 41, was in the passenger seat of a pickup while coyote hunting near Keystone. A firearm in the vehicle discharged and hit his left leg.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – An investigation is underway in Cedar Rapids after a man intentionally set a porch on fire. KGAN-TV reports the suspect poured gasoline on the porch and lit it on fire. Jeremy Lang was arrested and charged with arson. The homeowner knows Lang and was able to put the fire out on their own.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines woman is joining a national effort to help the millions of animals left homeless and hurt by devastating wildfires in Australia. WHO-TV reports fires have killed nearly half a billion animals and left 27 people dead in Australia. Sarah Pool is reaching out to Des Moines libraries and knitting groups and providing them with patterns to make pouches for baby kangaroos and koalas.

FAYETTE COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A man is facing multiple felony charges after a kidnapping victim was found zip tied in his truck, after a miles long chase where he tried to run over sheriff’s deputies. KCRG-TV reports deputies arrested Maxwell Liebe, 20, of Arlington.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A person has been admitted to UnityPoint Health-St. Luke’s Hospital with a gunshot wound, according to KGAN-TV. The victim showed up at the hospital at about 10:30 p.m. Saturday night. An investigation is underway.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – A 4-year-old girl in Iowa nearly died and is now blind because of the flu, and her parents have a message: Get your child vaccinated. WHO-TV reports Jade DeLucia, who did not receive a flu shot this season, caught the flu a few days before Christmas and spent nearly two weeks in the intensive care unit at the University of Iowa. “She’s lucky to be alive,” said one of her physicians.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa State Patrol and the Des Moines Police Department provided their final numbers of calls they reported to Friday night during the snowstorm. The Iowa State Patrol responded to 166 calls between noon and midnight Friday. Of the 166, 77 were crashes and 89 were motorist assists. The Des Moines Police Department responded to 46 crashes, including 31 property damage reports, two with minor injuries, and 12 hit-and-runs.