IOWA – The Iowa DOT is warning travelers about falling and potentially heavy blowing snow is expected to create dangerous driving conditions in the southern two tiers of Iowa counties late Saturday into Sunday. Normal winter driving conditions may be present throughout most of the state, however they may deteriorate very quickly for those traveling into the path of the storm south, west, and east into bordering states. Travelers are urged to plan ahead and check road conditions along their entire route.WASHINGTON D.C. – Senator Chuck Grassley will resume his role as president pro tempore in the Senate as the new Congress was sworn in on Friday. The Gazette reports Grassley will be third in presidential succession behind Vice President-elect J.D. Vance and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson once Trump and Vance are inaugurated on January 20th. Grassley will also serve as the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee — a role he held previously before Democrats assumed narrow control of the U.S. Senate in 2021. IOWA – Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird and the Department of Public Safety released information on Friday warning Iowans to be aware of a new wave of “grandparent scams.” Several Iowa communities throughout the state have recently reported efforts by criminal groups to swindle predominately older Iowans. In a grandparent scam, con artists call the victim posing as a grandchild and claiming they have been in an accident, hospitalized, jailed, or even in a foreign country, then ask the grandparent to send money to help them. At times, these scammers will go as far as to send an alleged courier to the grandparent’s home to retrieve the money. Iowans suspicious of a grandparent scam should immediately contact local law enforcement for assistance and report the scam to the Iowa Attorney General’s Office.

POMEROY – One person has been charged in relation to a shooting incident in Pomeroy on New Year’s Eve. The Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office charged Nicholas Benedict with Willful Injury Causing Serious Injury, Reckless Use of a Firearm, Going Armed with Intent, and other misdemeanor charges. Two people are hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries following the alleged shooting. DES MOINES – Des Moines Police killed a man who was wanted on felony warrants on Thursday. The Des Moines Register reports officers responded to a home on the southeast side of the metro in an attempt to arrest the man. The department claims two officers fired their weapons once inside and killed the individual. Nobody else involved in the incident was injured and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation is assisting. The Register reports this is the fourth fatal officer-related shooting in the last six months. IOWA – Governor Kim Reynolds extended a disaster proclamation for O’Brien, Palo Alto, Sac, Sioux, and Worth Counties effective immediately through February 1st, as the USDA has confirmed positive cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in all five counties. The recent detections in birds do not present an immediate public health concern, according to the state government, and it remains safe to eat poultry products.

IOWA – A total of 351 people died on Iowa’s roadways in 2024, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation. While the number is 27 fatalities less than 2023, it is still slightly above the previous five-year average. The report indicates 43% of those killed in vehicle crashes were not wearing a seat belt.NEW ORLEANS – At least two Iowans were witnesses to the attack that claimed more than a dozen lives in New Orleans early on New Year’s Day. KCCI-TV reports Jim and Nicole Mowrer were on Bourbon Street when a truck came slamming through festivities. Jim is a former congressional and Secretary of State candidate. Both told CBS News they saw police running toward the truck after they fled to safety, and they also saw many of the victims impacted. IOWA – While a blast of snow is impacting many across the state today, another round will come with even colder air by the weekend. According to the National Weather Service, for a system that starts on Sunday, the highest accumulations are expected in southern Iowa into Missouri, however the entire state can expect bitter cold temperatures which will last through the upcoming week.

POMEROY – The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation is assisting in response to a shooting in Pomeroy. The Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office is looking into an incident on New Year’s Eve involving an altercation that escalated into an exchange of gunfire involving multiple individuals. Two people were hospitalized with gunshot wounds. One of the people involved were arrested following a standoff with police in Manson. ORLANDO – Members of the Iowa State Marching Band were injured on their way back from the Pop-Tarts Bowl. The Des Moines Register reports at a motorcoach bus crashed with a school bus near Chattanooga, Tennessee. Twelve students suffered minor injuries in the incident, and the band arrived back in Ames on Tuesday. IOWA – The average price received by farmers for corn during November 2024 in Iowa was $4.12 per bushel according to the latest USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service Agricultural Prices report. This was 11 cents above the October price but 62 cents below November 2023. The November 2024 average price received by farmers for soybeans, at $9.85 per bushel, was 3 cents above the October price but $3.35 below the November 2023 price.

POTTAWATMIE COUNTY – A pedestrian was killed while standing on Interstate 80 in western Iowa. The Iowa State Patrol reports 51-year-old Michael Ponciano of Bellevue, Nebraska was in the travel portion of the east bound lane and struck by a Toyota pickup truck driven by an Illinois resident. The incident occurred just after midnight on Monday morning.IOWA – A new tax rate is set to begin on January 1st for taxpayers in Iowa. The Des Moines Register reports a flat tax first passed in 2022 that was accelerated by the Iowa Legislature last spring will start when the new year begins. All taxpayers will pay 3.8% in income taxes now under the new law. The state’s Revenue Estimating Conference estimated state coffers will take a $600 million hit in the current fiscal year through June 30th — Republican lawmakers contend there is significant buffer in the budget, citing $3.75 billion in a Taxpayer Relief Fund and a nearly $2 billion budget surplus. NASHVILLE, TN – The University of Iowa football team fell to No. 19 Missouri, 27-24, in the 2024 Transperfect Music City Bowl on Monday afternoon at Nissan Stadium. Iowa was outscored 13-3 in the second half. Brendan Sullivan finished the day completing 14-of-18 passes for 131 yards and adding one touchdown and one interception. The Hawkeyes finish the season at 8-5 overall.