Iowa Radio News

SHELBY COUNTY – One person died in a snowmobile accident in western Iowa over the weekend. WHO-13 reports the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office responded just after midnight on Sunday to an incident. Portsmouth resident Scott Gau, a 64-year-old, has been identified as the individual who died in the crash. He was found unresponsive in a creek. IOWA CITY – A UNI football player who died after collapsing at a workout was remembered by his hometown over the weekend. The Des Moines Register reports the Little Hawk Arena at City High School was the site of a memorial service for Parker Sutherland on Sunday. The City High graduate died on February 14th. Teammates and family members were among those who spoke about his life and legacy. DES MOINES – Two Iowa High School wrestlers joined elite company this past weekend at the 2026 state tournament. KCCI-TV reports Fort Dodge’s Dreshaun Ross and Osage’s Blake Fox are now among 34 individuals all-time who have won a state title in all four years of their high school experience. Only six of those athletes finished their careers undefeated. There are now 107 three-time boys state wrestling champions in Iowa High School history.

DES MOINES – The search firm sued for its role in hiring former Des Moines Schools Superintendent Ian Roberts is countersuing the school district. The Des Moines Register reports JG Consulting accuses the Des Moines School Board of defamation in ongoing legal fallout following the arrest and subsequent guilty plea of Roberts, who lacked authorization to live or work in the United States. The Des Moines Independent School District has blamed JG Consulting for failing to properly vet Roberts and has sued for breach of contract. The search firm claims confirming the citizenship of candidates fell on the shoulders of the school board, not their own background checks. PELLA – Vermeer Corporation has announced acquisition of 186 acres of land with the intent to build an all-new, 300,000 square foot facility in the Des Moines metro, located in Bondurant. It will be home to initially more than 300 jobs related to the manufacture and support of Vermeer industrial parts and equipment. The $102.7 million capital investment is expected to create 182 jobs, including 62 at a qualifying wage of $35.11 per hour. The Iowa Economic Development Authority Board awarded $5.1 million in tax credits through the BIG program. AMES- An impeachment attempt against the sitting Student President of Iowa State University will not move forward. KCCI-TV reports the Iowa State Student Government had passed articles of impeachment against Colby Brandt. The Student Government Judicial Branch ruled against that motion, claiming they were violating First Amendment rights. The university released a statement on Friday.

IOWA – It was a bit of weather whiplash for many residents in Iowa that enjoyed an early surge of spring earlier this week, as winter returned in force late Thursday into this morning. According to the National Weather Service, a large number of Iowa communities received 6-12 inches of wet, heavy snow, including a report over a foot in northeast Iowa. Communities from Council Bluffs to Decorah were impacted. Colder air has settled in until the middle of next week, when more spring-like warmth is possible. IOWA – The Federal Emergency Management Agency approved millions of dollars in disaster assistance funds for the state of Iowa. WHO-13 reports the Department of Homeland Security made the announcement prior to the partial government shutdown of the agency. Grants were awarded in Rock Valley and Minden for recent severe weather events. WOODWARD – The Woodward police chief has resigned following the arrest of the community’s fire chief and a disagreement with the mayor. The Des Moines Register reports Jim Graham has stepped down from the leadership role. Graham resigned after Volunteer Fire Chief Matt Cavanaugh was arrested earlier in February for 10 counts of tampering with records. Members of the volunteer fire department claim Cavanaugh added his name to several fire calls he did not attend, and that members of the department make $10 per call. Graham says he resigned over a disagreement with the mayor on how the arrest was conducted.

IOWA – After a stretch of record temperatures had it feeling like the middle of spring for many in the state, winter roars back today. A Winter Weather Advisory is in place for the majority of Iowans as accumulating snow is expected through Friday morning. Some of the same locations of the state that recorded near 70 degree temperatures early this week could receive two-to-five inches of snowfall, according to the National Weather Service. DES MOINES – The Robert D. and Billie Ray Center at Drake University announced the death of the former first lady of Iowa. WHO-13 reports Billie Lee Ray died at age 97 on Wednesday morning. Her husband Robert D. Ray was elected in 1968 and left office in 1983. Ray helped found Character Counts in 1997. Governor Ray died in 2018. IOWA CITY – A video from University of Iowa Campus Police details why a fraternity house in Iowa City was suspended for five years. KCCI-TV reports the footage released on Wednesday is from a 2024 incident at the Alpha Delta Phi house, showing 56 male pledges blindfolded in a basement. First responders were called to the scene for a fire alarm and found college students covered in food and alcohol.

DES MOINES – The temperature has climbed above 60 degrees at Des Moines yet again on Wednesday, marking the fifth day in a row, and sixth day this month to hit 60+. Forecasters with the National Weather Service anticipate it will happen again, which will be the seventh day this month (February 9, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18). That has happened in only four other years in the month of February: 1930, 1981, and 2024 (7 days each) and 2017 (8 days). The only other years in which there were six or more consecutive days of 60+ in February were 1930 and 2017. With the warm air, strong winds, and low humidity expected today, an elevated burning risk is a cause for concern. DES MOINES – State Auditor Rob Sand claims that delays from Governor Kim Reynolds administration prevented a full audit of education savings accounts. The Des Moines Register reports Sand held a news conference Tuesday to say the Iowa Department of Education delayed information related to the program before releasing the information in late November. The audit came up with no issues, but Sand was concerned something was potentially missed because of the six month delay. Governor Reynolds claimed there were no issues to find, and that Sand was politically motivated. MITCHELVILLE – Voters filled three at-large vacancies on the Mitchellville City Council in a special election on Tuesday. ABC-5 reports Morgan Lunn won a four-year term and Steve Zook and Dean Brand won two year seats. Mitchellville has not had a city council meeting for several weeks because previous members of the council resigned and there was no quorum. The community also remains without police after its entire force resigned in late 2025.