Local, state and federal law enforcement officials say they are monitoring potential threats in Iowa leading up to inauguration day. Following the violence at the U.S. Capitol, the F-B-I has warned of plans for armed protests at all 50 state capitols. Iowa officials say they have not received threats to the Capitol in Des Moines specifically, but Iowa Department of Public Safety Commissioner Stephan Bayens says more officers are patrolling the statehouse as a precaution.

(as said) “We’ve increased both our uniform and non-uniform presence up at the capitol,” he says. “Additionally, the Iowa Department of Public Safety has a division of intelligence and so we have a fleet of analysts that are constantly examining social media, are working with federal and local partners.”

The F-B-I’s Omaha field office is asking those with information about potential violence at upcoming protests or events to call 402-493-8688.

DES MOINES – The five state-operated Test Iowa drive-thru sites and the State Hygienic Lab will be closed on Monday, Jan. 18, for the Martin Luther King, Jr. federal holiday.

The sites include:

• Black Hawk County — 4121 Alexandra Drive, Waterloo
• Linn County — Windstar Lines, 5755 Willow Creek Drive SW, Cedar Rapids
• Polk County — 4475 NE 3rd Street, Des Moines
• Pottawattamie County — 3236 Nebraska Ave., Council Bluffs
• Scott County — North Park Mall, 320 W. Kimberly Road, Davenport

All sites will reopen for testing as usual on Tuesday, Jan. 19, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.   Individuals who wish to be tested at any site must first complete an online assessment at testiowa.com, and schedule an appointment. Locations and hours of operation for all test sites can be found at testiowa.com or coronavirus.iowa.gov.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A judge has dismissed nine felony counts filed against a Black Lives Matter leader in Iowa charged with shining a laser pointer in the eyes of police officers during an August protest. Judge Paul Miller ruled Thursday that the Johnson County Attorney’s Office violated Matè Farrakhan Muhammad’s speedy trial rights by waiting 46 days after his arrest to file a formal charging document, one more day than allowed by law. Miller ruled that six aggravated misdemeanor assault counts related to the same allegations can proceed since they were filed weeks after his arrest. Muhammad has changed his name since his arrest, when he went by the name Matthew Bruce.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A man who killed his one-time girlfriend in a Sioux City hotel room before setting it on fire has been sentenced to 75 years in prison. The Sioux City Journal reports that 31-year-old Jordan Henry was sentenced Friday in Woodbury County District Court to 50 years for second-degree murder and 25-years for arson. The sentences are to be served one after the other. Henry was convicted of the counts in November for the January 2019 strangulation of 40-year-old Elizabeth Bockholt, of Hinton. Firefighters found her unresponsive Jan. 24, 2019, in a Wingate Hotel room, and she was pronounced dead later at a hospital.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A white military veteran shot and wounded a 15-year-old Black girl during a tense confrontation at a Trump rally in Iowa last month. Michael McKinney is charged with attempted murder in the Dec. 6 shooting in Des Moines. McKinney, who was heavily armed and wearing body armor, told police he fired in self-defense. He has posted on Facebook in support of the far-right Proud Boys and against Black Lives Matter.

Army veteran Michael McKinney, is shown in a Dec. 6, 2020 booking photo released by the Polk County Jail in Des Moines, Iowa. McKinney is charged with attempted murder in the shooting of a 15-year-old Black girl who was arguing with supporters of the president at a Trump rally, a case authorities have not detailed to the public. (Polk County Jail via AP)

Authorities haven’t mention the Trump rally or the race of those involved in news releases detailing the shooting, suggesting it was traffic-related. The driver’s mother says the crowd of Trump supporters subjected her daughter and the other girls to racist abuse.

BETTENDORF, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a man and 5-year-old girl have died in an eastern Iowa house fire that also injured two others. The Quad-City Times reports the fire broke out early Thursday morning in Bettendorf house. Arriving firefighters found an 18-year-old man outside the home who had escaped with minor injuries. Firefighters learned three others were inside the burning home and pulled them from the flames. Officials say 66-year-old Robert Wickham and 5-year-old Taylor Treanton died at a hospital from smoke inhalation. Another person, 63-year-old Mary Wickham, remained hospitalized Friday in critical condition. The 18-year-old man, Jodd Wickham, was treated and released from the hospital. Fire officials are investigating the cause of the fire.

The National Guard Bureau, Washington, D.C., has requested approximately 265 Soldiers and Airmen in total from the Iowa Army and Air National Guard to assist federal, state, and local agencies with supporting missions for the 59th Presidential Inauguration, to be held Wednesday, Jan. 20. The Iowa National Guard has mobilized Airmen from the 185th Air Refueling Wing based in Sioux City and the 132nd Wing in Des Moines, plus Soldiers from the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division.

Duties will include logistical support of military personnel by the 185th ARW and 132nd Wing, plus support to civil authorities by the 2nd-IBCT. It’s anticipated these Soldiers and Airmen will serve in support of the inauguration for approximately eight days, which includes personnel readiness processing and travel.

In total, more than 21,000 National Guard Soldiers and Airmen from 44 states, three territories, and the District of Columbia will be providing support during the inauguration. As a whole, National Guard Soldiers and Airmen will augment the U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Capitol Police and D.C. Metropolitan Police forces on a range of support, including traffic control, crowd management, logistics and communication.

(Radio Iowa) – Hundreds of snowplows are fanned out across the state, doing their best to clear the drifts and keep the roads passable, but some of them are losing the fight in this blizzard. Craig Bargfrede, winter operations administrator for the Iowa Department of Transportation, says the heavy snow and high winds are knocking visibility down to almost zero in some areas, making for what he calls a “challenging day.” Bargfrede says, “Currently, we’ve got somewhere in the neighborhood of 625 plows that are active out on the system, plowing and treating and trying to get the system back to near-normal condition.”

DOT Snowplow cam

State troopers are warning motorists not to venture out onto hundreds of miles of roads in the southwest corner of the state, though Bargrede says as yet, his plow drivers haven’t encountered any insurmountable problems. “So far, I’m not aware of any issues that have caused us to pull plows off the roadways,” Bargfrede says. “As far as I know, plows are still out and about. You’re correct, down in the southwest portion of the state, we’re showing on 511, travel not advised at this point in time.”

The Blizzard Warning will continue to be in place for much of the state’s western half through 6 o’clock tonight and the snowplow drivers are working to stay ahead of the blowing and drifting snow, though it’s a difficult chore. “They’ve already planned shifts accordingly,” he says. “I anticipate a lot of our crews continuing on throughout the day and into tonight and probably a fair number of them will be out again tomorrow once the winds do die down so that we can hit all of those trouble spots and make sure the system is back to near normal.”

The pandemic has pushed many Iowans to work from home and it’s hoped many of them can remain in their homes for the duration of this storm. “We’re suggesting to the public that if you do not need to travel today, especially in the central and southern part of the state, put those travel plans off until tomorrow,” Bargfrede says. “It will allow us to get out there, get the plows working and the snow cleared off.” For those who feel they have to travel, before you head out, consult: 511ia.org.