OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Travel remains difficult in eastern Nebraska and much of Iowa after a strong winter storm moved across the area.

Iowa officials closed Interstate 35 between Ames, Iowa, and the Minnesota border on Sunday because of blowing and drifting snow. The storm dropped several inches of snow on central Iowa, but parts of northwest Iowa received as much as 16 inches of snow.

In Nebraska, Interstate 80 remained closed Sunday between Grand Island and Gretna just southwest of Omaha because of weather conditions and several crashes. Much of eastern Nebraska received between 6 and 10 inches of snow in the storm.

Forecasters warn that even though the snow has stopped falling in Iowa and Nebraska strong winds could still cause blizzard conditions.

Many churches canceled their Sunday services because of conditions.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is telling Democrats in Iowa that he has not ruled out a run for president.

The Sioux City Journal reports that de Blasio told voters at a Sioux City bar on Saturday that the Democratic Party must return to its progressive roots.

He said working people will “answer the call of the Democratic Party” if they hear that the party is “resolute in defense of their interests.”

The prospect of a de Blasio White House run has not been warmly received in the mayor’s hometown.

Seven candidates attending a debate for New York City public advocate on Wednesday all said de Blasio was not qualified to run for president. Assemblyman Ron Kim, a Democrat from Queens, called de Blasio “completely delusional.”

The City of Atlantic’s Parks and Recreation Department Board of Directors will meet 5:15-p.m. Monday, in the Council’s Chambers at City Hall. During their meeting, the Board will act on a Resolution approving contract and bonds, before discussing the Park’s Director position. The Board is also expected to make a decision with regard to the position soon afterward. The Parks Director’s position became vacant, when former Director Seth Staashelm submitted his resignation to take another position with the City of Marion, in eastern Iowa.

In other business, the Parks Board will receive an update on the Schildberg Development Project, repair of the Eastridge Park washout, and Community Gardens at Mollett Park at the east end of 3rd Street Place. A report or update is also expected, with regard to the Sunnyside Ice Rink.

MOUNT VERNON, Iowa (AP) — A Marion man has been arrested after police say he took pictures of women dressing in an eastern Iowa college locker room. Police say 45-year-old Jeffrey Pospisil was arrested Friday and charged with invasion of privacy. The investigation began when students at Cornell College reported seeing a cellphone held in an open doorway leading to the locker room. Students alerted a coach, who found Pospisil in the area.

Pospisil, who was an employee with a business that provides custodial service for the college, told police he had only been texting on the phone, but a search of the phone found more than 100 images taken in the locker room as students were fully or partially nude. Pospisil was fired from his job and has been banned from the college.

ALTOONA, Iowa (AP) — Police in central Iowa say a man fatally shot his girlfriend before killing himself following an argument. The Des Moines Register reports that Altoona police were called around 11 p.m. Friday by someone who reported that a woman had been shot in a restaurant parking lot. Officers who arrived on the scene found the body of 29-year-old Chekesha Clark, of Des Moines. Investigators quickly determined that Clark’s boyfriend was a person of interest. Around 1:15 a.m. Saturday, police found 30-year-old Kalen Burgess dead outside a Des Moines home from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Police determined that shooting happened after an argument between Clark and Burgess escalated in the parking lot. Police say the couple shared a child together, but the child wasn’t present during the shooting.
Authorities continue to investigate.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris says she doesn’t “condone military action at this point” to ensure humanitarian aid reaches Venezuela. Venezuela’s president, Nicolas Maduro, has blocked such aid at the border as he resists stepping aside for opposition leader Juan Guaido. Harris is noting Maduro’s stand, and the California senator says during a visit to Iowa that “”we need to take it very seriously.”

President Donald Trump Monday has advocated “a peaceful transition of power” but also said all options are on the table. Two other Democratic senators in the 2020 White House race, Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, also have said they oppose U.S. military force in Venezuela.

RIVERSIDE, Iowa (AP) — Police in southeastern Iowa are investigating after a body was found inside a fire-damaged car. Cedar Rapids television station KCRG reports that fire crews responded just after 12:30 p.m. Friday to a report of a burning car in rural Riverside. After extinguishing the fire, firefighters found the body inside the vehicle. Police have not yet released the name of the person pending notification of family members. The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office and Johnson County Medical Examiner are investigating. No other details were released.

More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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A fatal shooting late Friday night in Altoona is under investigation. Police in Altoona told Des Moines television station KCCI that a woman was shot at around 11-p.m., in the parking lot of an Applebee’s Restaurant in Altoona. The circumstances leading up to the shooting weren’t immediately clear. When officers arrived at the scene, they found a woman who had suffered from a gunshot wound. The suspected shooter fled the scene.

About two hours later, the Des Moines Police Department was requested to make contact with a person of interest in the shooting. Police say that person was found dead in Des Moines from what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Law enforcement authorities said they believe there is no threat to the public and that all parties have been identified. The names of those involved have not yet been released, pending notification of family members.

A single-vehicle accident at around 2-a.m. today (Saturday) in Dallas County has claimed the life of a man from Marshall County. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 2003 GMC Envoy driven by 32-year old Jose’ Luis Ramirez-Cardenas, of Marshalltown, was traveling west on Interstate 80 when the SUV left the road. It rolled onto its side and came to rest after striking a tree. Ramirez-Cardenas, who was wearing a seat belt, died at the scene. The accident remains under investigation.