(Radio Iowa) – Senator Joni Ernst supports an investigation into Wednesday’s incident in Minneapolis, when an ICE agent shot and killed a woman, but Ernst says the video she’s seen indicates the agent’s actions were justified. “We know that ICE agents are out there, they are using legal authorities to apprehend those that should not be in the United States,” Ernst said. “…There should always be an investigation. You know, this is the worst of the worst possible outcomes to any situation is when a life is lost whether it’s an ICE agent or whether it’s someone who is engaged in activities, whether against ICE — it doesn’t matter. Any time a life is lost, there needs to be an investigation.”

The Department of Homeland Security alleges the woman was shot while attempting to run over ICE agents. Ernst says the woman had been stalking federal agents who’re in Minnesota conducting immigration enforcement. “What we saw then demonstrated in this particular incident was a woman who had been tracking these ICE agents all day,” Ernst said, “and she did try to intervene in their jobs.” Ernst says people need to take a step back and acknowledge ICE are enforcing federal laws. “It’s really unfortunate we see a lot of protests now in Minnesota. There are, I’m sure, protests all across the United States because of this, but again these ICE agents are following the law. They are doing their jobs and when we have people that try to stop them from doing their jobs or, you know, trying to intervene or commit violent acts against those agents, then there are repercussions.”

Minnesota officials say the federal government has blocked their ability to investigate Wednesday’s incident. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz  has urged protestors at the scene of the shooting and elsewhere to remain peaceful. Walz says throwing anger at federal authorities only inflames the situation.

(Radio Iowa) – There will be a new floor leader in the Iowa House for the 2026 legislative session that starts Monday. Representative Bobby Kaufmann of Wilton was selected by his fellow Republicans to be House Majority Leader. He’s predicting lawmakers will complete their work earlier than usual.

“I think this is an edict that my caucus gave me when they elected me was for us to really get out of the gate quickly. Get bills going. Get things done. Get momentum,” Kaufmann said, “and not spend as much time here when the lawn mowers are going and the grass is green outside.” Kaufmann has held powerful positions in the past. He was chairman of the House Oversight Committee in 2018 when it investigated whistleblower complaints about 380-thousand dollars being misspent by a state agency.

“I think that the fact that we are raising this egrgious act into such a high profile should scare the living daylights out of anybody else that may be acting nefariously,” Kaufmann said. Kaufmann more recently led the House panel that drafts tax policy and he’s been a vocal critic of giving Summit Carbon Solutions eminent domain power to seize land along its proposed carbon pipeline.

“There’s a lot of four letter words I could use to describe that and I will not do that,” Kaufmann said three years ago. “I’ll just simply call it B.S.” Kaufmann worked on Governor Terry Branstad’s 2010 campaign and in 2024, Kaufmann was a senior policy advisor to President Trump’s re-election campaign. “My style is definitely much like the president’s,” Kaufmann said, “and I will never shy away from that, ever.” Kaufmann says his new role inside the legislature is listen to the other House Republicans and build consensus among the group.

“We are a 67-member team and my job is to steer that team on the floor and my job is to take all their opinions,” Kaufmann said, “and do my best to make sure that those views are represented in legislation.” Kaufmann, who is 41, raises livestock and operates a steel hauling, construction and demolition business. He’s been a member of the Iowa House since 2013. He won the seat that had previously been held by his dad, Jeff Kaufmann, who’s been chairman of the Iowa Republican Party since 2014.

“He and I actually don’t talk about politics as much as people think,” Bobby Kaufmann said. “I always tell him he’s one of 30,000 constituents and he has to get in line like everybody else.” The Kaufmanns farm together in Cedar County. The 2026 Iowa legislature convenes Monday at 10 a.m.

Baxter, Iowa – The Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation (DCI), Thursday (Jan. 8th), said authorities arrested former City of Baxter employees William Daggett and Katelyn Wilson. The arrests follow an investigation by the Iowa DCI, the Iowa Auditor of State’s Office, and the Jasper County Attorney’s Office.

The following individuals were arrested on charges related to the investigation:

William Dagget, 48, former chief of police:

Theft in the First Degree (Class C Felony)

Felonious Misconduct in Office (Class D Felony)

Katelyn Wilson, 29, former city clerk:

Unauthorized Computer Access (Aggravated Misdemeanor)

The findings of the City of Baxter audit and the criminal investigation are detailed in the November 6, 2025, report from the Iowa Auditor of State’s Office and the associated charging documents. No additional information will be released.

(Council Bluffs, IA) – Police in Council Bluffs report two adults and a juvenile male were injured during an incident Wednesday night. Authorities say officers were called at around 9:20-pm to 3002 Margaret Avenue in Council Bluffs, for an active disturbance.

Multiple callers to 911 reported a loud explosion and multiple people fighting, along with a possible cutting. Prior to officers’ arrival, three people were transported from the scene to Jenny Edmundson Hospital’s Emergency Room by private vehicles. A subsequent disturbance between members of the opposing groups occurred in the hospital lobby and was broken up by officers.

Authorities say multiple witnesses and participants in the fight were interviewed by detectives who pieced together the following events: Earlier in the evening, a disturbance occurred on Stuart Blvd. in Council Bluffs between several groups. At approximately 9:15 pm, several subjects arrived at 3002 Margaret Avenue to confront the opposing group from the previous disturbance. A “M80” style firework was thrown at a resident of that home which resulted in a large fight in the driveway of that residence.

As a result, 45-year-old Gary Estrada, 56-year-old Allen Shenefield and a 17-year old male, all from Council Bluffs, sustained cutting injuries. Estrada and the juvenile male were being treated at Jenny Edmundson. Shenefield was transferred to the University of Nebraska Medical Center for further treatment. The conditions of the victims are not
being released at this time.

The investigation is ongoing as detectives continue to collect evidence and piece together witness statements. After the investigation is complete, detectives will coordinate with the county attorney’s office to determine the appropriate charges.

If any member of the community witnessed this incident and/or has video evidence of the disturbance please contact the Council Bluffs Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division at 712-328-4728. To remain anonymous, please call CrimeStoppers at 712-328-7867 or tips may be submitted on-line at: https://www.councilbluffs-ia.gov/FormCenter/Police-Department-2/Online-CrimeStoppers-Tip-70.

(IOWA CAPITAL DISPATCH) – Drake University and Des Moines Area Community College have reached a “mutual agreement” on disputed logo designs, ending more than a year of litigation between the two institutions. The universities announced Thursday morning (Jan. 8) in press releases, that they “have been working together closely to resolve the issue outside of the courts and are glad to have reached a signed resolution.”

No details of the agreement were provided, and according to the DMACC press release, neither institution will comment beyond the releases. DMACC has released logos approved for use going forward.The DMACC board of directors met at 8 a.m. Thursday and held a closed session to discuss topics relating to litigation and approved a settlement agreement after returning to open session.

Drake filed suit in federal court against DMACC in July 2024 after the community college launched a rebranding effort, claiming federal trademark infringement, unfair competition, injury to business reputation and unjust enrichment. DMACC was temporarily blocked from using the new designs. The community college filed a counterclaim for defamation, which was rejected.

According to the releases, DMACC tops the list of where students transfer from to attend Drake and the private college is “among the top five schools to which DMACC graduates transfer.” Both institutions belong to the Iowa Private Transfer Collaborative and participate in “cross-enrollment advising” to allow DMACC students guaranteed enrollment to Drake.

“Both parties look forward to continuing their long-standing partnership and shared programs in service to current and future generations of students,” both of the press releases stated.

DES MOINES, Iowa [KCCI-TV] –  UnityPoint Health-Des Moines is hitting pause on elective surgeries while it deals with a high number of patients. The medical center announced elective surgeries and procedures requiring overnight stays will be postponed from Thursday, Jan. 8th through Tuesday, Jan. 13.

“This decision follows unusually high patient volumes, increased ER holds, and record-setting surgical cases,” a statement reads. “Our priority is to focus resources on patients with the most urgent needs while maintaining the highest standard of care. We are closely monitoring hospital capacity and will provide updates as needed.”

The announcement comes as doctors are urging residents to get vaccinated for the flu. UnityPoint recorded a significant increase in Influenza A positivity rates earlier this week.

(Radio Iowa) – A petition to shut down automated license plate readers in eastern Iowa has gathered hundreds of signatures, the latest effort to protest the controversial law enforcement tool. Quad Cities resident David Stoner started the petition after learning about the devices from a YouTube video. The cameras are placed in a variety of locations and catalogue the license plate, make, model and color of cars passing by — even if no crime was committed. Most are owned by a company called Flock.

“I would like to have the systems out,” Stoner says. “I think Bettendorf and Davenport – their contracts with Flock are up for renewal this summer, I believe, so trying to push for timing with that where maybe those could be rethought.” Information gathered by the cameras can be shared in a database that is accessible to law enforcement agencies around the country. Stoner says he launched the petition drive after learning the devices are in use in town.

“I started talking to more people in the Quad Cities, and found not a lot of people, once they learn about these, want them here,” Stoner says, “and there was a lot of talk about not wanting them there, but I didn’t feel like there was any sort of momentum of, ‘Okay, let’s gather up this energy and direct it somewhere.’”

The A-C-L-U of Iowa has said the technology is “a surveillance tool that poses serious risks to Iowan’s privacy and civil liberties.” Many law enforcement officials say the technology is useful for helping solve multi-jurisdictional crimes.

(Atlantic, IA) – The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports a man from Anita was arrested on drug charges, January 2nd (2026). 65-year-old Kurt David Crecelius, was arrested charges of Possession of Controlled Substance and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. He was also arrested on an active Cass County warrant for Violation of Probation. Crecelius was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and held.

On January 2nd, 2026, deputies in Cass County arrested 39-year-old Justin Andrew Kohl, of Minden. He was taken into custody on an active bench warrant for Failure to Appear on an original charge of Theft in the 5th Degree. Kohl was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and later released on his own recognizance.

(Radio Iowa) – The four UnityPoint hospitals in the Des Moines metro area report a tenfold increase in the number of patients testing positive for the flu in recent weeks, with more than 500 cases confirmed since late December. Flu cases across the region are multiplying rapidly as transmission rates are high, according to Megan Meller, an infection preventionist at Emplify Health by Gundersen. “This year, the virus that’s circulating, H3N2, it’s not a good match for the vaccine, and that’s because during its season it made copy mutations, which is very common for these viruses,” Meller says, “but these mutations allow the virus to evade our immunity just enough to enable it to spread a little bit quicker among people than we would otherwise expect.” She says this season’s flu strain is responding much like in past years, though it is spreading at a faster rate.

“Symptoms are the same. We’re not seeing any indication that illnesses are more severe with this strain than with any other strains, which is very encouraging to see,” Meller say. “We’re not really seeing any increase in complications either, it’s just spreading more rapidly, and we’re seeing many more cases right now than we would typically see in an average flu season.” Meller clarifies that while this vaccine isn’t a “good match” for the flu strain this year, she says it’s still important to get vaccinated, even at this late date.

“The vaccines are still really powerful against this virus and really what that means is you can get vaccinated and you might still get sick with this influenza strain, but the vaccine does a really great job at reducing your risk of either hospitalizations and other severe complications from influenza,” Meller says. “We still highly recommend getting vaccinated because it will offer you that protection.”

UnityPoint says its emergency rooms at Blank Children’s Hospital, Iowa Lutheran, Methodist West and Iowa Methodist report a total of 509 patients testing positive for both influenza A and B since December 21st. Emplify Healthy by Gundersen has clinics in Calmar, Decorah, Fayette, Lansing, Postville and Waukon, and a hospital in West Union.