DES MOINES, Iowa (KCRG) – The Iowa Insurance Division (IID) is warning Iowans about inheritance scams that increase during the holiday season.

Iowans have been receiving letters claiming they have a “long-lost relative” with no immediate surviving family members. The letters ask recipients to contact a law firm in Canada to receive a large inheritance.

According to the IID, the scammers first gather personal information including bank account numbers, names and Social Security numbers, making the person vulnerable to theft. They then ask for money to cover taxes and fees from the inheritance.

Warning Signs

• Emails and letters from unknown sources in different countries stating the recipient has received a large amount of money.
• Asking for personal information including name, bank account numbers, and social security information.
• Asking for money to cover taxes, fees, or other costs.

Legitimate law firms don’t ask for fees upfront or request sensitive personal information through unsolicited letters. The IID advises people to warn family members about these scams.

For more information on scams, visit here.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa State University plans to build a new facility to produce the food for residence halls and other operations. I-S-U vice president of finance, Sean Reeder, presented the plans for a new dining support center at the recent Board of Regents meeting. “This dining support center would be designed to be the central food production facility for I-S-U dining. It’ll be approximately 27-thousand square feet,” he says. The new facility will upgrade and modernize food preparation for the Ames campus.

“It services over 20 dining service operations that include central bakery catering operations or retail outlets and the residential,” Reeder says. He says the food facility used now is in a building that’s nearly 60 years old. “Currently the dining is using the Knapp-Storms building for their central bakery and culinary operations. This building was built in 1966 and really just no longer meets our operational needs,” he says. The aging infrastructure is at end of life and it lacks capacity to support the modern culinary demands, technologies and workflows.”

Reeder says this is the first phase of a two-phase plan to upgrade the food preparation and delivery on campus. “We will remove all the production operations out of the Knapp-Storms building and into the this new facility, and then we’ll demolish the Knapp-Storms building at the completion of phase one,” he says. “The estimated project budget is 20 to 23 million and this will be funded through I-S-U Dining and Department of Residence through building renewal funds.”

The second phase pending the availability of funding would move the shipping and receiving operations to a facility located near the new building. It would also add 15-square feet to that shipping and receiving facility. The Regents approved moving ahead with a design for the new food facility and developing a timeline for its construction.

(Guthrie Center, IA) – Sheriff’s officials in Guthrie County say three accidents occurred over the past week, one of which possible/unknown injuries.

On Dec. 16th, a 2025 Honda CRV (SUV) driven by 41-year-old Sabrina Torneden, of Derby, KS, was traveling north on State Highway 25 at around 4:20-p.m.  The vehicle had just passed 250th Street, when a deer ran out of the east ditch and entered the roadway. Torneden was unable to avoid striking the animal. Her car sustained a sheriff’s-estimated $5,000 damage.

On the 18th, a 2006 Dodge RAM pickup driven by 36-year-old Miles Worthington, of Osceola, drove off of a residential dead-end street in Stuart, as it was traveling west on NW 2nd Street. The pickup drove off the paved road for about 90-feet before it collided with a tree and came to rest. The vehicle sustained a sheriff’s-estimated $1,501 worth of damage.

And, on Dec. 21st, a 2024 GMC pickup driven by 36-year-old Luke Skalla, of Bayard, was westbound on 140th Street just east of Justice Road, when the vehicle went out of control on the ice covered gravel road. The pickup drove-off the road and over a river bank before coming to rest in the water.  A passenger in the pickup, 31-year-old Bridgette Skalla, of Bayard, complained of pain and possible injury.

The vehicle sustained a sheriff’s-estimate $15,000 damage. A Guthrie County Bridge guard rail sustained an estimated $100,000 damage during the accident.

(Radio Iowa) – Two men wanted in connection with last week’s burglary at the Lyon County Courthouse are now in custody. The Lyon County Sheriff’s Office says both suspects were arrested early Saturday morning in Spearfish. Authorities have identified the suspects as 39-year-old Brandon Lyle High Pipe and 18-year-old Luciano Eliseo Sanchez. Nationwide warrants had been issued for both individuals on multiple felony and misdemeanor charges related to the break-in.

The burglary occurred during the overnight hours of December 16th into the 17th, when deputies say extensive damage was done inside the courthouse.

The Lyon County Auditor says the courthouse will remain closed to the public on Monday to allow for additional cleaning and restoration work. The building is scheduled to reopen during regular business hours on Tuesday. The Lyon County Sheriff’s Office says the investigation remains ongoing.

(Radio Iowa) – Today (Monday) marks the first full day of winter, though Iowa’s already seen plenty of snowfall in the weeks since Thanksgiving. Aaron Steil, a consumer horticulture specialist at the Iowa State University Extension, says some homeowners may be concerned about their trees and other plants being damaged by the snow, especially if their limbs are sagging.

“Most of the time, plants do a pretty good job of shedding that snow off all on their own,” Steil says, “but if you do have a younger plant, or an evergreen that seems to be very weighed down by snow, you can go out and brush it off using your hand or a broom.” If you want to clear that snow off yourself, he says there is a right way — and a wrong way — to go about the process.

“Just make sure you do it in an upward motion instead of a downward one,” he says, “so that you don’t stress branches that are bending down even more.” Steil says ice can do infinitely more damage to young plants than snow, however, he says you need to resist the urge to try to remove ice from their frozen boughs and limbs. “You’re likely to do more damage than good. If you try to go out and remove ice from shrubs and trees in your landscape, you can go out and maybe prop something up with a board, if you’re really worried about it,” Steil says. “Otherwise, trying to break it off or throwing hot water on it to try to melt it off, all of those always do more damage than help.”

The best thing you can do for an ice-coated tree, he says, is to leave it alone and let the sun warm it up.

(Radio Iowa) – The minority leader in the Iowa House says Democrats will be engaged in trying to resolve the long-running debate over the proposed Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline. House Democratic Leader Brian Meyer says it’s important to get a bill passed and signed by the governor in early 2026. “I believe that there is a way to get this done that will benefit every farmer in the state and also protect property rights,” Meyer said.

Meyer says PART of the solution could be an idea touted last week by the Senate’s Republican Leader that would give
developers more flexibility in changing a pipeline route — to go around landowners who don’t want the pipeline on their property. “You have to bring everybody to the table and unless you bring everybody the table and get consensus, it just is not going to work,” Meyer says. “There’s everybody all over the place on this thing. It’s not a partisan issue. Democrats, we’re happy to engage. We want a solution. We have friends on all sides of this. We want rural Iowa to succeed, but we want to protect landowners as well.”

Senate Democratic Leader Janice Weiner isn’t predicting what kind of a compromise package might emerge — but she says Iowan’s private property rights should never been infringed upon for a pipeline developer’s private gain.  “We’re busy talking to various parties to see what the lay of the land is — pun not intended — as well,” Weiner said. Weiner says if the disagreement among Republicans on the pipeline issue isn’t resolved quickly in 2026, she predicts it will be difficult for the legislature move on to other issues.

A dozen Senate Republicans forced a vote and joined Senate Democrats last spring to pass the pipeline bill that Governor Reynolds vetoed. The bill had easily passed the House on an 85 to 10 vote.

(Glenwood, IA) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office, today (Monday), released a report on arrests that took place last week (12/16-19):

• On the 19th, 21-year-old Hunter Allen Dunn, of Council Bluffs, was arrested in Glenwood for Driving Under Suspension (Bond $300).
• Three people were arrested Dec. 17th in Mills County:
  • 46-year-old Eduardo Rojas, of Omaha, was arrested in Glenwood for Failure To Appear on a Felony charge (Bond $2,000).
  • 58-year-old Derrick Lee Dornburgh, of Malvern, was arrested in Malvern for Driving While License Denied or Revoked on an Original OWI charge (Bond $1,000).
  • and, 36-year-old Jason Luis Rowland, of Glenwood, was arrested in Council Bluffs on an Out of County/State warrant (Bond $1,000).
• On Dec. 16th: 32-year-old Zachary Scott Jolley, of Glenwood, was arrested in Pacific Junction, for Possession of Marijuana/1st Offense (Bond $1,000); and, 18-year-old Faedan Floyd McCord, of Glenwood, was arrested in Glenwood for Domestic Abuse Assault w/Injury – 1st Offense (Bond $1,000).

(Greenfield, IA) – The Adair County Sheriff’s Office reports six arrests took place between Dec. 14th and the 19th.

On Dec. 14th, Deputies arrested 29-year-old Andrew Montgomery Irons, of Stuart, on an Adair County warrant for: two-counts of Assault while displaying a dangerous weapon, and Harassment in the 1st Degree,  and on a Bench Warrant for Violation of Probation. His total bond was set at $9,000. Irons was released on a cash-or-surety bond that same day.

Separately, 60-year-old Shawn Leroy Enarson, of Massena, was arrested Dec. 14th in Greenfield, for OWI/1st offense. He was released with a citation that same night.

The Iowa State Patrol arrested 29-year-old Armain Marguis Pazmino, of Greenfield, on Dec. 17th following a traffic stop near Orient, in Adair County. Pazmino was arrested for Driving While Barred. He was released after posting a $2,000 cash or surety bond.

On the 19th of December, 59-year-old Jeffrey Blake Wilbourne, of Corning, was arrested in Bridgewater, for Criminal Mischief in the 5th Degree. He was later released on a $300 cash-only bond. And, 26-year-old Tyler Dean Gist, of Shannon City, was arrested in Greenfield for Domestic Abuse Assault with Injury or Mental Illness/1st Offense. He was later released on a $1,000 cash or surety bond.

(Radio Iowa) – The health care bill passed by House Republicans includes provisions for cost-sharing reductions, Association Health Plans, and transparency around pharmacy benefit managers. It does not include a provision for Health Savings accounts but Republican Congresswoman Ashley Hinson says it isn’t done yet.  “I think there is more to do here, and that’s exactly what we’re going to be doing in the House come 2026 so I’ll continue working on bipartisan solutions here that protect consumer choice, which is exactly what H-S-As help to do,” Hinson says. The bill does not include an extension of enhanced premium tax credits that Democrats have been fighting for.

Hinson represents the Second District and says expanding H-S-As will be a top priority for the new year.  “We have to continue working to lower premiums and health care costs for American families, provide families with more flexibility. So, I would say this week’s vote was a good step to lowering those health care costs,” she says.

Republicans says giving people money directly to put in H-S-A’s is a better solution than the tax credits.