(Cedar County, IA) – A person who was apparently struck by one or more vehicles, was found deceased on Interstate 80, this (Saturday) morning. According to the Iowa State Patrol, Troopers were called at around 5:45-a.m. to mile marker 277 of westbound I-80 (The Durant Exit), were a pedestrian was found on the roadway.

The name of the individual was being withheld pending identification and notification of family. The body was sent to the State Medical Examiner’s lab in Ankeny. The incident remains under investigation.

Multiple agencies assisted at the scene.

Mahaska County, IA – A woman from Oskaloosa was arrested Thursday and booked-into the Mahaska County Jail in Oskaloosa, following an investigation into her having allegedly trying to sell her one-month-old baby. KCRG-TV reports court documents show that in August, 2025, 33-year-old Tiffany Smith willingly gave her one-month-old child to a family member of a potential buyer.

The family member had the child for two and a half hours when Smith allegedly demanded $10,000 or that they give the child back. The documents say the family remember returned the child. The potential buyer then showed police officers text messages exchanged with Smith detailing the purchase of the baby.

During an emergency removal of the baby by the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, Smith was asked about the incident. Court documents say she told officers she needed financial help. Officers found text messages on Smith’s phone between her and her mother that involved information about this case.

Smith’s bond is set at $10,000 cash or surety bond.

(Redd Oak, IA – The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports a man from Red Oak was arrested at around 8-p.m. Friday on a Federal U.S. Marshal’s warrant. 50-year-old Robert Eugene Glassgow was taken into custody on the warrant for Violation of Supervised release, on the original charge of Receipt of Child Pornography.

Glassgow was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held without bond.

DES MOINES, Iowa – A Malden, Massachusetts man was sentenced on January 20, 2026, to eight years in federal prison for conspiring to distribute fentanyl.

According to public court documents, Michael Thomas D’Orlando, 47, sent packages with a powder containing fentanyl to a person in the Southern District of Iowa. On November 27, 2023, the Norwalk Police Department located a deceased victim. Further investigation showed that the victim ingested the powder D’Orlando sent to Iowa and the fentanyl caused the victim’s death.

After completing his term of imprisonment, D’Orlando will be required to serve a three-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service remains committed in its collaboration with our law enforcement partners to ensure that those who distribute lethal doses of fentanyl are held accountable,” said Bryan Musgrove, Inspector in Charge of the Denver Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. “This sentencing emphasizes the impact of fentanyl distribution in our communities and our commitment in relentlessly pursuing those responsible for distributing the deadly drug.”

Greg Staples, Chief of Police for the City of Norwalk, said “The distribution of narcotics presents a severe risk to the community and resulted in the death of a community member in the City of Norwalk in November 2023. Thank you to our partners, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa for assisting with this investigation. These partnerships are crucial to maintain public safety, quality prosecutions, and justice for the citizens of Norwalk.”

United States Attorney David C. Waterman of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The United States Postal Inspection Service, Polk County Sheriff’s Office, and City of Norwalk Police Department investigated the case.

(Atlantic, IA) – The Cass County Tourism Council’s annual meeting will be held at the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce, Wednesday February 4th 9AM. The schedule is four meetings per year, with meetings at 9:00 a.m. on the first Wednesday of the following months: February, May, August and November. Meetings will take place at the Atlantic Chamber unless otherwise noted, this will also be published on the Council’s webpage at: https://www.casscountyia.gov/county-departments/tourism/ . A new slate of officers will be elected for the 2026 year.

According to a report from Travel Iowa, the economic impact of visitors in Iowa is significant, including our own Cass County! Visitor spending in the State of Iowa for 2024 (the most current economic impact statement) was a whopping $7.5Billion, a 2.8% increase over 2023. We (Cass County) had $2.84 Million in Sales and Lodging tax collected in 2024. Sales and Lodging tax collected in 2024 in Cass County was slightly lower, as well as our total growth rate over all for 2024 was 5% lower. Our Retail and Transportation spending was higher in Cass County in 2024. Despite the losses, our share of the state in visitor spending remained the same. In Cass County, local sales taxes collected amounted to over $1,100,000! And state sales taxes collected in Cass County for the year was $1,620,000! Tourism is much more than fun and games…it means business!

“This year’s numbers reflect the continued strength of our tourism economy and the enduring appeal of our state’s destinations,” said Amy Zeigler, manager of the Iowa Tourism Office. “To keep this momentum going, we’ll continue to focus on understanding the evolving motivations of today’s travelers and helping Iowa communities connect with them in the most impactful ways.” The entire report is available at traveliowa.com.

If you’re interested in the future of Tourism in Cass County, please plan to attend the next Tourism Committee meeting Wednesday, February 4, 9:00 a.m. at the Atlantic Chamber.

DES MOINES, IOWA [Submitted by an Atlantic FFA reporter] —On Wednesday January 21st 6 members of the Atlantic FFA Chapter along with FFA members from across Iowa converged on the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines to build character and promote citizenship, volunteerism, and patriotism.

Atlantic FFA members Lauren Comes, Maddy Anderson, Hayden Kleen, Keston Schmitt, Frank Freund and Kayedance Sturm along with more than 500 high school students wearing blue corduroy from 88 schools visited the Iowa State Capitol Building in Des Moines on January 21st. The students visited with legislators, exhibited skills learned in the agriculture classroom and learned the importance of citizenship. This was all part of the 41st Annual Iowa FFA Legislative Symposium and FFA Day at the Capitol.

Left to right: Lauren Comes, Kayedance Sturm, Frank Freund, Maddy Anderson, Senator Shipley, Hayden Kleen, Keston Schmitt

Atlantic FFA members met with Senator Tom Shipley to discuss a variety of topics ranging from school funding to Eminent Domain and how it could affect Iowa agriculture. Representative Moore was unable to meet with us due to a committee meeting, but we did meet with his clerk Ella Stafford to discuss a few different legislative topics and how an FFA member could become a Clerk or Page in the future.

During the morning, FFA members gathered at the Downtown Embassy Suites for a brief greeting and tutorial. The program provided opportunities for FFA members to hear from Mike Naig, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, about the importance of agriculture in Iowa and abroad. Iowa Farm Bureau Federation Vice President, Brian Feldpausch, then delivered a message about the importance young agriculturalists can play in the agriculture industry. Jake Swanson from High Yield Strategies then spoke about the importance of advocating for the agricultural industry.

Seated Lauren Comes. Back row left to right: Frank Freund, Hayden Kleen, Keston Schmitt, Maddy Anderson Kayedance Sturm

The 41st Annual Iowa FFA Legislative Symposium and FFA Day at the Capitol was made possible with support from Iowa Farm Bureau Federation through the Iowa FFA Foundation.

(Photos submitted w/the story)

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds has completed a five-day tour of some of the sites in the Middle East where nearly 18-hundred Iowa National Guard soldiers are deployed. Reynolds and Iowa National Guard Adjutant General Stephen Osborn went to Syria, Jordan, Iraq and Kuwait. Reynolds presented the Purple Heart to an Iowa soldier who was wounded in the ambush in December that killed two Iowa soldiers. She also visited airmen deployed from a unit in Sioux City who provided medical care to Iowans after the attack. Reynolds praised their service last week during a speech to legislators.

Reynolds said “…Iowans taking care of Iowans, all in service of their country. Our State could not be prouder.” The two Iowa soldiers who were critically wounded are receiving outpatient care. The two soldiers who were killed were laid to rest in Iowa in late December.

In a recent speech to state lawmakers, Major General Osborn said the deployed Iowa soldiers are contributing to stability in the Mideast.

Osborn says most of the 18-hundred Iowa National Guard soldiers who are currently deployed in the Middle East are part of a unit based in Boone.

(Radio Iowa) – U-S Senate candidate Josh Turek of Council Bluffs says Thursday’s 53rd anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in America is a reminder that change can happen quickly. “I think there’s a generational chance for us to be able to actually win back elections and take back the House and take back the Senate,” Turek said. “And I think that gives us hope to actually see real change in being able to codify Roe v Wade.” Turek, who is currently a member of the Iowa House, held a round-table discussion yesterday (Thursday) with a Des Moines-based O-B-G-Y-N, two state legislators and two women who are former Planned Parenthood administrators.

Turek says Iowa’s six week abortion ban is contributing to the state’s health care crisis because it’s made Iowa a challenging and unattractive place for O-B-G-Y-Ns to practice. “I’ll tell you this that the single issue that I have heard the most in knocking doors and representing the reddest district in the state, the only issue actually that I found is unanimously supported is that our health care system is fundamentally broken,” Turek said. Turek says voters are worried about access to health care services – including abortion — as well as prescription drug prices, the closure of rural nursing homes and health care facilities and the skyrocketing premiums for over tens of thousands of Iowans who no longer qualify for Affordable Care Act insurance subsidies.

Turek faces a June Primary against fellow Democrats Zach Wahls of Coralville and Nathan Sage of Knoxville who are also running for the U.S. Senate. President Trump has endorsed Republican Congresswoman Ashley Hinson’s campaign for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by fellow Republican Joni Ernst.

(Clarinda, IA) – Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers says with the weather forecast for tonight into Saturday morning indicating a probability of accumulating snowfall, the Clarinda Police Department would like to remind the citizens of Clarinda about the snow ordinance.

The ordinance states “No person shall park any motor vehicle or other apparatus upon any street of the city that will obstruct the removal of snow when there has been an accumulation of two inches or more of snow or ice. Any vehicle left parked on any street in violation of this ordinance may be impounded, and the registered owner of the vehicle will be subject to a $30.00 parking fine, and payment of all applicable towing and storage fees before the vehicle is released.”

The parking ban remains in effect until the snow ceases to fall, and the streets have been plowed from curb to curb.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Supreme Court is upholding a district court ruling that says Iowa can sue the operators of the TikTok app for allegedly lying about its safety for kids. The state sued TikTok operators under the Iowa Consumer Frauds Act saying they kept a “12-plus” age rating on the app despite the presence of mature and age-inappropriate content. TikTok argued their terms of service agreement is a nationwide contract not directed specifically at Iowa customers.

The Supreme Court ruling says TikTok has entered ongoing contractual relationships with hundreds of thousands of Iowa residents where they actively curate content for users and in exchange they extract valuable data. It says intentionally conducting business within a state comes with the protection of the state’s laws, and the burden of being hauled into court to answer for misconduct related to its operations.