2026/01/23

Eye Opener: Deep freeze across Iowa; former DMPS superintendent pleads guilty

It's Friday, January 23. Stay home and stay inside — if you can. And if you can't, bundle up in these frigid temps.

Today's emoji forecast: 🥶🥶🥶 It's a weather alert day with dangerous cold across the state. Jon Rivas has your forecast.

What people are talking about:

Despite social media posts circulating this week, experts say trees are not going to explode — you should be much more worried about your pipes bursting.
We don't expect widespread power outages during this cold snap but, just in case, here's how much food and water you should have ready when storms knock out your power.
Polk County is getting ready to launch a first-of-its-kind food pantry. The Global Neighbors Multi-Cultural Welcome Pantry aims to expand food assistance by offering culturally specific food options to better meet the needs of immigrant and refugee households.

TOP STORY: Entire state of Iowa under deep freeze

THE 101: Bone-chilling temperatures have settled in, which led over 100 school districts to cancel classes. An extreme cold warning is in effect as wind chill values dip to as low as 45 below zero.

WHAT TO KNOW: Air temperatures are in the single digits to teens below zero with a 15 mph wind and gusts 20 to 30 mph. The conditions can cause the first stage of frostbite in just 10 to 15 minutes. Exercise caution if you are headed outside for any extended period of time.

MORE WEATHER COVERAGE:

» You should be more worried about bursting pipes than exploding trees

» Safety first: How central Iowa schools make winter weather calls

» KCCI skycams: See views at 25 sites across Iowa from the KCCI camera network

» KCCI map room: Browse updated weather forecast maps, graphics

DAY BY DAY FORECAST:

Today: More clouds than sun. Very cold. High near -1F. Wind Chill of -10 to -30F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph.
Tonight: Cloudy. Very cold. Low -5F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday: Mainly cloudy skies. Light snow across southern Iowa. Very cold. High 5F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday night: Bitterly cold. Cloudy. Low -1F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday: Intervals of clouds and sunshine. Very cold. High 13F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph.
Sunday night: Clear skies with a few passing clouds. Very cold. Low -2F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.

4 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

🦫 In case you missed it: For lovers of Beaver Nuggets and gas station brisket, a Buc-ee's being built in Gretna, Nebraska, will be 200 miles closer to Des Moines than the current closest mega-store, which is in Springfield, Missouri. Read more

🌡️ Save some money: The right thermostat can save you some money, even if it costs a little more up front. Read more

🚨 "No one should be above the law in our country": Former Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith on Thursday defended his investigations of Donald Trump at a public congressional hearing in which he insisted that he had acted without regard to politics and had no second thoughts about the criminal charges he brought. Read more

💊 OTC: A bill allowing two controversial medications — ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine — to become available over the counter advanced in the Iowa House Thursday afternoon. Read more

Iowa crime: Former DMPS superintendent pleads guilty

Former Des Moines school superintendent Ian Roberts pleaded guilty in federal court to lying about his citizenship status and possessing firearms as an illegal alien, with sentencing scheduled for May 29.

Roberts appeared in court Thursday morning, escorted by two federal marshals, wearing a green and gray striped jail uniform. The courtroom was filled with friends and about a dozen plainclothes federal agents. Roberts confirmed his guilty plea to two federal charges, admitting he falsely claimed U.S. citizenship to secure his superintendent position and possessed three firearms as an illegal alien.

Outside the courthouse, Roberts' attorney, Alfredo Parrish, was asked why Roberts pleaded guilty.

"I won't go into that because he said he was guilty. Yeah, he had done these things. I mean, they don't thrill you, but these are things that he did. He wants to accept responsibility for it."

» MORE: Roberts pleads guilty to federal crimes, sentencing set for May