(Midwest Region) – If you stayed up late Sunday night into early this (Monday) morning, and you had a clear view of the sky, you probably witnessed one of nature’s most fascinating phenomenon: The Northern Lights. Viewers from all across Iowa sent photos of what they saw to news outlets, including KJAN. The northern lights were visible as far south as Oklahoma and Arkansas on Sunday night.

We received these photos, courtesy Kenneth Lee, in the Nodaway Valley area.

(Radio Iowa)- The Iowa Utilities Board has issued two MILLION dollars in fines against two pipeline companies for operating in Iowa for years, without state permits. State officials recently checked the National Pipeline Mapping System and discovered Houston-based Enterprise Products Operating L-L-C didn’t have current permits for two underground storage facilities in Iowa and seven pipelines that cover about 750 miles in Iowa. All interstate pipelines are required by a 1995 Iowa law to get operating and maintenance permits from the state.

The Iowa Utilities Board is assessing a one-point-eight MILLION dollar fine against the company. Sinclair Transportation Company didn’t have a permit for a nearly 12 mile pipeline in Lee County, near Fort Madison, and is facing a 200-thousand dollar fine.

Last year the Iowa Utilities Board began reviewing hazardous liquid pipelines in the state, checking operators had expiring permits, and the board discovered these two companies had facilities in Iowa, but didn’t have permits. Both companies have recently filed new petitions seeking permits for hazardous liquid pipelines and underground storage facilities.

(Radio Iowa) – Flooding is expected in eastern Iowa along the Mississippi River in the coming days. Alexander Gibbs is the lead meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in the Quad Cities.

The river has reached major flood stage in Dubuque. By Tuesday, the National Weather Service forecasts major flooding from Dubuque to just north of Burlington, with moderate flooding in Fort Madison. In northeast Iowa, the Weather Service predicts flood levels in places like McGregor may reach above the crest during major flooding in 2019. Gibbs says most of the water heading down the Mississippi is melted snow.

Gibbs says there’s not much rain in this week’s forecast. The Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management is coordinating with emergency managers in counties along the Mississippi river corridor to check on their supplies of water pumps and sandbags and to offer technical assistance. The agency’s director is recommending that Iowans who live along the Mississippi River prepare for possible flooding and have an evacuation plan ready.

(Radio Iowa) – Over a thousand Christian conservatives gathered this weekend in central Iowa to hear from several likely competitors for the G-O-P’s 2024 presidential nomination. Former President Donald Trump spoke at the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition event via a live video feed. Trump seemed to respond to a major anti-abortion group that’s criticized Trump for saying abortion policy should be left to the states. “I will stand proudly in defense of innocent life, just as I did for four very powerful, strong years,” Trump said. Trump reminded the audience he had appointed three U.S. Supreme Court justices, creating the court’s conservative majority that overturned Roe v Wade.

The other declared and potential Republican presidential candidates appeared in-person. Former Vice President Mike Pence said it’s likely abortion policies will be decided at the state level. “But I don’t agree with the former president who says this is a states’ only issue,” Pence told reporters after speaking to the crowd. “I mean, we’ve been given a new beginning for life in this country.” Pence said he’d sign a federal law banning abortions after the 15th week of a pregnancy.

Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson has previously said he’d be hesitant to take power away from the states, but this weekend Hutchinson said he’d sign a national 15-week abortion ban into law if he’s elected president. “I signed 30 pro-life bills, over 30, during my eight years as governor,” Hutchinson said. The other candidates and potential candidates who spoke — like South Carolina Senator Tim Scott — did not focus on the abortion issue.

Larry Elder, a radio talk show host who ran for governor of California in 2021, launched a presidential campaign last week. Elder says the number one domestic problem in America is the number of children living in a home without a father married to their mother.

Vivek Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur, announced he was running for president in February and has criticized Democrats for pursuing a woke agenda.

Entrepreneur Perry Johnson, who announced he was running for president in February, has begun sending copies of his book to likely Iowa Caucus-goers. Without mentioning Trump by name, Johnson is criticizing Trump’s business record and the federal deficit that grew during Trump’s presidency.

Former Texas Congressman Will Hurd and former Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, a 2020 Democratic candidate for president, also spoke at Saturday’s event in Clive. Gabbard left the Democratic Party in October and has been a paid contributor on Fox News since November and has been a guest host for Tucker Carlson Tonight.