(Radio Iowa) – Schools, churches, American Legion Posts — even a bank and an insurance agency are among the places where precinct meetings will be held for tonight’s (Monday’s) Iowa Caucuses. Republicans in more than two dozen Iowa counties, however, have made plans to have all precincts in the county meet at one location. Twenty-eight counties will have just one, so-called “super site” for Caucus Night.

Wapello County Republicans will be gathering at Ottumwa High School. Wapello County G-O-P chair Trudy Caviness says  “We have done this because when I started doing Caucuses, which is about 25 years ago, we only had about 700 people that attended,” Caviness says. “in 2016, we had about 1800 people.” Caviness says it could be difficult for some rural residents to make it to Ottumwa, but she says given the number of phone calls she’s fielding, the wind chill may not dampen turnout. “I’ve heard from a lot of people who have never Caucused before and they’re excited about it,” Caviness says. “They want to know the procedures and what happens and so I think we’re going to have pretty robust turnout.”

Denny Werkmeister is O’Brien County G-O-P chairman and Republicans in his county will be meeting at the Harley-Melvin-Sanborn High School. “It makes reporting (results) easier if we’re all at one location. We also get a better handle, I think, on the number of people who are attending,” he says. “Just logistics wise, it’s a benefit.” What is his guess on turnout? “That’s a good question,” Werkmeister said, with a laugh. “I think with the presidential race and some of the issues that are going on, I think the turn-out will be good.”

Plans for these “super sites” were made long ago — well before anyone knew what tonight’s (Monday’s) weather was going to be like. Most of the 28 counties that opted to have one meeting place for all precincts in the county reserved space at a school or community college, but Adams County Republicans will be meeting at the Opera House in Corning.

Here’s the list of counties where all precincts will meet in one location in the county: Adams, Adair, Calhoun, Clay, Crawford, Davis, Delaware, Dickinson, Emmet, Floyd, Franklin, Humboldt, Ida, Lucas, Monona, Monroe, Montgomery, O’Brien, Osceola, Palo Alto, Ringgold, Sac, Shelby, Wapello, Wayne, Webster, Worth, Wright.)

Cass County (IA) Democrats will caucus tonight at 7-p.m. with check-in at 6:30. The location is 102 Chestnut Street. Registered Democrats and those who will be 18 by Nov. 5, 2024 can participate in the caucus.

(Radio Iowa) – The first event of the 2024 presidential campaign is nearly here. The Iowa Caucuses begin tonight (Monday) at seven and the candidates spent the closing hours of the campaign dealing with blizzard conditions and bitter cold as they made their final pitches.

After cancelling in-person events on Saturday, former President Donald Trump hosted a rally in Indianola Sunday and brought some guests on stage, including Doug Burgum, the North Dakota governor who dropped out of the race this fall. “I’m here to do something that none of the other presidential primary candidates have done and that’s to endorse Donald J. Trump for president of the United States of America,” Burgum said, to cheers. Burgum praised Trump’s record as president and closed with a message to Iowa Caucus goers.

“You have an opportunity to send a message to the nation,” Burgum said, “and send a message to the world.” Trump cautioned his supporters not to be complacent. “So brave the weather and go out and save America,” Trump said, “because that’s what you’re doing.” Trump, though, noted the Caucuses will be indoors. “You’ve got to get out. You can’t sit home. If you’re sick as a dog…even if you vote and then pass away, it’s worth it,” and the crowd laughed and clapped.

Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley campaigned in Ames and Adel, but cancelled an in-person event in Dubuque, then held a telephone town hall with people who had registered to attend. “Iowa sets the tone for where the country goes when it comes to these elections,” Haley said. “There are no foregone conclusions, but we really have an opportunity to really get our country back.”

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis spoke with Radio Iowa just before a Sunday night campaign rally in Ankeny. “This weekend’s been off the chart. We’re having people show up in this sub-freezing temperature,” DeSantis said. “I’ve got people knocking on doors in the snow.” The Des Moines Register “Iowa Poll” released this weekend showed Trump with a 28 point lead over Nikki Haley, who was in second place. DeSantis slipped to third in the Register’s Iowa Poll, with 16 percent, but among the top three candidates, a greater share of DeSantis supporters said they definitely plan to attend a Caucus tonight.

Laura Dolehide is a DeSantis supporter who saw the candidate in person on Sunday in Dubuque. “I don’t pay attention to polls,” she said. “I think Iowa takes these caucuses very seriously and I think the weather is not going to hold people back.” The Iowa Poll found Haley with 20 percent support among likely Iowa Caucus-goers. Linda Ratka (RAT-kuh) of Dyersville, who intends to Caucus for Haley, is encouraged.  “She’s moving up, all the time,” Ratka says.

Registration for the Caucuses starts at 6 p.m., then the Caucuses will begin at seven.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa is in the presidential campaign spotlight today.  Here’s how the Iowa Caucuses work:

You have to be an Iowa resident and a registered Republican voter to participate in the Iowa G-O-P’s Caucuses. With proper I-D – like a driver’s license – you can complete that voter registration at the door. The Caucuses will start at 7 p.m. There will be brief speeches on behalf of each candidate, sometimes from a campaign’s volunteer leader in the precinct, then caucus-goers will cast a paper ballot. An observer from each campaign may watch the counting.

The results are announced in the room, then reported to the county chair, who is responsible for submitting the tallies to Iowa G-O-P headquarters. People may leave after they cast a straw poll ballot, but after the voting’s over Republicans will conduct party business – elect delegates for the county convention, discuss the party platform and sign nominating petitions so local candidates can qualify for the June Primary ballot.

Iowa Democrats are holding in-person Caucuses tonight at 7 p.m as well to conduct party business. If you- don’t know where your Caucus site may be, each party has that information on its website.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa’s First District Congresswoman, Mariannette Miller-Meeks, was in a vehicle that was rear-ended by a semi this weekend. It happened Saturday as Miller-Meeks was headed to introduce Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley at an event. According to a statement from Miller-Meeks’ staff, the congresswoman did not require medical attention and left the scene in a private vehicle.

Miller-Meeks posted a video on social media afterwards that did not directly mention the wreck, but Miller-Meeks said: “when life gives you lemons, make turkey pot pie” – then she added “please be safe on the roads.” She had a pot pie on the table in front of her.

(Radio Iowa) – Snow is NOT in Iowa’s forecast — until late Wednesday and Thursday. Meteorologist Allan Curtis at the National Weather Service office in the Des Moines metro says it will be nothing like what Iowa has endured over the past few days. “Certainly not 10 inches of snow like we saw the last couple of storm,” Curtis says. The National Weather Service reports 25-and-a-half (25.5) inches of snow fell in the Quad Cities from Monday through Friday of last week. Dubuque recorded 24-point-seven inches of snow during the same period. Nearly two feet fell in Waterloo from Monday through Friday. Those are all record amounts for a five day period. Curtis says the snow that has piled up will stay a while.

“Even if we got warm — 30 or 40 degrees — we would need at least a couple of weeks of that to make a real dent in the people’s general snow pack in their yards,” Curis says. “There are areas — edges of driveways, parking lots, rural areas — that have feet of snow and it’s going to take even longer for that, so for better or worse, I hope people are prepared to see this snow stick around for a number of weeks.” Today’s (Monday’s) high will below zero. By six o’clock, when tens of thousands of Iowans will be arriving at Caucus sites around the state, wind chills will flirt with 30 below zero.

“Really, the take away there is when traveling, please be careful because if you get stuck, that’s when the wind chill and the cold really become a concern for people,” Curtis says. “Just dress appropriately. Take your time.” There is a wind chill warning in effect for Iowa until noon on Tuesday.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department says no injuries were reported after a snowplow and SUV collided Friday afternoon, in Creston. The accident happened at around 2:30-p.m., near the intersection of S. Sumner Street and Highway 34.

Authorities say a 2020 International truck snowplow owned by the Iowa Department of Transportation and driven by 51-year-old Branden Conley, of Creston, was traveling south on S. Sumner Street, proceeding across Highway 34, and had a green traffic light.

A 2012 Toyota Venza SUV driven by 49-year-old Holly Oliphant, of Lenox, was following the snow plow. While approaching the intersection, Oliphant told police she thought the plow was making a left turn. She attempted to go around the snow plow on the right, unaware that both vehicles were converging on the same lane of travel.

The SUV struck the edge of the snow plow, causing minor damage to the left side quarter panel of the SUV. The damage was estimated at $1,500. The snowplow was undamaged. There were no citations issued.

(Creston, Iowa) – An accident in Union County, Saturday evening caused $2,000 damage to a pickup truck, but no one was injured. The Union County Sheriff’s Office reports a 2004 GMC Sierra pickup driven by 32-year-old Nicholas Duane Johnson, of Leon, was traveling east on Highway 34 at around 7:53-p.m., when a small car crossed the middle lane. When Johnson swerved to avoid a collision, his pickup hit the bridge railing, causing damage to the vehicle.

The driver of other vehicle did not stop.

(Anita, Iowa) – [In an update to our previous reports]  Anita Fire Chief Eric Steffensen says a residence in Anita was a total loss following a fire Saturday morning. The blaze at 305 Michigan Street was reported at around 8:20-a.m.  Steffensen told KJAN News Sunday morning, that “Upon arrival we had to get some skid loaders and stuff to clear the three-foot of snow out in the driveway. We pulled in there and there was heavy smoke coming out of the attic eaves and the addition eaves. We tried to vent [the home] and [conduct] an interior attack. We couldn’t get on the roof to do anything because of the ice and the wind and everything.”

Chief Steffensen said with the wind and cold temperatures, “Things were freezing-up. We tried to spray water on the fire and it [was] just making ice on everything real thick, like an inch or two thick, real fast.” Fortunately, even with ice everywhere, none of the firefighters were hurt. The homeowner got out safely. “Because of the weather and that,” Steffensen said “We could not get the fire put out,” which resulted in the home being a total loss. He was the only occupant of the home.

Photo courtesy Kennon, Cass County EMA.

Steffensen confirmed Highway 148 coming into Anita was blocked for a time. He said if the fire had been out in the country instead of in-town, he doubts they would have been able to make it to the scene due to the snow drifts. “Even an ambulance ..if we gotta get into the country, it’s gonna take a while.”

The Chief said “We’d like to thank Atlantic, Wiota and Adair Fire, and Cass County EMA for coming over and assisting” with the incident. He said it’s his understanding the Red Cross was going to help the resident with shelter, as much as possible, and it’s likely someone will get an account set up for the gentleman.

Steffensen said he wanted to thank also, “People of Anita or wherever they may possibly be from, they were bringing us coffee and doughnuts and cookies and water. We really appreciate all that. We got some soup and stuff to keep warm. [As] It was just miserable out.”

Chief Steffensen said the cause of the fire “Is undetermined at this time.”

(Iowa Capital Dispatch) – Former President Donald Trump continues to lead the pack in the Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa Poll released Saturday, but his lead has dropped by a few percentage points since December. The poll also showed former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley has moved into second place, ahead of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for the first time in the Iowa Poll. The survey of likely Iowa Republican caucusgoers found 48% pick Trump as their first choice candidate, followed by Haley at 20% and DeSantis at 16%.

Trump and DeSantis both fell by 3 percentage points from the December poll, when the former president led with 51%. Haley was one of two candidates whose numbers rose in the poll, rising by 4 percentage points. Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy was the first choice for 8% of likely caucusgoers in January, compared to 5% in December. A majority of the GOP caucusgoers polled, 68%, said their minds were made up, while a quarter said they could still be persuaded. That percentage is much higher for Trump supporters at 82% whose minds are made up. For Haley, 63% of those who picked her as their first choice are committed to supporting her caucus night; 64% of DeSantis’ supporters say their minds are made up.

Though top-line results showed a positive shift for Haley in Iowa, she still trails the frontrunner, Trump, by double digits. She also may face problems with enthusiasm: a majority, 49%, of Haley supporters said they are only “mildly enthusiastic” to caucus for her, compared to 49% of Trump supporters who said they are “extremely enthusiastic,” and 39% who said they are “very enthusiastic.” Only 9% of respondents who said Haley was their top pick said they were “extremely enthusiastic,” and 30% “very enthusiastic.” DeSantis’ enthusiasm grew from the December poll, with 23% who said they are “extremely enthusiastic” to support him on caucus night, up 7 percentage points from the previous poll. Haley’s base of supporters in Iowa also looks different than her competitors. Thirty-nine percent of likely Republican caucusgoers who plan to support her identify as independents, and 11% identify as Democrats. In comparison, 78% of both Trump and DeSantis supporters identify as Republicans, and just 1% identify as Democrats.

Trump still holds an overall lead with independents who plan to attend the Republican caucuses at 37%. Haley has the support of 33% of independents, followed by DeSantis at 14% and Ramaswamy with 5%. Issues like enthusiasm could play a decisive role in the Jan. 15 Republican caucuses. Participants are required to attend in person at 7 p.m. on caucus night in order to express their presidential preference. With temperatures predicted between -1 and -7 degrees Fahrenheit and the possibility of more snow, Iowa Republicans say there could be lower turnout than previously expected.

Though blizzards and dangerous wind chill have created hazardous travel conditions across Iowa, presidential candidates are still holding events in the final days before caucus night and encouraging Iowans to participate despite the winter weather on Monday. DeSantis urged supporters to “brave the elements” and bring their friends and family to caucus at a Saturday event in West Des Moines. Haley urged Iowans at Saturday events to attend the caucuses and “set the tone” for the rest of the nominating cycle, according to the Huffington Post. The former South Carolina governor has said that while she hopes for a “good showing” on caucus night, that she hopes to take on Trump for the top position in New Hampshire and her home state of South Carolina.

Trump, who canceled three of his four Iowa events planned for the weekend, said at a livestreamed town hall in Des Moines Saturday that while the weather is not favorable, he knows his supporters will “walk over glass” to help him return to the White House. While he has a large lead, he said  showing up to caucus is important to “send the message, most importantly, for November” that he can win against President Joe Biden.

The Iowa Poll of 705 likely Republican caucusgoers was conducted Jan. 7-12 by the polling firm Selzer & Co. headed by J. Ann Selzer. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.