FROM KCCI: Former DMPS superintendent Ian Roberts to plead guilty to federal charges after ICE arrest. Former Des Moines Public Schools superintendent Ian Roberts is set to plead guilty to both federal indictments he faces following his September 2025 arrest by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ... READ MORE

FROM WHO-TV: DSM International Airport unveils progress on new terminal. The $557 million Lift DSM Terminal Project is still a year away from officially opening to the public, but airport staff allowed a behind-the-scenes look at their progress thus far. The project started in 2022 with the goal of creating a terminal that would better reflect the increasing number of travelers coming through Des Moines, which the current 75-year-old terminal is struggling to handle. ... READ MORE

FROM WOI: 2026 James Beard Awards Semifinalists released. See the Iowa restaurants recognized. The semifinalists for the culinary world’s equivalent of the Oscars have been announced. The James Beard Awards, which has a mission to "recognize exceptional talent and achievement in the culinary arts, hospitality, media, and broader food system," announced the 2026 Restaurant & Chef Awards semifinalists Wednesday. ... READ MORE

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: Denmark says its sovereignty is not negotiable after Trump’s Greenland about-turn. Denmark’s prime minister insisted that her country can’t negotiate on its sovereignty on Thursday after U.S. President Donald Trump said he agreed a “framework of a future deal” on Arctic security with the head of NATO. Trump on Wednesday abruptly scrapped the tariffs he had threatened to impose on eight European nations to press for U.S. control over Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark. It was a dramatic reversal hours after he insisted he wanted to get the island “including right, title and ownership” — though he also said he would not use force. ... READ MORE

FROM AROUND THE NATION: Immigration enforcement arrives in Maine as a court freezes restrictions on tactics in Minnesota. Maine became the latest target of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement crackdown, while a federal appeals court on Wednesday suspended a decision that prohibited federal officers from using tear gas or pepper spray against peaceful protesters in Minnesota. ... READ MORE

FROM AROUND THE STATE: 6 injured in crash involving semi-truck outside of Oskaloosa. Six people were injured in a crash just east of Oskaloosa Wednesday evening during adverse winter conditions. According to an Iowa State Patrol crash report, an eastbound car on Highway 92, driven by an Oskaloosa teen, attempted to make a left turn into a driveway shortly before 4 p.m. The car, which was reportedly stationary, was rear-ended by semi that was also eastbound. ... READ MORE

Clear Mortgage meteorology

Dry today. Arctic air pours in tonight through Saturday. Light snow is possible Saturday.

For help with pre-approvals or refinancing, get in touch with Originating Branch Manager Carrie Hansen at carrie.mortgage.

Domino's wins, but are they a bully?
Domino's won the year among chain restaurants with total sales growth of 6.2% from a year earlier, through September. Their U.S. same-store sales grew 5.2% in the period. Domino's soared while most other chains struggled to outperform 2024. A Wall Street Journal  story investigating the success attributed a lot of it to surprise sales — like the recent $9.99 pizzas that were discontinued "because they were too successful." Domino's is actually willing to lose money to keep their competition down — but only for a little while.

Domino's spokespeople declined to share how much of its sales stem from that deal, but admitted that it ended because of its popularity among consumers and franchisees, he said. Domino’s likes to keep competition “on its toes” with such new offers, announcing them at unexpected times, like August in this case. Realistically, other chains don’t have the capability to offer the same price points for long periods. (WSJ, Restaurant Business)

Deals today
• Thursdays are triple decker Reuben day at Graziano Brothers (1601 S. Union St., Des Moines).
 
• Quarter pound cheeseburgers and chicken sandwiches are $3.39 each on Thursdays at Kwik Star.
 
• Bennigan's (4800 Merle Hay Road, Urbandale) has a $10.99 burger, fries and a pint deal on Thursdays.
 
• Taco pizzas are the Thursday special at Walker's Place (475 N.E. Broadway Ave., Des Moines).

• Sale Barn Cafe (Lamoni) is offering shrimp basket specials today.

•  Ham balls are today's special at Crouse Cafe (115 E. Salem, Indianola).

•  AJ's (Prairie Meadows) has an early bird menu on Wednesday and Thursday from 4-6 p.m. Half pound burgers with frites, $15; pasta and chicken dinners, $20-22; seafood and steak dinners, $27-30. Prime rib dinners for $30 all night.

• Guesthouse Tavern and Oyster (9500 University, West Des Moine) offers spaghetti dinners with 8-ounce meatballs and salad for $22 on Wednesdays.

• Chelsea's Courtyard (100 MLK, Des Moines) has buck burgers Thursdays. $1!

• Istanbul Grill Cafe & Bakery (3281 100th St., Urbandale) has a Thursday special of $11.99 for a döner wrap with fries as well as $5 off döner plate which comes with Turkish salad and your choice of rice or bulgur. 

•  Hot beef sandwiches are a Thursday special at Club 2000. 

• Maxie's (1311 Grand Ave., West Des Moines) Thursday special for $20.95 is half a fried chicken with potato, side of spaghetti and a salad. Lunch and dinner.

• Mullets Norwalk offers two, two-topping pizzas for $20 on Thursdays, 4 p.m. to close.

• Buzzard Billy's (615 Third St., Des Moines) has $2 off appetizers on Thursdays.

• Whatcha Smokin? (Highway 17, Luther) has a pork belly burnt ends special on Thursdays.

• Beaver Tap (4050 Urbandale Ave., Des Moines) offers $10 country fried breakfasts and $9 tenderloins or shrimp/fish tacos on Thursdays.

• Ruth's Chris (Ashworth Road at Jordan Creek Parkway) has a Thursday special with their decadent RBAR burgers and fries going for $16.

• Steak Nights: Sirloin steak dinners are featured specials today at Johnny's Italian Steakhouses (before 4 p.m.), Sully's Irish Pub (860 First St., West Des Moines); Front Row (9956 Swanson Blvd., Clive); Winn’s Pizza and Steakhouse (122 W. Ashland Ave., Indianola); and Hy-Vee Market Grilles. The Station on Ingersoll (3120 Ingersoll Ave., Des Moines) has a ribeye special on Thursdays. Gilroy's (1238 Eighth St., West Des Moines) offers ribeyes and sirloins only on Thursdays after 5 p.m.

• Mullets has a Thursday pizza special — buy one large specialty pizza and get a free 14-inch two-topping pizza.

• Kids eat free at Scornovacca’s (1930 S.E. 14th St., Des Moines) on Thursdays.

• ShortE's BBQ (8505 Chambery Blvd., Johnston) has $1 smoked wings Thursdays.

• Jethro's Thursday special is a pound of boneless "wings" for $8.

• Bevy’s Tavern (1300 50th St., West Des Moines) has a special of beef stew and cornbread Thursdays for $13.

• Destination Grille (2491 E. First St., Grimes) has a "Comfort Thursday" special chicken fried De Burgo, a gluten free spin on DSM's classic. $16

• The Dam Pub (2710 Beaver Ave., Des Moines) has a throwback Thursday special goulash with garlic toast.

• The Continental (407 E. Fifth St., Des Moines) has $7 loaded fries on Thursdays.

• Aldi stores have sales through Tuesday on navel oranges at $2.49/4-pound bag, blueberries at $2.29/pint, and ground wagyu at $4.99/pound.

• Fresh Thyme (2800 University Ave., West Des Moines) is running a sale through Sunday on wild lobster tails at $5.99 and wild snow crab clusters at $10.99/pound and through Tuesday on rainbow trout filets at $5.99/pound.

— Jim Duncan, jd91446@aol.com

1918: Ukraine declares its independence. Soon after the Bolsheviks seized control in immense, troubled Russia in November 1917 and moved toward negotiating peace with the Central Powers, the former Russian state of Ukraine declares its total independence. … READ MORE

1973: Roe v. Wade is decided. Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision that established a woman’s legal right to an abortion, is decided on Jan. 22, 1973. The Court ruled, in a 7-2 decision, that a woman’s right to choose an abortion was protected by the privacy rights guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The legal precedent for the decision was rooted in the 1965 case of Griswold v. Connecticut, which established the right to privacy involving medical procedures. … READ MORE

2003: Hispanics are officially declared the largest minority group in the U.S. On Jan. 22, 2003, the U.S. Census Bureau releases detailed statistics on race and ethnicity, the first time such numbers had been released since the 2000 census. The numbers showed that the Hispanic population of the United States had increased by 4.7 percent since the last count, officially making Hispanics the largest minority group in the country. … READ MORE

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