Latest news with #KIMT
CBS News
29-04-2025
- CBS News
Judge unseals portion of search warrant in Jodi Huisentruit case
An Iowa judge has released a portion of a 2017 search warrant which showed GPS tracking data of a car owned by a person of interest in the Jodi Huisentruit case. Huisentruit was working as a news anchor in Mason City, Iowa when she disappeared on June 27, 1995. Outside her apartment building, police found signs of a struggle, and investigators believe someone attacked her as she headed to her car for the early news shift. Nearly 30 years later, her disappearance has yet to be solved. The partially unsealed warrant applied to a GPS device which was placed in a 1999 Honda Civic and 2013 GMC Pickup Truck, which was owned by Huisentruit's friend, who was a person of interest in her case. The person of interest was with Huisentruit the night before she disappeared. Jodi Huisentruit (credit: CBS) He died in December of last year. Attorneys argued for the warrant to be unsealed to provide closure to the family. The data tracks a vehicle during a four-day span as it traveled from Baxter, Iowa through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico before it came to a stop in Phoenix. According to a "48 Hours" report, the man was living in Phoenix in 2017. Other details of the warrant remain sealed as the investigation continues, according to KIMT. For more than a decade, journalists and retired law enforcement involved with the group Find Jodi, have asked anyone with information to come forward. After the "48 Hours" report aired in 2019, tips poured into the Mason City Police Department. Note: The above video first aired on March 3, 2025.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
There's a change in the weather coming at KIMT-TV
Mar. 26—ROCHESTER — KIMT-TV News 3 Chief Meteorologist Aaron White will make his final Rochester forecasts on Friday before moving to Columbus, Ohio. KIMT-TV, which is a CBS affiliate based in Mason City, Iowa, has operated a Rochester news bureau and broadcast studio at 1751 U.S. Highway 52 North since 2017. White's move comes just ahead of a move by KIMT owner, Los Angeles-based Allen Media Group, to transition to use Weather Channel meteorologists for its weekend newscasts instead of local staff. Station employees were notified on Tuesday that the Weather Channel personnel will take over the 10 pm. Saturday and Sunday forecasting duties starting April 5. His departure is not directly part of the coming weekend changes. However, January leaks of Allen Media's possible plan to replace all of local meteorologists with remote Weather Channel forecasters and the surrounding uncertainty inspired White to step up his job search. He was told by management in January that the proposed plan could mean that he and the other three on his weather team would be given a date in the future and their jobs would end two weeks later. In the wake of negative public feedback, Allen Media backed off of that plan , but few details of what would happen instead were provided to staff. "I've loved the last four and a half years here. Rochester is a great city, so it's kind of hard to leave. It's also exciting to look forward to something new," said White. "I had started applying a little bit here and there before the news leaked in January. That news was kind of the catalyst, the kick in the butt, that got me moving on my job search." KIMT News Director Dan Clouse said Sara Knox will take over White's role of forecasting the local weather on the Monday through Friday evening newscasts. Hunter Donahoe will continue to do the same on the morning broadcasts and weekend meteorologist Travis Clark-Smith will help fill the gap left by White's departure. "There's no timetable to replace Aaron at this point," said Clouse. "And there are no immediate plans to make any other changes with the Storm Team 3 meteorologists." One change that was made in the wake of the national uproar spurred by the January leak of Allen Media's plans was "hubbing" the KIMT newscast with two other Allen stations — KWWL-TV in Waterloo, Iowa and WREX-TV in Rockford, Ill. That means the stations share national news, which can be shown during their evening broadcasts. Local viewers started seeing that in action in late January. In reference to the new "hubbing," Clouse pointed out that using the national news clips are not required by Allen Media. KIMT can still produce an all-local newscast, if there is breaking news or threatening weather, like last week's snowstorm. "If there's a storm brewing here locally, we're gonna cover it. If a semi goes off an overpass and hits cars, we're gonna cover it," he said.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Yahoo
Search for Jodi Huisentruit: Investigators fight for search warrant release
The Brief Investigators asked a judge on Monday to release a 2017 search warrant connected to the disappearance of news anchor Jodi Huisentruit nearly 30 years ago. A private investigator working on the case has said he hopes the search warrant will lift a "cloud of suspicion" over a friend of Huisentruit. The warrant sought GPS data from two vehicles that were manufactured years after Huisentruit's disappearance. MASON CITY, Iowa (FOX 9) - Attorneys argued in court on Monday for authorities to release search warrants related to the disappearance of Iowa news anchor Jodi Huisentruit, who went missing nearly 30 years ago. The backstory Huisentruit went missing on the morning of June 27, 1995, in Mason City, Iowa. Huisentruit, a Long Prairie, Minn. native, worked as a morning show anchor at local affiliate KIMT. On the morning of June 27, 1995, Huisentruit was running late for work. She called a coworker to let them know she was on her way but never made it to work. Her disappearance was quickly ruled an abduction after police found her belongings lying on the ground near her car and a witness reported seeing a suspicious white van and hearing a scream. Despite the efforts of the police, private investigators, and volunteers, Huisentruit has not been found and no one has been charged in her disappearance. What's new? In court on Monday, attorneys argued for the release of a 2017 search warrant linked to the investigation. The warrant was to obtain GPS data from two vehicles connected to a friend of Huisentruit, John Vansice, who has reportedly since passed. It's worth noting the GPS data would be from long past Huisentruit's 1995 disappearance, as the two vehicles involved were a 1999 Honda Civic and a 2013 GMC. Authorities argued for the search warrant to remain sealed, saying its release could potentially impact the integrity of the investigation. The backstory Investigator Steve Ridge, a media consultant who has worked for years to solve Huisentruit's disappearance, pushed for the release of the search warrant. Speaking with KTTC last month, he said he hopes to "lift the cloud of suspicion" over Vansice. Vansice was one of the last people to see Huisentruit alive, as she visited him the night before her disappearance. Speaking with Ridge in an interview shared on Vansice said he has cooperated with local, state, and federal investigations, willingly submitting to polygraph and DNA testing, finger and palm printing, and a hypnosis session. Vansice said he's faced unfair suspicion from law enforcement, amateur investigators, and media over Huisentruit's disappearance. What's next In court, a judge took the matter under advisement, saying a ruling would be made in the next 30 days. Dig deeper Last year, authorities searched property in Winsted, Minn., about 40 miles west of the Twin Cities, linked to Huisentruit's disappearance. Winsted police said no human remains were discovered during the search. It's unclear what led police to that property, but officers said "information gleaned from this effort will be used in the ongoing investigation." Last year, the reward for information leading to the recovery of Huisentruit's remains was raised to $100,000.
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
KIMT owner's plan to layoff local weather team seems to have melted away
Jan. 29—ROCHESTER — Just as the temperatures have warmed up, the leaked plan of KIMT-TV's owner to lay off meteorologists and consolidate all national weather forecasting in Atlanta seems to have mostly melted away. This stormy situation started on Jan. 17, when the news broke that Los Angeles-based Allen Media Group was planning to consolidate the local weather forecasting from its 27 local stations, including KIMT, and shift the duties to the Weather Channel. AMG paid $300 million to acquire the Weather Channel in 2018. KIMT-TV News 3, which is a CBS affiliate based in Mason City, Iowa, has operated a Rochester news bureau and broadcast studio at 1751 U.S. Highway 52 North since 2017. Viewers across the country loudly criticized the plan as meteorologists at some of the AMG stations offered up prematurely tearful goodbyes on air. While there were no local goodbyes, many in the area voiced concern about the future of the KIMT's StormTeam 3 meteorologists. KIMT has four people on its weather team, led by Chief Meteorologist Aaron White. The other members are Sara Knox, Travis Clark-Smith and Hunter Donahoe, who has been at the station for just six months. The tidal wave of negative feedback about the plan reportedly caused AMG to reverse course. While there are still no details or official statements from AMG, that seems to be generally accurate. KIMT News Director Dan Clouse answered some questions about the situation this week. "I can confirm that everything here at KIMT remains without change when it comes to our weather team staffing," said Clouse. "All four of our meteorologists are still working here. None of them have been laid off. And there is no immediate plan in place to let any of them go at any particular time." Rumors of possible layoffs were rampant in the wake of AMG's plan being leaked. Some stations claimed that meteorologists were notified of the dates of their last days. AMG is reportedly working on an announcement about what changes, if any, will now happen. "Allen Media is considering ways to incorporate more Weather Channel content at its local stations. But specifics of how that might work are still being determined. It will likely work differently at each Allen Media station across the country," said KIMT's Clouse.
