Iowa
Comedy superstar Matt Rife reunites with ‘hottest mom’ Christina at Iowa show
Up-and-coming comedy superstar Matt Rife reunited with Christina Reeder, the Iowa fan behind a viral video at a recent Ames show.
Rife was in Ames on a stop for his massive ProblemMATTic World Tour when he asked the crowd if Christina was present. Reeder is a Rife superfan. The duo went viral together after an interaction at a show at West Des Moines’ Funny Bone in March that contained sexual references.
(Editor’s note: Video of their reunion contains profanity and sexual language that may offend some readers.)
In June, Rife told E! News that Reeder was a “sweetheart” who comments on his videos and sends him supportive direct messages on TikTok. He discussed the “incredible” interaction in an interview.
“She was the hottest mom ever in the middle of Iowa, where I didn’t even know they made hot moms,” Rife said “She talks about how hot her daughter was and we FaceTimed her daughter on stage.”
‘We lost a good one’: Rife jokes about daughter of Iowa fan’s Miami move
At the Ames show on Nov. 2, Reeder quickly responded when Rife searched for her in the audience.
After a series of jokes, he FaceTimed Reeder’s daughter — a move that also took place during their original meeting. Her daughter Maggie, who was in the tub, answered the call which caused a “my bad” reaction from Rife and subsequent laughs from the crowd.
More: Adam Sandler stops by Drake University practice facility, poses with men’s basketball team
Rife then asked if Reeder’s daughter still lived in Florida before she said that she had moved to Miami. Rife later responded, “Wow, we lost a good one.” After more jokes with Maggie, he hung up and handed the phone back to Reeder.
Reeder isn’t Rife’s only tie to Iowa. The comedian announced his world tour, with over 130 dates, in a June video with help from Iowa native Ashton Kutcher. The University of Iowa alum and actor starred opposite Rife in the Live Nation-produced announcement spot.
Jay Stahl is an entertainment reporter at The Des Moines Register. Follow him on Instagram or reach out at jstahl@gannett.com.

Iowa
Joann liquidation sales near their end. When will Iowa stores close for good?

Joann plans to close 500 stores, including 2 in Jacksonville
Joann, the popular fabric and crafts retailer, has announced plans to shutter 500 stores amid a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, including two in the Jacksonville area.
Say goodbye to Joann stores because the craft retailer is permanently closing its remaining Iowa stores by the end of May.
Joann shuttered 255 locations in April, including two in Iowa, months after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for the second time within a year. Since filing for bankruptcy, the company has held going-out-of-business sales at the locations.
At those sales, prices are marked down 70% to 90%, according to Joann.com. (Note: sales on the online site have ended.) Stores are also selling the furniture, shelves and equipment, according to the site.
When is Joann closing its stores?
The more than 440 stores that remain will be closed by May 31, said Jo Anne McCusker, a spokesperson for GA Group, the retail liquidator that won all of Joann’s chain’s assets through auction in February. The chain’s website says many stores will close by May 30.
When are Joann stores in Iowa closing?
There are seven Joann stores that will close in Iowa by May 31, according to USA TODAY. The Ames location was not included in a list the company provided to USA TODAY, but the location is listed as a liquidation store on Joann’s website.
- Ankeny: 1205 SE 16th Court, Suite 200
- Cedar Rapids: 255 Collins Road NE
- Clive: 9999 University Ave.
- Davenport: 902 W. Kimberly Road, Suite 41
- Dubuque: 2600 Dodge St., Suite A-4
- Iowa City: 1676 Sycamore St.
- Waterloo: 1407 Flammang Dr.
Have any Iowa stores already closed?
USA TODAY reported that two Joann stores in Iowa were included in an earlier round of store closures.
JoAnn stores in Mason City and Muscatine closed on April 28.
Kate Kealey is a general assignment reporter for the Register. Reach her at kkealey@registermedia.com or follow her on Twitter at @Kkealey17.
Iowa
Northwestern Men’s Basketball Announces Iowa State Exhibition Series

Northwestern University men’s basketball has announced a historic “home-and-home” exhibition series with Iowa State that will be played over the next two years.
The series begins Sunday, October 26, 2025, when Northwestern travels to Ames to face the Cyclones at Hilton Coliseum. Iowa State will return the favor during the 2026 preseason, visiting Welsh-Ryan Arena on either Saturday, October 24, or Sunday, October 25, 2026:
The matchup represents significant firsts for both programs. Northwestern will break new ground by playing its first preseason exhibition against a Division I opponent in program history. For Iowa State, the October contest will mark their first exhibition game at Hilton Coliseum since 2017, when they defeated Emporia State 77-68.
The Cyclones will enter the Northwestern exhibition having already completed their preseason opener at Creighton on October 17. The 2025 schedule marks the first time Iowa State has played two exhibition games in a single season since 2009, when they defeated Black Hills State 96-47 and UNC Pembroke 106-54
Both teams enter the series following contrasting 2024-25 campaigns. Iowa State posted a 25-10 record and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, earning the 13th spot in ESPN’s Way Too Early Top 25 rankings. Northwestern finished 17-16 in their third consecutive winning season.
Specific tipoff times and television broadcast schedules will be announced at a later date. Northwestern’s full 2025-26 schedule has yet to be released, buttickets are currently available for purchase.
Iowa
Iowa baseball defeats Rutgers, punches Big Ten Tournament semis ticket

In Iowa baseball’s (33-20-1, 21-9 Big Ten) first game in the 2025 Big Ten Tournament vs. Rutgers (29-28, 15-15) Wednesday night from Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb., the No. 3-seeded Hawkeyes defeated the No. 10-seeded Scarlet Knights by a score of 4-3 to win the Pool C grouping and clinch a semifinal appearance on Saturday.
Cade Obermueller started on the mound for the Hawkeyes, where he threw a stellar seven shutout innings, allowing four hits and one base-on-balls with 10 strikeouts. Three additional pitchers would see action for Iowa, including Brant Hogue, who picked up a stressful save after allowing Rutgers to pull within one run.
In total, the Hawkeyes’ pitching staff would combine for 13 strikeouts, while allowing three base-on-balls and three earned runs on nine Rutgers hits.
As for the offense, Iowa would record 10 hits, with Miles Risley leading the Hawkeyes with one RBI on 3-of-4 from the plate. Caleb Wulf (2-4) and Kellen Strohmeyer (1-3) also contributed one RBI each. While Gable Mitchell did not record an RBI, he still batted a productive 3-for-5 at the dish.
Although the Hawkeyes’ win secured them a spot in the semifinals, they will still play their second game of pool play tomorrow vs. No. 6-seed Indiana (31-25, 16-14) from Omaha.
Tomorrow’s game against the Hoosiers, initially scheduled for 2 p.m. CT, has now been rescheduled for 9 p.m. at Charles Schwab Field on the Big Ten Network. In addition to the telecast, fans can listen to the action through the Hawkeyes Radio Network alongside play-by-play voice John Leo and color analyst John Evans.
Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions. Follow Scout on X: @SpringgateNews
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