One TV weather team – two devastating diagnoses

By: Dave Busiek

Outlets: Iowa Capital Dispatch

Published: August 15, 2026

Words: 882

Last Updated: 3 days, 8 hours ago

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In all my years in TV news, I’ve never heard of a situation like the NBC affiliate in Des Moines is dealing with.

This week, WHO-TV meteorologist Jason Parkin announced on Facebook that he’s been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

The news comes as a shock because it follows closely on the heels of WHO meteorologist Jeriann Ritter’s diagnosis in February that she has ALS. Ritter’s speech was impacted to the point that she could …

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